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RT.  REV.  BENEDICT  JOSEPH  PLACET. 


THK    CHNTKNARY 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY, 


HON.   BKN.  J.  WKBIB, 

AUTHOR  OF  "LF.TTERS  OF  A   KENTUCKY    CATHOLIC."    "  BIOGRAPHIFS  OF    GOVERNORS  L.  W. 

POWELL   AND  JOHN  L.    HELM,"   AND   EDITOR   OF   THE  "CATHOLIC  GUARDIAN" 

AND    "ADVOCATE"    NEWSPAPERS. 


IN  ADDITION  TO  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  KENTUCKY  FOR  THE   CENTURY 

OF    ITS    EXISTENCE   JUST   CLOSING,  THE   VOLUME    CONTAINS    THE    DETAILS 

OF    CATHOLIC    EMIGRATION    TO    THE    STATE    FROM    1 785    TO    1814, 

WITH    LIFE   SKETCHES   OF    THE    MORE     PROMINENT    AMONG 

THE     COLONISTS,     AS    WELL    AS    OF     THE     EARLY 

MISSIONARY    PRIESTS    OF    THE    STATE   AND 

VERY  MANY  OF  THEIR  SUCCESSORS. 


LOUISVILLE  : 
CHARLES    A.    ROGERS, 

1884. 


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Copyright     Secured.    1884. 


PRINTED  BY 

J.    C.    'VVEBB    &    COIvrPANY, 

LOUISVILLE.  KY. 


%  ricif^ 


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:> 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Author's  Preface,      3 

Acknowledgments,      9 

CHAPTER  I. 
Kentucky — Geographical  Position— Soil  Characteristics — 
Mineral  Wealth, n 

CHAPTER  II. 
Catholic     Emigration     to    Kentucky — T  h  e     Pottinger's 
Creek  Settlement, 24 

CHAPTER    III. 
The    Hardin's   Creek  Settlement, 45 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Settlements  in  and  near  Bardstown, 57 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Cartwright's   Creek  Settlement, 67 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Scott  County  Catholic  Settlement, 88 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Settlement  on   the  Rolling  Fork,  ; 102 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  Cox's  Creek  Settlement, 114 


ii  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Breckinridge   County  Settlement, 141 

CHAPTER  X. 
The  First  Catholic  Missionaries, 156 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Father  Badin  Again  Alone, i75 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx, 184 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Trappists  in  Kentucky, 194 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Dominicans  in  Kentucky, 200 

CHAPTER   XV. 
The  Diocese  of  Bardstown, 213 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Rev.  John  B.   David — The   Seminary  of   St.   Thomas,    .    .  226 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
Convents    and    Schools    for    Girls — The    Sisterhood    of 

LorettO; 233 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth, 245 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Dominican  Convent  of  St.  Catharine  of  Sienna,  .    .261 

CHAPTER  XX. 
The  Cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,   Bardstown, 269 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
St.  Joseph's  College, 276 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  lU 

CHAPTER   XXII. 
St.   Mary's  College 282 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 
The  Mission  of  Louisville, 288 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 
Rev.  and  Rt.  Rev.  Ignatius  A.  Reynolds, 312 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Rev.  and  Rt.  Rev.  John  McGill, 320 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
The  Mission  of  Lexington, 328 

CHAPTER.   XXVII. 
Rt.  Rev.   Benedict  Joseph  Flaget, 338 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Rev.  and  Rt.   Rev.  John  B.  David, 34S 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
Rev.   and.   Rt  Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat, 353 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
Revs.  W.   E.   Clark  and  John  B.  Hutchins, 357 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 
The  Mission  of  Union  County, ^67, 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
The  Bishopric  of  Bardstown — 1819-1840, 373 

CHAPTER    XXXIII. 
The  Jesuits  in  Kentucky — St.   Mary's  College, 385 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
The    Diocese    of    Louisville — The    Last    days    of    Bishop 

Flaget, 400 


iv  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

^  CHAPTER   XXXV. 

The  Convent  of  the  Good  Shepherd, 405 

CHAPTER   XXXVI. 
The  Missions  of  Hardin  and  Meade  Counties, 412 

CHAPTER    XXXVII. 
The  Mission  of  Grayson  County, 421 

CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 
The  Mission  of  Daviess  County, 425 

CHAPTER    XXXIX. 
The  Jesuits  at  Sr.  Joseph's  College — 1848-1868,    .    .     .    .  433 

CHAPTER  XL. 
Rev.  S.  T.  Badin — His  Later  Years, 441 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
Rt.  Rev.  Martin  John  Spalding, 474 

CHAPTER   XLII. 
Very  Rev.  B.  J.  Spalding,  Administrator, 489 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 
Rt.  Rev.  P.  J.  Lavialle, 492 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 
Catholicity  in  Southern  Kentucky, 49^ 

CHAPTER  XLV. 
Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell — 1 834-1 873, 5°° 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 
St.  Thomas'  Seminary — Very  Rev.  F.   Chambige, 508 

CHAPTER  XLVII. 
The  Churches  of  Louisville, 514 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  V 

CHAPTER  XLVIII. 
The  Diocese  of  Covington, 530 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 
The  Charitable  Institutions  of  the  State, 541 

CHAPTER   L. 
Preston  Park  Seminary — Houses  of  Study — Other  Schools, 5 50 

Appendix, 557 

Writings  of  Early  Missionaries, 559 

Churches  not  Heretofore  Noticed, 576 

Centennial    Religious    and     Educational    Statistics    of 
Kentucky — 1 785-1885, 580 


ENGRAVINGS. 


In  the  volume  here  presented  will  be  found  engraved  portraits  of: 
REV.  STEPHEN  THEODORE  BADIN, 

f'rom  1  painted  likeness  kindly  furnished  by  Rt.  Rev.  William  G.  McCloskey,  Bishop  of 

Louisville. 


RT.   REV.   BENEDICT  JOSEPH  FLAGET, 

From  a  portrait  painted  by  a  Sister  of  the  Loretto  Society — furnished  by  the  Mother  Superior 

of  Mount  St.  Benedict's  Academy. 

REV.   ROBERT  A.  ABELL, 

From  a  photograph  furnished  by  his  nephew,  Rev.  J.  J.  Abell. 


M.   HENRY  DeGALLON, 

French  emigrant  to  Louisville  in  1806 — From  a  crayon  drawing  executed  in  1819  by  the  world- 
renowned  painter  and  naturalist,  John  James  Audubon — furnished  by  Mrs. 
Joseph  B.  Lilly,  a  granddaughter  of  M.  DeGallon. 


THE  AUTHOR, 

From  a  photograph  taken  in  1870. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 


Fifteen  Years  ago  the  historical  record  herewith  presented  to  the 
CathoHc  public  of  the  country  was  suggested  to  me  by  a  clerical  friend, 
now  deceased,  of  the  Archdiocese  of  Boston.  Too  much  occupied  at 
the  time  with  business  affairs  to  give  thought  to  the  matter,  I  allowed 
it  to  pass  from  my  mind.  Toward  the  close  of  the  year  1876,  I  was 
again  approached  on  the  subject,  this  time  by  a  number  of  Kentucky 
priests,  all  personal  friends.  They  were  importunate,  and  nothing  I 
could  say  in  opposition  to  their  views  had  any  effect  to  moderate  their 
persistency.  They  argued  that  the  work  suggested  was  called  for  in 
justice  to  the  memory  of  the  dead,  and  in  the  interests  of  the  living 
children  of  the  Church,  not  only  in  Kentucky,  but  in  every  part  of  the 
country ;  that  the  past  of  the  Church  in  our  State  had  been  an  era  of 
true  christian  heroism,  and  that  the  part  taken  in  its  foundation  and 
early  extension  by  both  priests  and  people,  if  faithfully  chronicled  and 
set  before  the  eyes  of  their  successors  and  descendants,  would  furnish 
both  with  motives  for  increased  zeal  in  the  service  of  God. 

My  fitness  for  the  task  proposed  was  assumed  by  these  friends  from 
the  fact,  that  having  been,  either  as  publisher  or  editor,  connected  with 
the  Catholic  press  of  the  diocese  for  more  than  forty  years,  I  had 
necessarily  acquired  something  of  facility  as  a  writer,  and  something, 
too,  of  skill  in  the  arrangement  of  matter  supposed  to  be  of  general 
Catholic  interest.  Finally,  as  they  expressed  it,  to  none  other  than 
myself  had  there  been  given  opportunities  to  learn  what  was  absolutely 
necessary  to  a  faithful  record  of  facts  bearing  on  the  subject  involved, 
and  of  incidents  relating  thereto ;  and  hence  it  was  their  conviction 
that  the  consummation  of  the  work  depended  solely  upon  my  willing- 
ness to  undertake  it. 

However  doubtful  of  my  own  capabilities,  and  but  faintly  recog- 
nizing at  the  time  the  extent  of  the  obligation  assumed,  and  the  sum  of 
labor  it  involved,  I  found  myself  powerless  any  longer  to  resist  the  ex- 
pressed will  of  these  friends.  Seven  years  have  come  and  gone  since 
my  first  steps  were  taken  toward  my  journey's  end  that  has  only  now 
been  reached.     It  were  idle  here  to  speak  of  the  many  disappoint- 


4  PREFACE. 

ments  I  have  met  with  in  my  endeavor  to  secure  information,  supple- 
mental to  my  own  previous  knowledge,  touching  individuals  and  inci- 
dents, parts  of  the  past  with  which  I  had  to  deal,  that  were  regarded 
by  me  as  important  to  the  completeness  of  my  narrative.  Before  I 
began  to  write,  I  had  no  idea  of  the  numbers  there  are,  Catholics  in 
both  practice  and  name,  who  seem  neither  to  know  nor  care  whence 
they  sprung,  or  in  how  far  they  are  indebted  to  their  ancestors  for  the 
transmitted  virtues  by  which  they  are  to-day  distinguished  in  society 
and  the  Church.  Pride  of  ancestry,  I  have  found,  is  a  much  more 
common  sentiment  among  people  whose  descent  is  from  those  who  ex- 
hibited in  their  lives,  much  of  worldly  wisdom,  it  may  be,  but  nothing 
whatever  of  supernatural  virtue,  than  it  is  among  those  whose  fore- 
fathers were  best  known  in  their  day  and  generation  for  their  adher- 
ence to  Catholic  truth,  and  by  their  compliance  with  the  precepts 
inculcated  by  their  religion. 

Properly  speaking,  all  history  should  be  for  instruction,  for  edifica- 
tion, and  for  warning;  and  especially  should  this  be  so  when  its  subjects 
are  used  to  illustrate  the  relations  of  a  people,  even  of  a  family,  with 
the  Supreme  Arbiter  of  its  destinies,  the  Fashioner  of  its  faith  and 
the  only  object  of  its  adoration.  It  should  not  be  otherwise  than 
comforting  to  any  Catholic  to  be  able  to  trace  backward  the  lines  of 
his  ancestry,  and  to  find  them  supported  throughout  their  length  by 
men  and  women  who  knew  how  to  appreciate  their  great  privilege 
of  being  reckoned  among  the  obedient  children  of  the  Church. 

With  the  view  of  giving  to  the  thousands  of  their  descendants,  in 
Kentucky  and  scattered  throughout  the  South  ^nd  West,  starting  points 
for  investigation  into  their  family  histories,  I  have  sought  to  secure  the 
names,  both  family  and  baptismal,  of  the  original  Catholic  colonists  in 
the  eight  leading  Catholic  settlements  of  Kentucky.  I  am  pleased  to  be 
able  to  say  that  my  efforts  in  this  direction,  thanks  to  friends  whose  aid 
has  not  been  wanting  in  all  the  older  congregations  of  the  State,  have 
been  successful  beyond  anything  I  could  have  reasonably  hoped  for. 
I  am  satisfied  that  the  names  of  but  few  Catholic  emigrants  to  Ken- 
tucky between  the  years  1785  and  18 14,  whether  from  Maryland  and 
the  adjoining  States,  or  from  England,  Ireland  and  France  direct,  have 
escaped  my  own  researches  or  those  of  the  friends  to  whom  I  have 
referred. 

A  subject  for  disquisition  that  has  not  a  little  interested  me,  refers  to 
the  national  derivation  of  the  proper  names  borne  by  our  Maryland 
forefathers  in  the  faith.     By  far  the  greater  number  of  these  appear  to 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  5 

me  to  be  of  distinct  English  derivation.  This  circumstance  is  readily 
to  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact,  that,  being  himself  an  Englishman,  it 
was  but  natural  that  Lord  Baltimore  should  have  endeavored  to  secure 
for  his  associates  in  his  scheme  of  American  colonization,  friends  and 
neighbors  of  his  own  nationality,  banned  by  the  laws  then  in  force,  as 
he  was  himself,  on  account  of  their  adherence  to  the  faith  of  their 
fathers.  Among  these  names,  alike  familiar  to  the  Catholic  ear  in 
Maryland  and  in  Kentucky,  may  be  mentioned  the  following  :  Adams, 
Alvey,  Aud,  Bean,  Beaven,  Boone,  Brewer,  Beckett,  Blandford, 
Bowlin,  Blacklock,  Boles  or  Bowles,  Burch,  Cecil  or  Cissell,  Carrico, 
Clark,  Clements,  Clarkson,  Cambron,  Coomes,  Cooper,  Craycroft, 
Dant  or  Dent,  Downs,  Drury,  Elder,  Edelin,  Elliott,  Fenwick,  Forrest, 
Fowler,  Gardiner,  Gwynn,  Greenwell,  Gettings,  Hayden,  Hardisty, 
Howard,  Hamilton,  Hill,  Hutchins,  Jenkins,  Jarboe,  Johnson,  Lan- 
caster, Livers,  Lucas,  Luckett,  Montgomery,  Mattingly,  Miles,  Medley, 
Mills,  Mudd,  Norris,  Osborne,  Payne,  Queen,  Raley  or  Raleigh, 
Rapier,  Rudd,  Rhodes,  Roby,  Spalding,  Sanders,  Speaks,  Spink, 
Sansbury,  Sims,  Smith,  Thompson,  Tucker,  Wathen,  Wheatley, 
Willett,  Weatherington,  Worland,  Yates,  and  numerous  others,  all 
supposed  by  me  to  be  of  either  English,  Anglo-Saxon  or  Anglo-Norman 
derivation. 

Then  we  have  others  that  are  as  distinctly  Irish,  such  as  Bryan  and 
O'Brien,  Byrne,  Dolan,  Donohoo,  Fagan,  Flannigan,  Gannon, 
Gallahan,  Hagan,  corruption  of  O'Hagan,  Hughes,  Kelly,  Mahony, 
MoUahorne,  corruption  of  Mollihan,  McAtee,  Nally,  Neeley,  O'Neil, 
Roney,  and  possibly,  Riney,  by  some  written  Raney.  It  is  quite 
certain  that  early  emigrants  to  Kentucky  bearing  some  of  these  names 
were  born  in  Ireland.  It  is  equally  assured  that  certain  among  them, 
notably  the  McAtees  and  the  Hagans,  bore  names  that  are  to  this  day 
so  common  in  Maryland  as  to  warrant  the  belief  that  their  descent  was 
from  those  who  were  of  the  Colony  of  St.  Mary's,  established  in  1634. 

It  will  be  observed,  too,  that  certain  baptismal  names  were  common 
to  all  the  settlements.  Some  of  these,  such  as  Jeremiah,  Hezekiah, 
Nehemiah,  and  Zachariah,  would  likely  be  denominated  frightful  by  the 
godmothers  of  our  own  times.  Then  there  are  many  names  drawn 
from  the  storehouse  of  church  nomenclature  that  are  curious  from 
the  frequency  of  their  application  to  the  infant  humanity  of  Catholic 
Maryland.  Among  these  specially  noticeable,  will  be  found :  Ambrose, 
Austin,  Augustine,  Andrew,  Anthony,  Anselm,  Bennet,  Bernard, 
Basil,    Clement,    Felix,    Giles,    Gregory,    Hilary,    Hugh,    Ignatius, 


PREFACE. 


Jerome,  Leo,  Lawrence,  Matthew,  Nicholas,  PhiUp,  Patrick,  Raphael, 
Stephen,  Simeon,  Valentine,  Wilfred,  and  Walter.  One  has  but  to 
look  at  these  names  to  know  what  was  the  faith  professed  by  those  who 
bore  them.  The  baptismal  names,  Leonard,  Randal,  and  Roger,  were 
common  among  the  first  emigrants  to  Kentucky,  and  they  are  common 
in  both  Maryland  and  our  own  State  to  the  present  day.  The  first 
of  these  was  undoubtedly  adopted  and  continued  among  the  colonists 
of  St.  Mary's  in  honor  of  their  great  English  leader,  Leonard  Calvert. 
The  task  imposed  upon  me  by  my  clerical  friends  was  no  doubt 
suggested  by  their  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  my  personal  relations 
with  very  many  of  the  deceased  clergy  of  the  State  had  been  of  a 
very  intimate  character.  It  is  something  for  me  to  say  that  my  remem- 
brances of  sixty  odd  years  fairly  throng  with  moving  figures  in  ecclesi- 
astical garb  whose  hearts  have  long  been  pulseless.  With  little  stretch 
of  fancy,  they  appear  to  me  now  as  they  did  in  life.  I  touch  their 
hands,  and  I  feel  the  returning  pressure.  I  look  into  their  eyes,  and 
I  see  no  diminution  of  lustre.  I  hear  their  voices,  and  their  instructive 
Avords  find  lodgment  in  my  ears  and  in  my  heart.  They  raise  their 
annointed  hands  in  blessing  and  in  sacramental  absolvement,  and  my 
head  is  bent  to  receive  the  benison  and  the  divinely  instituted  release 
from  the  thraldom  of  Satan.  I  see  them  in  sanctuary  ceremonial,  at 
the  altar,  in  the  pulpit,  in  class-room  and  study-hall,  and  at  the  bed- 
sides of  the  sick  and  dying.  Now  they  appear  to  me  slowly  pacing  the 
seminary  lawn,  in  the  shadow  of  the  former  Cathedral  of  the  diocese, 
here  singly,  and  there  in  pairs,  telling  their  beads,  and  reciting  the 
words  of  the  divine  office ;  and  now  I  see  them  with  mien  indulgent, 
overlooking,  and  sometimes  taking  part  in  the  noisy  games  of  college 
youths  in  the  hours  of  recreation.  I  sit  at  table  with  them  in  the 
dining-room  of  the  episcopal  residence,  where  hospitable  entertainment 
is  regarded  as  one  of  my  privileges,  and  I  listen  or  talk  where  speech 
is  free,  where  serious  converse  gives  place  at  times  to  jest  and  banter 
and  the  room  is  made  to  ring  with  laughter,  not  rippling,  it  may  be, 
like  that  of  childhood,  but  just  as  hearty  and  just  as  guileless.  I  greet 
them  on  the  street ;  I  travel  with  them  on  horse  back,  by  stage  coach, 
by  river  steamer  and  railroad  conveyance;  I  receive  them  as  my 
guests,  visit  them  in  their  own  rooms,  ask  for  and  receive  their  advice, 
and  am  honored  by  their  confidence. 

Some  one  may  ask :  See  you  nothing  against  which  you  would 
gladly  shut  your  eyes  ? — nothing  that  it  has  pained  you  to  refer  to  in 
the  history  you  have  written  ?     Alas,  yes !      As  in  society  and  civil 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY^ - 


government  history  is  constantly  repeating  itself,  so  there  have  ap- 
peared in  the  Church  of  Christ  as  the  years  rolled  on  paraphrases  of 
the  events  chronicled  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  touching  the  Apostolate 
chosen  by  our  Lord  Himself.  In  Kentucky,  as  elsewhere,  there  has 
been  faltering  through  human  weakness,  followed  by  tears  and  peni- 
tence and  faithful  championship.  Sale,  too,  has  been  made  of  the  Son 
of  God,  and  to  the  price  paid  has  been  added  wretchedness  and  despair. 
But  litde  has  my  history  to  do  with  these  unfortunates,  few  in  number, 
thank  God,  and  they  will  be  found  referred  to  only  to  bring  into  bolder 
relief  characters  against  whom  reproach,  whether  implied  or  openly 
charged,  would  but  constitute  slander. 

In  the  pages  that  follow  much  space  has  been  devoted  to  pen-por- 
traiture, as  well  in  respect  to  person  as  character,  of  numbers  of  cler- 
gymen who  were  formerly  identified  with  the  mission  of  Kentucky  and 
its  Catholic  establishments.    I  have  endeavored  to  present  these  heroes 
of  a  past  age  in  the  religious  history  of  the  State  as  they  were  known 
to  me  when  living,  not  as  saints  already  glorified,  but  as  soldiers  of  the 
cross  of  Christ,  battling  loyally  for  the  right,  and  retrieving  lost  advan- 
tage when  worsted  in  the  combat.     It  would  be  too  much  to  say,  since 
they  were  but  human,  that  they  were  all  faultless,  and  that  provision 
had  been  made  in  their  regard  against  errors  of  judgment.     Some  of 
them  were  certainly  deficient  in  erudition,  and  a  few  of  them  lament- 
ably so.     This  was  due,  not  to  intellectual  incapacity,  however,  but  to 
absolute  lack  of  educational  facilities  at  the  time,  and  to  circumstances 
requiring  their  ordination  with  the  least  delay  possible  in  order  to 
secure  to  a  spiritually  suffering  people  proper  pastoral  rehef.     It  is  to 
be  remembered  that,  for  the  greater  number  of  them,  their  Seminary 
lives  were  as  much  given  to  manual  labor  as  to  study,  the  former  con- 
dition being  imperative  in  order  to   insure  to  themselves  and  their 
teachers  the  bare  necessaries  of  hfe.     But,  whatever  were  their  defici- 
ences  in  respect  to  culture  and  training,  it  is  something  for  their  biog- 
rapher to  be  able  to  say  of  them,  that  a  more  faithful,  efficient  and  zeal- 
ous body  of  priests  never  did  service  in  the  cause  of  religion.     All  of 
them  were  fairly  intelligent,  and  some  of  them  singularly  intellectual. 
I  have  no  apology  to  make  to  any  one  for  having  devoted  so  many 
pages  of  my  finished  work  to  the  Hves  and  labors,  the  sayings  and 
doings,  of  Rev.   Stephen  Theodore  Badin  and  Rev.   Robert  A. 
Abell.     To  say  that  these  were  unique  characters,  naturally  suggesting 
to  the  biographer  stressful  points  wherewith  to  embellish  his  narrative, 
would  be  little  indicative  of  their  historic  consequence.     They  were 


8  PREFACE. 

grand  characters  as  well,  mediocre  in  nothing  that  ordinarily  establishes 
well  earned  fame  and  gives  to  men  a  just  claim  to  the  gratitude  of 
their  fellows.  I  have  found  myself  interested  in  their  very  eccentrici- 
ties, as  will  also,  no  doubt,  the  Catholic  public  here  addressed,  and  in 
no  wise  has  my  idea  of  the  moral  grandeur  of  their  lives  been  warped 
or  diminished  by  the  increased  knowledge  I  have  acquired  of  the 
singularities  by  which  they  were  distinguished  in  society  and  in  the 
Church. 

That  my  historical  record  will  find  appreciative  readers,  and  many 
of  them,  more,  possibly,  in  the  North  and  East  than  in  the  South  and 
West,  I  do  not  permit  myself  to  doubt.  This  will  result  much  more 
from  the  character  of  material  that  has  fallen  in  my  way  than  from  any 
extraordinary  skill  I  have  displayed  in  the  line  of  construction.  In 
very  truth,  the  structure  I  have  reared  will  be  found  one  of  fragments ; 
but  there  attaches  a  story  to  each  one  of  these,  complete  in  itself,  that 
not  only  fits  it  for  its  appointed  place  in  the  general  design,  but  gives  to 
it  every  requisite  of  conformity. 

Wearied  of  my  pencilings,  long  continued,  often  interrupted,  and 
as  often  rewritten,  I  now  push  out  of  my  sight  the  accumulated  sheets 
to  flutter  before  eyes  that  will  discover  in  them,  I  trust,  something  for 
edification  and  litde  for  serious  criticism.  Should  my  hopes  of  public 
favor  for  my  etchings  be  realized,  I  will  here  ask  my  readers,  one  and 
all,  priests  and  laymen,  to  remember  me  wherein  I  am  most  needful  of 
their  charitable  service — in  their  sacrifices  and  prayers. 

BEN.  J.  WEBB. 

Louisville,  Ky.,  April  25,  1884. 


HON.   BEN.  J.  WEBB. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 


Frequent  reference  will  be  found  in  the  pages  that  follow  to  the 
researches  made  more  than  forty  years  ago  by  the  Most  Rev.  M.  J. 
Spalding  and  then  given  to  the  public  in  his  "Sketches  of  the 
Early  Missions  of  Kentucky,"  and  his  "Life  of  Bishop  Flaget." 
So  far  as  it  was  the  design  of  the  author  to  go,  his  work  was  admirably 
done,  and  his  sketches  have  furnished  me  with  numerous  facts  and 
occurences  introduced  into  this  history.  It  will  be  observed,  too,  that 
in  the  sketch  I  have  given  of  that  renowned  missionary  priest,  Rev. 
Charles  Nerinckx,  I  have  availed  myself  freely  of  the  tecord  lately 
published  of  his  life  by  Rev.  Camillus  Maes,  of  Detroit. 

It  is  but  just  to  say  that  I  have  had  the  assistance  of  many  individ- 
uals, both  old  and  new-found  friends,  in  the  labor  that  was  necessarily 
involved  in  the  preparation  of  the  matter  that  makes  up  the  volume 
here  presented.  Without  such  aid,  it  had  been  impossible  for  me  to 
get  at  many  facts,  as  well  in  the  history  of  Catholic  emigration  to  Ken- 
tucky, as  in  that  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  Catholicity  in  the  State, 
that  have  added  much  to  the  value  of  my  finished  work.  Referring  to 
these  friends,  my  grateful  heart  turns  first  of  all  to  those  among  them 
who  have  passed  away  since  I  began  to  write.  The  late  Rev.  John 
B.  Hutchins,  my  friend  from  childhood  and  my  preceptor  in  youth, 
not  only  opened  to  me  the  storehouse  of  his  extended  remembrances, 
but  he  sought,  and  with  marked  success,  to  induce  others  to  render  me 
like  service.  In  a  minor  degree,  the  same  is  to  be  said  of  Revs.  Chas. 
I.  CooMES  and  Michael  Power,  Drs.  John  E.  Crowe  and  Thomas 
Jenkins,  and  Mr.  James  W.  Osborne,  all  of  Louisville,  and  all  de- 
ceased since  1879. 

The  interest  that  is  exhibited  at  the  cost  of  time  and  pains,  no 
matter  what  may  be  its  subject,  should  be,  of  all  other,  the  most 
worthy  of  acknowledgment  and  thanks.  Such  interest  has  been  taken 
in  my  labors  by  Most.  Rev.  William  Henry  Elder,  Archbishop  of 
Cincinnati;  Rev.  A.  J.  Thebaud,  S.  J.,  of  New  York  City;  Very 
Rev.   a.    Bessonies,  V.   G.,   Indianapolis,  Ind. ;    Rev.  Walter  H. 


to  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

Hill,  S.  J.,  of  Saint  Louis,  Mo. ;  Revs.  E.  J.  Durbin,  A.  A.  Aud, 
Thomas  J.  Jenkins,  David  Russell,  Francis  Wuyts  and  Lawrence 
Bax,  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville,  and  Rev.  Ferd.  Brossart,  of  the 
diocese  of  Covington. 

Specially  would  I  acknowledge  the  invaluable  services  rendered  me 
in  reference  to  Catholic  colonization  in  Kentucky  by  Mrs.  Hamilton 
Edelin,  of  Holy  Cross  congregation;  Mrs.  Albert  Jenkins  and 
Mr.  Samuel  Spalding,  of  that  of  St.  Augustine,  Lebanon;  Mrs. 
Mary  Blandford  Ball,  of  that  of  St.  Michael,  Fairfield;  and  Mr. 
Richard  Coomes  of  that  of  St.  Lawrence,  in  Daviess  county. 

To  the  Superiors  and  older  members  of  the  conventual  establish- 
ments for  females  in  Kentucky,  I  am  indebted  for  much  valuable  infor- 
mation touching  their  respective  foundations. 

Considerate  service  has  also  been  rendered  me,  in  respect  to  special 
points  of  inquiry,  by  Rev.  James  F.  Callaghan,  of  the  archdiocese 
of  Cincinnati;  Rev.  William  J.  Dunn,  of  the  Passionist  Fathers; 
Rev.  J.  De  Vries,  of  Bowling  Green;  Rev.  Edwin  Drury,  of  New 
Hope;  Rev.  M.  Melody,  of  Leitchfield;  Rev.  J.  J.  Abell,  of  Coles- 
burg,  Kentucky;  and  by  Very  Rev.  M.  Bouchet,  V.  G.,  and  Revs. 
A.  J.  Harnist,  H.  J.  Brady,  M.  L.  Brandt,  T.  J.  Disney,  E.  M. 
Bachman,  M.  Oberlinkels,  Louis  M.  Miller,  H.  Plaggenborg, 
and  others  of  the  city  pastorate  of  Louisville.  For  like  service  I  am 
indebted  to  Messrs.  Francis  W.  and  Basil  T.  Elder,  of  Baltimore 
and  Saint  Louis,  respectively;  Edward,  John  G.  and  Benj.  F.  Mat- 
tingly  and  Mrs.  Richard  M.  Spalding,  of  Marion  county,  Ken- 
tucky; Dennis  Mulligan,  Esq.,  of  Lexington;  Wm.  F.  McGill, 
Esq.,  of  Bardstown;  Richard  P.  Edelin  and  William  F.  Booker, 
Esqrs.,  of  Springfield;  and  Sylvester  Johnson,  Esq.,  and  Mrs.  Ann 
HoRRELL  Dawson,  of  New  Haven,  Kentucky.  I  am  under  similar 
obligations  to  the  individuals  here  named,  all  residents  of  Louisville : 
Hon.  Chas.  D.  Jacob,  Hon.  Patrick  Campion,  Hon.  Richard  J. 
Brown,  Patrick  Joyes,  Esq.,  Frank  Hagan,  Esq.,  Judge  J.  C. 
Walker,  Hamilton  Pope,  Esq.,  James  S.  Pirtle,  Esq.,  and  Messrs. 
Joseph  B.  Lilly,  Thomas  Leahy,  Michael  Rogers,  Chris.  Bosche 
and  Thomas  Carroll;  also  to  Mrs.  John  Hays,  Mrs.  Mary  Nip- 
pert,  Mrs.  Bernard  McAtee  and  Mrs.  John  Doyle.  Finally,  I 
am  indebted  to  the  Passionist  Fathers  of  "The  Retreat,"  near  Louis- 
ville, for  a  number  of  translations  of  original  letters  and  documents 
from  the  French. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY. 


KENTTUCIvY. 

CHAPTER  I. 

GEOGRAPHICAL    POSITION SOIL    CHARACTERISTICS — MINERAL  WEALTH, 

The  district  of  country  known  as  Kentucky  is  situated  between 
thirty-six  degrees  thirty  minutes,  and  thirty-nine  degrees  ten  minutes 
north  latitude,  and  between  eighty-one  degrees  fifty  minutes,  and 
eighty-nine  degrees  twenty-six  minutes  west  longitude.  Its  area  is 
forty-two  thousand  six  hundred  square  miles,  and  it  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  the  Ohio  river,  separating  it  from  the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana 
and  Illinois;  on  the  east  by  Virginia;  on  the  south  by  Tennessee;  and 
on  the  west  by  the  Mississippi  river,  separating  it  from  the  State  of 
Missouri. 

The  surface  of  the  country  presents  a  pleasing  diversity  of  aspect. 
Dipping  from  the  Cumberland  mountains,  through  ranges  of  heavily 
wooded  hills  of  constantly  decreasing  elevation,  it  extends  three  hun- 
dred miles  westward  in  beautiful  levels  and  undulations,  interrupted 
here  and  there  by  the  rocky  protuberances  known  to  the  language  of 
the  country  as  knobs,  until  stayed  by  the  streams  that  constitute  its 
northwestern  and  western  boundaries.  Springs  of  wholesome  water 
percolate  the  land  in  every  direction,  and  these,  as  a  general  thing, 
are  never-failing.  In  addition  to  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers, 
which  water  the  northern  and  western  boundaries  of  the  State,  Ken- 
tucky is  traversed  by  several  important  streams  that  are  navigable  for 
long  distances.  These  are  the  Big  and  the  Little  Sandy  in  the  eastern ; 
the  Tennessee  and  the  Cumberland  in  the  western ;  and  the  Kentucky, 
Licking,  Green  and  Barren  rivers  in  the  more  central  parts  of  the 
State.  Salt  river  and  its  confluents,  the  Beech  and  Rolling  Forks, 
though  not  navigable  for  steamers,  have  been  made  to  serve  the  needs 
of  commerce  for  nearly  a  hundred  years  in  bearing  upon  their 
bosoms  during  the  spring-tide  freshets  the  produce  of  the  country  on 
its  way  to  the  markets  of  the  south. 

When  first  visited  by  the  whites,  the  forest  growth  of  Kentucky  was 
as  rank  as  it  was  diversified.  Nearly  every  species  of  tree  and  shrub 
known  to  the  temperate  zone  was  to  be  found  thickly  studding  almost 


12  '  KENTUCKY. 

the  entire  surface  of  the  State.  Even  now,  though  there  has  been 
much  reckless  waste  of  valuable  timber  in  too  many  localities,  there  is 
ample  remaining,  and  .of  the  best  quality,  to  serve  the  necessities  of  a 
large  population  for  many  years  to  come. 

For  the  most  part,  the  country  rests  upon  a  bed  of  hmestone — of 
blue  limestone  in  the  counties  east  of  the  Kentucky  river,  and  of  gray 
limestone  in  those  to  the  west  of  that  limit.  In  certain  districts,  how- 
ever, black  shale  abounds,  and  the  lands  thereabout  are  not  considered 
productive.  Beneath  these  rocky  foundations,  in  both  the  eastern  and 
western  parts  of  the  State,  vast  beds  of  coal  and  iron  have  already 
been  exposed  and  are  being  profitably  worked.  Lead  and  gypsurn 
have  also  been  found  in  different  parts  of  the  State,  but  not  in  quanti- 
ties sufficient  to  warrant  active  mining  operations.  Salt  springs  or  wells 
abound  in  many  localities.  At  one  time  the  manufacture  of  salt  was  a 
primary  industry  of  the  State.  Now,  it  is  only  made  in  large  quan- 
tities in  Clay  county,  in  eastern  Kentucky,  and  in  Meade  county,  on 
the  Ohio  river  about  fifty  miles  southwest  of  Louisville. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  the  soil  of  Kentucky  is  remarkable  for  its  fertility. 
The  lands  overlying  the  blue  limestone  formation  are  undoubtedly  the 
best,  but  there  are  vast  tracts  lying  beyond  the  region  wherein  this 
characteristic  geological  formation  prevails  that  are  almost  equally  pro- 
ductive. In  such  a  vast  area,  of  course,  uniformity  in  the  value  of 
lands  for  agricultural  purposes  is  not  to  be  reasonably  expected.  There 
are  spots,  and  not  a  few  of  them,  from  which  the  husbandman  will  vainly 
seek  a  compensative  return  for  his  toil.  It  was  upon  just  such  a  spot 
that  the  first  CathoHc  emigrants  who  came  to  Kentucky  reared  their 
rude  tabernacles.  Many  have  regarded  this  fact  as  a  misfortune.  The 
writer,  whose  descent  is  from  one  of  them,  is  inclined  to  the  belief 
that  it  was  providential. 

ABORIGINAL    INHABITANTS — PREHISTORIC   REMAINS. 

It  is  difficult  to  say  with  certainty  to  what  particular  tribe  of  Indians 
the  country  known  as  Kentucky  rightfully  belonged  at  any  era  of 
which  there  is  historic  record.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  in  the  far 
distant  past,  possibly  as  many  as  eight  hundred  years  ago,  as  some 
archaeologists  affirm,  the  district  to  which  now  attaches  the  name  was 
inhabited  by  a  race  of  men  whose  civilization  was  of  a  higher  type 
than  that  of  any  of  the  tribes  that  have  since  been  brought  into  contact 
with  the  whites  on  the  soil  of  North  America.  Without  going  into  the 
details,  there  is  abundant  evidence  in  support  of  this  theory  to  be  found 
in  the  remains  they  have  left  us  scattered  all  over  the  State,  all  point- 
ing unmistakably  to  a  knowledge  among  them  of  certain  of  the  arts,  as 
well  as  of  appliances  of  Hving,  that  were  wholly  unknown  to  any  one 
of  the  nomadic  tribes  found  in  the  country  by  its  Caucasian  discoverers. 

What  are  known  as  Indian  tnounds  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of 
Kentucky.  They  usually  appear  on  the  margins  of  water  courses,  and 
upon  level  lands.     It  is  doubtful  at  this  day  whether  they  were  con- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  I3 

structed  primarily  for  defence,  sepulture,  worship  and_  sacrifice,  or  for 
all  these  uses  combined.  Some  are  square,  some  elliptical,  some  cir- 
cular, and  some  polygonal.  Many  of  them  have  been  opened  and 
have  been  found  to  contain  human  remains.  Their  structure  is  often 
in  accordance  with  a  high  standard  of  art,  and  the  size  of  many  of 
them,  taken  in  connection  with  the  fact  that  they  are  ordinarily  situated 
in  the  midst  of  fertile  plains  and  contiguous  to  running  waters,  would 
imply  that  their  builders  were  an  agricultural  people  and  were  pos- 
sessed of  fixed  habitations. 

It  is  of  tradition  that  the  name  by  which  the  State  is  known  is  of 
Indian  origin,  and  that  the  meaning  of  the  word  is,  The  Dark  and 
Bloody  Ground.  It  is  said  by  some  that  this  title  was  applied  to  the 
district  ages  ago  for  the  reason  that,  even  then  it  had  long  been  re- 
garded as  disputed  territory,  over  which  mutually  hostile  bands  were 
and  had  been  in  the  habit  of  roaming  and  hunting  and  fighting,  and  to 
which  no  particular  tribe  had  ever  acquired  a  title  by  conquest.  Some 
go  so  far  as  to  assert  that,  so  fierce  and  bloody  had  been  the  contests  for 
its  mastery,  the  Indians  themselves  came  to  regard  the  country  as 
given  over  to  the  possession  of  malignant  spirits,  and  that,  for  this 
reason,  they  were  disinclined  to  it  even  as  a  temporary  abiding  place. 
This  supposed  prejudice  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  if  it  ever  had  an 
existence,  must  have  worn  itself  out  before  any  attempt  was  made  by 
the  whites  to  secure  a  footing  in  the  country;  otherwise,  the  history  of 
those  times  would  not  be  found  blotted  on  almost  its  every  page  with 
accounts  of  tragedies  that  had  their  motive  in  Indian  hostility  to 
Caucasian  colonization. 

It  is  quite  certain  that  what  is  now  known  as  Western  Kentucky 
was  inhabited  by  Indians  at  or  very  shortly  before  the  time  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  country  by  the  whites.  These  Indians,  except,  it  may 
be,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  State,  where  it  is  conceded  that  the 
Cherokees  afterwards  held  sway,  were  most  likely  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Chaouanons,  so  designated  in  the  writings  of  the  French  missionaries, 
who  were  undoubtedly  the  first  Europeans  that  travelled  through  the 
western  portion  of  the  United  States.  This  name  of  the  original 
nation  was  changed  by  the  English,  first  into  Shauana,  and  later,  into 
Shawnee.  The  Cumberland  river,  thus  named  about  the  middle  of  the 
last  century  by  its  discoverer,  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  after  the  English 
Duke  of  that  title,  was  called  by  the  Indians,  the  Shawanee.' 

Though  it  is  asserted  that  Col.  Wood,  an  Englishman,  explored 
Kentucky  in  1654,  and  that  a  party  of  twenty-three  Spaniards,  all  of 
whom  were  afterwards  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  journeyed  along  its 
northern  border  as  early  as  1669,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  renowned  Father 
Jacques  Marquette  was  not  the  first  white  man  whose  feet  pressed  the 
soil  of  the  State.  Accompanied  by  Louis  Joliet,  and  five  other  French- 
men, he  descended  the  upper  Mississippi  in  1673,  and  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio,  then  called  the  Ouabouskigon,  about  the  5th  of  July 
of  the  year  named.  Happily,  we  are  not  left  to  conjecture  in  relation 
to  the  great  Jesuit  missionary's  impressions.     What  he  saw  and  heard 


14  KENTUCKY. 

was  committed  to  j^aper,  and  the  record  remains.  He  tells  us  that  the 
region  to  the  east,  tlirough  whicli  flows  the  Ohio,  was  peopled  by  the 
Chaouanons;  that  they  were  in  such  numbers  that  they  reckoned  twen- 
three  villages  in  one  district,  and  fifteen  in  another ;  that  they  were 
peaceably  disposed,  and  had  been  shamefully  persecuted  by  the  pow- 
erful tribe  of  the  Iroquois,  etc.* 

Had  the  Shawnees  been  an  insignificant  and  unwarlike  people,  it  is 
not  likely  that  the  Iroquois  would  have  considered  it  worth  their  while 
to  leave  their  own  hunting  grounds  in  western  New  York,  and  the 
shores  of  Lake  Erie  and  Lake  Ontario,  in  order  to  make  war  upon 
them.  With  these  latter  war  was  a  trade.  They  pushed  their  wars  and 
invasions  to  the  west  and  south;  and,  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  by  Father  Marquette,  they  seem  to  have  just 
overpowered  the  Shawnees,  the  ancient  tenants  of  Kentucky,  and 
also,  possibly,  of  the  Wabash  country,  f 

The  extinction  of  Indian  titles  to  proprietorship  over  the  soil  of 
Kentucky  is  claimed  under  the  provisions  of  four  distinct  treaties 
entered  into  between  the  Indians  and  the  whites.  The  first  of  these 
was  the  treaty  of  Albany,  New  York,  made  with  the  Iroquois  in  1684, 
Lord  Howard,  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  Col.  Thos.  Dongan,  Gov- 
ernor of  New  York,  signing  the  treaty  on  the  part  of  the  whites.  The 
second  was  effected  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  in  1744,  the  contract- 
ing parties  being  the  Chiefs  of  the  confederation  known  as  that  of 
"The  Six  Nations"  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  and  the  Governors  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  commissioners  representing  Virginia  and  Maryland 
on  the  part  of  the  whites.  The  third,  entered  into  Nov.  5th,  1768,  is 
known  as  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix.  By  this  treaty  the  Indians,  com- 
posing the  original  Iroquois  league,  ' '  together  with  the  Delawares,  the 

»It  is  exceedingly  doubtful  if  the  Shawnees  were  deserving  of  this  eulogy 
of  their  peace-loving  characteristics.  They  would  have  been  glad  to  be  at  peace 
with  the  Iroquois  because  they  knew  themselves  to  be  less  powerful.  They 
were,  in  fact,  as  their  subsequent  history  shows,  a  fierce,  hardy  and  warlike 
tribe,  "  In  1745,"  says  Collins  in  his  Annals  of  Kentucky,  '*  the  Shawnees  of 
Kentucky  had  retreated  upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  the  Miami  and  the  Mus- 
kingum to  avoid  their  southern  enemies.  Being  now  at  peace  with  the  Men- 
guys,  they  allied  with  them  against  the  Cherokees,  Catawbas,  Muscologees, 
Chickasaws,  etc.,  and  Kentucky  remains  the  hunting  ground  of  the  northern 
and  southern  nations,  where  they  meet  at  war."  "  In  1764,"  says  the  same 
authority,  "  they  removed  from  Ohio  to  Pennsylvania,  and  from  Green  river 
to  the  Wabash." 

In  1804,  the  fierce  Shawnee  chief,  Tecumseh,  together  with  his  brother, 
noted  as  "  the  Prophet,"  sought  to  incite  a  general  massacre  of  the  whites 
throughout  the  west  by  endeavoring  to  convince  the  tribes  that  it  was  their 
duty  to  combine  to  that  end.  If  the  true  story  could  be  told  of  the  hundreds 
of  massacres  of  white  people  in  Kentucky  during  the  last  three  decades  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  the  greater  number  of  these,  as 
well  as  the  more  daring  and  more  atrocious,  were  committed  by  the  Shawnee 
Indians. 

t  Schoolcraft,  in  his  History  of  the  Indian  Tribes  of  the  United  States  says 
of  the  Shawnees  :  "This  people  always  considered  themselves  to  have  claims 
to  these  attractive  hunting-grounds,"  (those  of  Kentucky). 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  1 5 

Shawnees  and  the  Mingoes,  grant  unto  King  George  the  Third,  in 
consideration  of  the  sum  of;^io,46o,  all  the  territory  south  of  the  Ohio 
and  west  of  the  Cherokee  (Tennessee)  rivers,  and  back  of  the  British 
settlements."  The  fourth  and  last  treaty  was  that  entered  into  between 
the  Cherokee  Indians  and  the  Henderson  Land  Company  in  1775,  by 
the  terms  of  which,  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  ^10,000,  the  In- 
dians named  ceded  all  their  proprietary  rights  to  the  soil  of  the  State 
to  said  Company.* 

THE    WHITES     IN    KENTUCKY. 

The  earliest  recorded  explorations  of  Kentucky — then  a  little 
known  district  of  country,  and  geographically  forming  the  vastly 
superior  portion  of  Fincastle  county,  Virginia — were  made,  first  by 
Dr.  Thomas  Walker  in  1758,  and  second,  by  John  Findlay  in  1767. 
The  first  of  these  explorers,  a  native  of  Albemarle  county,  Virginia, 
crossed  the  Alleghanies,  as  some  say,  in  1747,  but  as  is  more  generally 
believed,  in  1758,  and  discovered  the  Cumberland  range  of  mountains 
and  the  river  by  the  same  name  heading  therein. 

Findlay's  expedition  in  1767,  was  undertaken  solely  with  the  view 
of  opening  trade  with  the  Indians.  These  becoming  hostile,  he  and  his 
companions  were  forced  to  return  to  their  homes.  The  leader  of  the 
expedition  had  an  eye,  however,  to  the  beauty  of  the  country  and  its 
adaptation  for  permanent  settlements,  and  it  was  owing  principally  to 
Findlay's  glowing  descriptions  of  what  he  had  himself  seen  in  the 
regions  he  had  traversed  that  many  of  the  frontiersmen  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  were  influenced  to  leave  their  homes  and  tempt  the 
uncertainties  of  existence  in  the  then  pathless  wilds  of  Kentucky. 

Among  those  who  took  the  deepest  interest  in  Findlay's  accounts  of 
the  country  was  one  whose  name  became  afterwards  associated  with 
the  most  stirring  events  that  characterized  the  early  history  of  the 
State.  Daniel  Boone  was  a  noble  adventurer.  He  was  at  once  daring 
and  prudent ;  self-confident  and  modest ;  almost  misanthropic  in  his 
manner  of  life,  and  yet  always  ready  to  stand  between  his  friends  and 
danger.     Collins  thus  refers  to  this  remarkable  man : 

"He  was  born  in  Burks  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  nth  Feb- 
ruary, 1 73 1.  Of  his  life,  little  is  known  previous  to  his  emigration 
to  Kentucky.  .  .  .  It  it  said  that  his  ancestors  were  among  the 
original  Catholic  settlers  of  Maryland;  but  of  this  nothing  is  known 
with  certainty;  nor  is  it,  perhaps,  important  that  anything  should  be," 

*  Under  the  provisions  of  this  treaty,  the  Henderson  Land  Company  claimed 
proprietary  title  to  lands  that  had  been  previously  conveyed  to  individuals 
and  corporations  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia.  Trouble  immediately 
ensued  between  the  Company  and  the  aggrieved  holders  of  these  lands.  To 
quiet  the  disturbance,  the  Legislature  took  the  matter  in  hand  and  decided  that 
the  Company  had  acquired  no  title  to  the  lands  through  its  treaty  with  the 
Cherokees.  There  was  assigned  to  it,  however,  by  way  of  compensation  for 
the  money  it  had  expended,  an  ample  territory  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
State,  including  the  district  of  country  now  known  as  Henderson  county. 


l6  KENTUCKY. 

We  may  be  permitted  to  doubt  if  the  writer  of  this  is  competent  to 
decide  upon  the  question  he  raises  and  so  flippantly  dismisses.  At  times, 
through  lack  of  facilities  necessary  to  the  practice  of  their  religion, 
individual  Catholics  have  been  known  to  lapse  from  the  faith  of  their 
fathers.  But  in  such  instances  the  children  do  not  ordinarily  suffer  total 
shipwreck  of  the  legitimate  results  of  the  faith  that  was  held  and  prac- 
ticed by  their  parents.  It  will  be  important  for  Catholics  to  know  that 
Daniel  Boone,  notwithstanding  he  had  little  knowledge,  and  possibly 
none  at  all,  of  Catholicity  as  a  system  of  religious  faith,  was  indebted 
to  his  Catholic  ancestors  for  those  stern  virtues,  transmitted  in  the 
natural  order,  which  at  once  distinguished  them  and  characterized 
himself.  * 

Immediately  preceding  his  first  visit  to  Kentucky,  Daniel  Boone 
was  living  with  his  family  in  one  of  the  valleys  bordering  on  the  South 
Yadkin  river,  in  North  Carolina.  Upon  Findlay's  return  to  the  State, 
urged  thereto,  doubtless,  as  much  by  his  own  venturous  spirit  as  by 
that  pioneer's  accounts  of  what  he  had  seen,  Boone  made  up  his  mind  to 
organize  a  company  for  the  further  exploration  of  the  country  beyond 
the  Cumberland  mountains.  Early  in  the  year  1769,  accompanied  by 
Findlay  in  the  capacity  of  guide,  and  by  John  Stuart,  Joseph  Holden, 
James  Mooney  and  William  Coole,  all  of  his  own  neighborhood  on 
the  Yadkin,  Boone  began  his  rnarch  westward.  On  the  7th  June  the 
party  reached  Red  river,  in  eastern  Kentucky,  where  they  built  a 
cabin  and  remained  until  the  2  2d  December  following.  On  that  day 
while  out  hunting,  Boone  and  Stuart  were  captured  by  Indians,  from 
whom,  after  several  days,  they  succeeded  in  escaping.  On  regaining 
their  camp  they  found  it  dismantled  and  deserted ;  and  of  those  who 
had  been  left  in  its  occupancy  no  word  was  ever  heard.  A  few  days 
later  the  survivors  were  joined  by  Squire  Boone,  a  younger  brother 
of  Daniel,  and  another  man  who  had  followed  the  expedition  from 
North  Carolina.  But  soon  after  this  accession  to  their  numbers,  Stuart 
was  shot  and  scalped  by  the  Indians.  The  only  remaining  companion 
of  the  brothers  became  discouraged  and  returned  to  North  Carolina. 
With  an  interval  of  several  months,  during  which  the  younger  of  the 
brothers  returned  to'North  Carolina  in  order  to  procure  a  fresh  supply 
of  ammunition,  the  Boones  remained  together,  "roving  through  the 
woods  in  every  direction,  killing  abundance  of  game,  and  finding  an 
unutterable  pleasure  in  contemplating  the  natural  beauties  of  the  forest 
scenery,"  until  March-,  177 1,  when  they  retraced  their  steps  to  North 
Carolina.  For  nearly  three  years  Boone  remained  away  from  his 
family,  and  during  all  that  time,  "he  never  tasted  bread  or  salt;  nor 
beheld  the  face  of  a  single  white  man,  with  the  exception  of  his  brother 
and  the  friends  who  had  been  killed." 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1773,  Boone  was  at  the  head  bf  another  expe- 
dition to  Kentucky,  but  this  resulted  as  disastrously  as  the  first.     When 

*The  family  name  of  Boone  is  quite  common  in  both  Marylana  and  Ken« 
tucky;  and,  for  the  greaterpart,  those  bearing  it  are  Catholics  in  religion. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  ly 

the  party,  which  was  composed  of  forty  armed  men,  neared  the  Cum- 
berland mountains,  they  were  attacked  by  Indians,  and  a  bloody  battle 
ensued.  The  Indians  were  driven  off,  but  six  of  the  whites  were 
killed  or  wounded,  a  son  of  the  leader  being  of  the  number  of  the 
former.  Completely  demoralized  by  the  occurrence,  the  remainder  of 
the  party  retired  to  the  settlements  on  Clinch  river.  In  1775,  Boone 
was  employed  by  Col.  Richard  Henderson  to  mark  out  a  road  for  the 
pack  horses  and  wagons  of  the  party  he  was  leading  to  Kentucky. 
This  service  he  accomplished,  reaching  a  point  about  fifteen  miles  from 
that  upon  which  he  shortly  afterwards  built  the  fort  known  as  that  of 
Boonesborough,  on  the  25th  March  of  the  year  named.  Here  he  was 
attacked  by  Indians  and  a  number  of  his  companions  killed.  Upon 
the  completion  of  the  fort  he  returned  to  Clinch  river  for  his  family, 
and  their  removal  to  the  fort  was  happily  accomplished  some  time 
during  the  following  year.  In  July,  1776,  a  thrilling  adventure  hap- 
pened at  the  fort,  which  is  thus  described  in  Collins'  History  of 
Kentucky  (Vol.  II,  page  58): 

"Jemima  Boone  and  two  daughters  of  Col.  Calloway  were  amusing 
themselves  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  fort,  when  a  party  of  Indians 
rushed  from  the  surrounding  coverts  and  carried  them  away  captives. 
The  screams  of  the  terrified  girls  aroused  the  inmates  of  the  garrison, 
and  Boone  hastily  pursued  with  only  a  party  of  eight  men.  After 
marching  hard  for  two  nights,  the  little  party  came  up  with  the  Indians 
the  third  day.  The  pursuit  had  been  conducted  with  such  celerity 
and  silence  that  the  Indians  were  taken  by  surprise  and  easily  routed. 
The  young  girls  were  restored  to  their  parents  without  the  slightest 
injury." 

It  would  be  interesting,  if  such  digressions  were  admissible,  to 
give  here  at  least  a  synopsis  of  the  events  that  took  place  at  and  near 
Boonesborough  between  the  years  1776  and  1780.  Night  and  day 
the  garrison  was  kept  on  the  alert,  and  very  many  distressful  tragedies 
were  enacted  where  peace  and  plenty  have  blessed  a  contented  popu- 
lation for  more  than  a  hundred  years. 

It  is  stated,  but  without  sufficient  authority,,  as  we  conceive,  that 
Gen.  George  Washington  came  into  Eastern  Kentucky -between  the 
years  1770  and  1772,  and  surveyed  two  tracts  of  land  for  one  John 
Fry — one  in  the  present  county  of  Lawrence,  and  the  other  in  what 
is  now  Greenup  county. 

In  1770,  a  party  of  forty  hunters  from  Soiithwest  Virginia  united 
for  the  purpose  of  trapping  and  hunting  west  of  the  Alleghany  moun- 
tains. Nine  of  them,  under  the  leadership  of  Col.  James  Knox, 
penetrated  the  country  as  far  south  as  the  Green  and  lower  Cumber- 
land rivers.  On  account  of  their  extended  absence  from  home,  they 
were  denominated  "The  Long  Hunters." 

In  the  fall  of  1773,  Capt.  Thomas  Bullitt,  a  land  surveyor  from 
Virginia,  reached  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  and  pitched  his  tent  above  the 
mouth  of  Beargrass  creek.  At  night,  for  .fear  of  the  Indians,  he 
retired  to  a  shoal  in  the  river  above  Corn  island.     He  was  accompanied 


l8  KENTUCKY. 

in  this  expedition  by  Jas.  Sandusky,  James  Harrod,  John  Smith,  Isaac 
Hite,  Abraham  Haptonstall,  James  Douglas,  Ebenezer  Severns,^  John 
Fitzpatrick  and  others.  The  party  was  joined  later  by  Hancock 
Taylor,  killed  afterwards  by  the  Indians,  Mathew  Bracken  and  Jacob 
Drennon.  During  this  expedition  Capt.  Bullitt  completed  a  number 
of  surveys  in  the  district  now  included  in  the  boundaries  of  Jefferson 
and  Bullitt  counties;  and,  before  leaving,  he  laid  off  the  town  of 
Louisville. 

In  May,  1774,  a  party  composed  of  forty-one  persons,  under  Capt. 
James  Harrod,  descended  the  Ohio  river  and  encamped  on  the  site 
now  occupied  by  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  Proceeding  on,  they  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  river,  which  they  ascended  as  far  as  what 
is  now  Mercer  county,  where  they  laid  off  the  town  of  Harrodsburg 
and  erected  a  number  of  cabins. 

The  most  noteworthy  of  the  Kentucky  pioneers,  after  Boone,  was 
Simon  Kenton.  As  early  as  1771  he  visited  Kentucky  in  company 
with  John  Strader  and  George  Yeager,  the  latter  of  whom  had  been 
brought  up  by  the  Indians.  Failing  in  their  search  after  certain  cane 
lands,  reported  to  them  as  exceedingly  rich,  they  returned  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha  in  the  winter  of  177 1,  and  engaged  in 
huntmg  and  trapping.  In  March,  1773,  they  were  attacked  by 
Indians,  and  Yeager  was  killed.  Kenton  and  Strader  escaped  to  the 
woods,  and  after  incredible  sufferings,  reached  a  camp  of  hunters  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

In  July,  1773,  Capt.  Bullitt  surveyed  "a  very  good  tract  of  land" 
on  Big  Bone  creek  for  Robert  McAfee,  one  of  a  numerous  family  of 
early  pioneers  in  Kentucky.  Bone  Lick,  as  the  locality  is  called,  is 
in  Boone  county,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  Ohio  river.  At 
the  time  referred  to,  it  was  a  repository  of  bones  of  animals,  immense 
in  size  and  also  in  quantity.* 

Very  many  surveys  were  begun  and  finished  in  Kentucky  in  the 
year  1774,  and  from  that  time  emigration  to  the  State  set  in  steadily. 
No  holiday  time  had  these  first  setders  in  wresdng  the  country  from 
Indian  mastery.  Regarded  by  all  the  tribes  having  their  nominal 
homes  north  of  the  Ohio  river  and  south  and  west  of  the  Tennessee, 
as  intruders  and  usurpers  of  rights  to  which  they  had  no  claim  in 
equity,  they  literally  lived  from  day  to  day  with  their  lives  in  their 
hands.  To  enable  the  reader  to  form  a  correct  idea  of  the  dangers 
to  which  they  were  exposed,  we  shall  introduce  here,  taken  at  random 
from  hundreds  of  such  accounts,  a  few  details  of  their  troubled 
experiences  : 

»One  account  of  these  bones  speaks  thus  of  them:  "  They  were  lying  in 
the  lick  and  close  to  it,  as  if  most  of  the  animals  had  been  standing  side  by 
side  and  sticking  in  the  mud  when  they  met  their  death.  Some  of  the  joints 
of  the  back-bone  were  large  enough  for  use  in  the  place  of  stools,  and  some  of 
the  ribs  were  long  enough  to  be  converted  into  tent-poles.  One  of  the  tusks 
stuck  out  of  the  bank  six  feet,  and  so  firmly  was  it  imbedded  that  we  found  it 
impossible  to  remove  or  even  shake  it." 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  19 

"Col.  John  Floyd,  who  was  a  leading  spirit  among  the  pioneers 
of  Kentucky,  was  one  ot  five  brothers,  three  of  whom  were  killed 
by  the  Indians.  Two  of  his  brothers-in-law  also  met  a  like  fate.  On 
the  i2th  April,  1783,  Col.  Floyd  and  his  brother  Charles,  not  suspect- 
ing danger,  for  there  had  been  no  late  serious  trouble  with  the  Indians, 
were  riding  together  near  Floyd's  Station,  when  they  were  fired  upon 
and  the  former  mortally  wounded.  He  was  dressed  in  his  wedding 
suit  of  scarlet  cloth,  and  thus  was  a  prominent  mark  for  his  murderous 
foes.  His  brother,  whose  horse  was  wounded,  sprang  up  behind  the 
Colonel's  saddle,  and  putting  his  arms  about  him,  took  the  reins  and 
brought  him  off  to  the  fort,  where  he  died  after  a  few  hours.  Col. 
Floyd  was  the  owner  of  a  remarkable  horse  that  he  usually  rode, 
which  had  the  singular  instinct  of  knowing  when  Indians  were  near, 
and  always  gave  to  his  rider  the  sign  of  their  presence.  '  Charles,' 
said  the  wounded  man  to  his  brother,  '  if  I  had  been  riding  Pompey 
to-day  this  would  not  have  happened.'" 

"The  family  of  Samuel  Davis,  residing  in  1782  in  the  county  of 
Lincoln,  was  surprised  by  Indians  when  the  husband  and  father  was 
but  a  few  rods  from  his  own  door.  Returning,  after  a  brief  absence, 
he  was  horrified  to  find  the  cabin  filled  with  Indians.  Though  seen 
and  followed  by  one  of  the  band,  he  managed  to  escape  to  the  station 
of  his  brother,  about  five  miles  distant.  His  appearance  told  the  tale 
of  his  distress  before  he  could  tell  it  himself.  Obtaining  a  spare  gun, 
and  followed  by  the  entire  force  of  the  station,  he  made  his  way  back 
to  his  cabin,  only  to  find  it  tenantless.  There  being  no  appearance 
of  bloodshed  about  the  premises,  it  was  rightly  conjectured  that  the 
Indians  had  carried  off  his  wife  and  children.  Pursuit  was  immedi- 
ately made,  and  after  going  a  few  miles,  the  attention  of  the  party 
was  attracted  by  the  howling  of  a  dog.  The  animal  belonged  to  the 
family,  and  had  been  wounded  by  the  Indians  in  their  attempt  to  kill 
it.  Knowing  by  this  circumstance  that  they  must  be  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  savages,  they  pushed  forward  and  soon  had  them  in  view.  Two 
Indians  had  the  woman  and  children  in  charge,  and  these  discovered 
the  approach  of  the  whites  and  gave  the  alarm.  One  of  these  latter, 
hastily  advancing,  knocked  down  the  oldest  boy,  aged  eleven,  and 
was  fired  on.  Ineffectually,  however,  while  in  the  act  of  scalping  him. 
Mrs.  Davis  saved  herself  and  the  infant  she  had  in  her  arms  by 
jumping  into  a  'sink-hole.'  The  entire  family  was  rescued  without 
casualty,  except  to  the  eldest  son,  who,  on  regaining  his  lost  conscious- 
ness, rose  to  his  feet  and  exclaimed  :  '  Curse  that  Indian;  he  has  got 
my  scalp  ! '  " 

It  was  most  likely  in  the  year  1783  that  the  occurrence  took  place 
that  is  related  in  a  biographical  sketch  of  the  late  John  L.  Helm, 
Governor  of  Kentucky,  whose  grandfather,  Thomas  Helm,  was  an 
early  settler  of  Hardin  county  :  ' '  Jenny  Pope  Helm,  wife  of  Thomas, 
and  grandmother  of  Governor  Helm,  was  a  courageous  little  woman, 
but  on  one  occasion  she  suffered  a  shock  that  almost  deprived  her  of 
reason.     She  had  sent  one  of  her  sons,  not  yet  grown,  to  the  Bullitt 


20  KENTUCKY INDIAN    ATROCITIES. 

Licks  for  a  supply  of  salt.  The  youth  was  accompanied  by  a  party  of 
young  men  from  a  neighboring  settlement,  and  on  their  way  they  were 
fired  on  by  Indians  and  the  boy  killed.  The  body  was  recovered  by 
one  of  his  companions,  who  bound  it  on  his  horse  and  brought  it  to 
the  fort.  The  mother  was  on  the  watch  for  her  returning  boy ;  and 
seeing  the  horseman  approaching  with  his  strange-looking  burden 
slung  across  the  shoulders  ot  hib  beast,  she  hastened  to  the  gate  in 
order  to  open  it  for  his  entrance.  Who  can  paint  the  horror  of  the 
moment,  when,  just  as  the  heavy  gate  swung  back  upon  its  hinges,  the 
mangled  remains  of  her  son — the  bonds  breaking  that  had  held  them 
in  their  place — fell  prone  at  the  feet  of  the  wretched  woman." 

The  history  of  white  emigration  to  Kentucky  during  the  decade 
ending  with  the  year  1783  is  filled  with  recitals  of  a  like  character 
with  the  above.  But  never  was  there  a  people  more  venturous  or  more 
scornful  of  danger  than  were  those  who  are  now  referred  to  as  the 
pioneers  of  Kentucky.  Many  of  these  men  were  no  doubt  attracted 
to  the  State  by  their  love  of  adventure.  However  this  may  be,  they 
were  certainly  not  kept  away  by  their  knowledge  of  the  fact  that 
danger  was  an  element  of  the  life  that  was  before  them.  With  each 
year  these  hardy  men  were  seen  to  enter  upon  the  soil  in  greater 
numbers;  and  by  degrees,  first  from-  one  section  and  then  from 
another,  there  was  eliminated  all  fear  of  Indian  molestation. 

People  of  the  present  day  have  little  conception  of  the  rude  sim- 
plicity that  marked  the  lives  of  these  pioneers.  The  outfit  of  a  family 
of  emigrants  at  the  beginning  of  their  journey  ordinarily  consisted  of 
the  clothes  they  wore,  and,  possibly,  of  second  suits,  or  the  stuffs 
required  for  their  manufacture ;  firearms  and  ammunition ;  a  few  in- 
dispensable tools  and  agricultural  implements ;  a  limited  supply  of 
cooking  utensils ;  a  *  small '  and  sometimes  a  'great'  spinning-wheel; 
a  pair  or  two  of  combing  cards  and  a  package  of  seeds.  Such  as 
were  able  to  do  so,  brought  with  them,  of  course,  the  best  specimens 
of  their  flocks,  herds  and  horses,  and  the  ubiquitous  dog  trotted  beside 
his  master  from  the  beginning  of  his  journey  to  its  end.* 

Arrived  at  their  destination,  their  first  care  was  to  make  provision 
for  protection  and  shelter.  For  the  most  part,  these  requisites  were 
only  to  be  secured  by  residence  in  one  or  another  of  the  fortified 
stations  already  existing,  or  by  the  erection,  through  the  combined 
action  of  a  number  of  families,  of  others  of  like  character,  f 

*In  early  days  in  Kentucky  the  dog  was  considered  a  necessary  appendage 
to  every  household.  During  the  Indian  raids  of  the  times,  it  was  to  his 
sagacity  and  watchfulness  that  individuals  and  families  were  often  indebted  for 
the  preservation  of  their  lives. 

tThe  state  of  the  country  from  1774  to  1790,  was  such  as  to  forbid  isolated 
residence  in  any  part  of  the  country.  Hence  it  was  that  in  every  neighborhood 
there  was  a  block-house,  to  which  was  applied,  in  the  language  of  the  country, 
the  term  station.  Collins  enumerates  no  fewer  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
stations,  mostly  situated  in  the  central  parts  of  the  State.  The  more  important 
of  these  were:  Harrod's,  in  Mercer  county;  Boonesborough,  in  Madison 
county  ;   Bryan's,   in  Fayette  county  ;  Fort   Nelson  and  Floyd's,  in  Jefferson 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  21 

As  time  passed  on,  however,  now  one,  and  now  another  of  the 
families  previously  cooped  u})  in  a  particular  station  would  emerge 
from  its  gates  and  set  up  for  themselves  beyond  its  protecting  palisades. 
Not  a  few  of  these  paid  with  their  lives  for  their  temerity  ]  but  there 
were  many  who  were  left  undisturbed  to  pursue  their  peaceful  avoca- 
tions, and  to  win  for  themselves  comfortable  homes  in  the  wilderness. 
Having  fixed  upon  a  survey,  the  first  thing  they  did  was  to  clear  a 
favorable  spot  of  its  forest  growth  and  to  erect  in  its  centre  a  rude 
structure  of  logs.  The  size  of  the  cabin  was  made  to  correspond  with 
the  number  of  persons  who  were  to  find  shelter  under  its  roof.  Gen- 
erally speaking,  it  was  divided  into  two  rooms,  but  often  into  three  or 
four.  The  roof  was  formed  of  clap-boards,  and  the  floor,  where  there 
was  other  than  the  naked  earth,  of  rough-hewn  puncheons.  The 
openings  for  the  introduction  of  light  were  but  lateral  slits  in  the  wall, 
generally  three  feet  in  length  by  one  foot  in  width,  and  though  they 
were  sometimes  protected  from  the  inside  by  hanging  wooden  shutters, 
they  were  bare  of  both  sash  and  glass. 

The  furniture  used  in  these  primitive  times  was  all  improvised  on 
the  call  of  necessity.  It  consisted,  ordinarily,  of  a  table  fashioned 
after  the  pattern  of  a  butcher's  block ;  bedsteads  constructed  of  up- 
right and  lateral  sections  of  young  timber,  dovetailed  at  the  corners ; 
wooden  settles  and  three-legged  stools.  In  a  corner  of  one  of  the 
rooms,  or,  as  was  most  generally  the  case,  under  a  shed  of  boughs  in 
the  rear  of  the  cabin,  were  to  be  found  a  hominy-mortar  and  a  hand- 
mill  for  grinding  corn.  Wooden  platters  served  the  purposes  to  which 
earthenware  is  now  devoted,  and  the  easily  cultivated  gourd  made  an 
admirable  drinking  cup. 

The  forests  and  streams  were  alive  with  game  and  fish  in  those 
days,  and  so  long  as  powder  and  lead  were  in  hand,  or  were  to  be 
procured  at  the  nearest  station,  there  was  little  absolute  suffering  for 
lack  of  food.  This  circumstance,  too,  enabled  the  settlers  to  retain 
the  natural  increase  of  their  herds  and  flocks,  and  there  was  soon 
abundance  of  milk  for  food,  and  of  wool  for  clothing. 

The  first  planting  done  by  the  emigrants  was  invariably  of  corn 
and  flax.  The  product  of  the  one  was  needed  for  bread,  and  that  of 
the  other  for  wearing  apparel.  No  matter  how  small  was  the  spot  of 
ground  reclaimed  from  the  forest,  a  patch  of  flax  was  regarded  as  one 
of  its  necessary  features.  Upon  the  women  of  the  household  generally 
devolved  the  labor  of  securing  this  crop  and  preparing  the  lint  for  its 
destined  uses.  Cotton  and  hemp  were  cultivated  at  a  later  day,  each 
family  raising  a  sufficiency  of  both  for  its  own  needs.     As  a  rule,  up 

county;  Bullitt's  Lick,  in  Bullitt  county  ;  McAfee's  stations  (three),  in  Mercer 
county;  Ruddle's,  in  Bourbon  county;  and  Logan's  Fort,  in  Lincoln  county. 
The  stations  situated  in  the  district  occupied  by  the  Catholic  emigrants 
from  Maryland  were  known  as  Bardstown,  Cox's  Creek,  Burnt,  Rogers'  and 
Goodwin's,  all  in  Nelson  county  ;  Sandusky's,  Cartwright's,  Harbeson's  and 
the  Rolling  Fork,  in  Washington  county;  Mann's  Lick,  in  Bullitt  county;  and 
Kincheloe's,  in  Spencer  county. 


22  KENTUCKY GENERAL  EMIGRATION. 

to  the  year  1820,  the  clothing  of  the  people  throughout  the  State  was 
the  direct  product  of  their  own  farms,  and  had  been  spun,  woven  and 
fashioned  by  the  females  of  the  households.  At  a  date  still  later, 
there  was  no  more  familiar  sound  to  be  heard  in  the  land  than  the  hum 
of  the  spinning  wheel. 

It  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  the  emigrants  had  from  the  start 
pretty  clear  notions  of  the  privations  they  would  have  to  endure, 
and  of  the  hardships  their  ventures  would  entail  upon  them.  But 
never  were  men  and  women  less  dainty  or  more  courageous.  They 
met  discomforts  without  complaint,  and  they  shrank  from  no  char- 
acter of  toil  that  gave  promise  of  beneficial  results  to  themselves 
or  others.  One  of  their  most  serious  troubles  referred  to  the  long 
and  often  dangerous  journeys  they  were  obliged  to  make  to  the  licks 
in  order  to  procure  supplies  of  salt.  Roads  there  were  none — 
blazed  trees  being  the  only  guides  to  direct  the  messengers  to  and 
from  the  licks. 

For  protection  against  cold,  whether  in  sleeping  or  journeying,  the 
emigrants  had  recourse  to  the  skins  of  beasts,  killed  in  the  chase  or 
trapped  on  the  margins  of  the  water  courses.  The  art  of  dressing  and 
rendering  these  pliable  was  of  common  knowledge  at  the  time.  A 
serious  inconvenience  of  the  settlers  arose  from  the  fact  that  there 
were  no  mills  in  the  country  for  the  grinding  of  corn.  The  reduction 
of  grain  into  meal  by  the  use  of  the  old-fashioned  hand-mill  was  a 
laborious  process,  and  it  involved  so  much  of  the  time  and  labor  of 
the  households,  that  measures  were  almost  immediately  taken,  after 
the  country  was  supposed  to  be  free  from  Indians,  to  remedy  the 
annoyance.  Rude  corn  mills,  very  simple  affairs,  were  put  up  in  the 
vicinity  of  some  of  the  stations  as  early  as  the  year  1780.  It  was  not 
until  about  the  year  1790,  however,  that  a  more  pretentious  mode  of 
milling  was  estabHshed  in  the  State.  About  the  year  named,  a  litde 
earlier  or  a  little  later,  mills  were  put  up  in  Bardstown,  on  Cartwright's 
creek,  and  on  the  Rolling  Fork,  to  which  the  Catholic  settlers  of 
Nelson  and  Washington  counties  were  in  the  habit  of  repairing  with 
their  grists  for  grinding.* 

*  These  mills,  and  many  others  subsequently  built  in  the  districts  of  country 
settled  by  Catholics,  were  put  up,  I  have  reason  to  believe,  by  the  writer's 
father,  the  late  Nehemiah  Webb,  of  Bardstown.  Mr.  Webb  was  a  practical 
millwright.  His  first  wife  was  the  daughter  of  a  Mr.  John  Waller,  proprietor 
of  the  mill  on  Cartwright's  creek,  and  he  was  himself  the  proprietor  of  the 
mill  at  Bardstown.  His  first  child,  singularly  enough,  was  born  in  a  mill  he 
had  just  completed  on  the  Beech  Fork,  near  the  present  village  of  Fredericks- 
burg, in  Washington  county.  He  is  credited  with  having  erected  and  operated 
the  first  cotton  gin  and  the  first  oil  press  in  the  State.  I  am  indebted  to  the 
courtesy  of  William  F.  Booker,  Esq.,  of  Springfield,  for  a  copy  of  the  forty- 
second  issue  of  a  newspaper  published  in  Bardstown  in  1807,  by  P.  Isler,  under 
the  title  of  the  Candid  Critic.  In  this  issue  appears  the  following  advertise- 
ment:  "The  subscriber  hereby  informs  the  public  that  he  has  got  his  Cotton 
Gin  again  in  operation,  and  that  he  continues  to  purchase  flaxseed  and  wheat. 

"  Bairdstown,  Dec.  9,  1807."  "[Signed,]  Nehemiah  Webb." 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  23 

With  the  feeUng  of  more  assured  safety  from  savage  inroads,  the 
enterprise  of  the  settlers  began  to  exhibit  itself  in  many  ways.  Their 
farms  were  extended,  and  their  crops  presented  a  more  diversified 
appearance.  The  vegetable  garden  claimed  greater  attention  from 
housewives,  and  soon  wild  flowers  and  creepers  began  to  adorn  the 
garden  walks,  and  to  climb  the  sides  of  the  rude  structures  in  which 
the  people  lived.  A  system  of  barter  was  inaugurated,  not  only 
between  neighbor  and  neighbor,  but  with  the  nearest  stations  and  the 
newly  laid-out  villages.  Artisans  were  invited  to  set  up  their  trades  in 
localities  most  convenient  to  those  who  proposed  to  become  their 
customers.  Orchards  were  planted,  and  attention  given  to  the  culti- 
vation of  fruits.  Commendable  rivalry  sprang  up  among  the  women 
of  the  settlements  in  the  production  of  fabrics  for  clothing,  and  in 
many  other  things  involving  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  families. 
Finally,  churches  were  organized,  and  schools  established  for  the 
instruction  of  youth. 

In  these  days  of  ostentatious  display  in  the  matter  of  attire,  it  will 
not  be  amiss  to  note  how  little  there  was  of  complexity  in  the  styles  of 
dress  worn  by  both  men  and  women  in  the  olden  times  in  Kentucky. 
"  As  late  as  1782,"  says  a  writer  on  the  subject,  "the  men  dressed  in 
pioneer  homespun;  moccasins  and  leather  leggings  for  the  lower 
extremities ;  hats  made  of  splinters  rolled  in  buffalo  wool  and  sewed 
with  deer  sinews  or  buckskin  whangs;  shirts  and  hunting  shirts  of 
buckskin.  A  few  dressed  in  Indian  costume — wore  nothing  whatever 
but  breech-clouts.  The  females  wore  a  coarse  cloth  made  of  buffalo 
wool;  underwear  of  dressed  deerskin;  sun-bonnets  something  like  the 
men's  hats;  moccasins  in  winter;  but  in  summer  all  went  barefooted." 

From  and  after  the  year  1785,  the  underwear  of  both  sexes  was 
invariably  of  flax  linen,  and  a  young  woman  could  be  said  to  be  in 
full  dress  when  she  appeared  in  a  closely-fitting  gown  of  cotton,  woven 
in  stripes,  or  of  half-bleached  flax  linen,  five  yards  to  the  pattern,  for 
summer;  or  in  one  of  linsey-woolsey,  dyed  to  suit  her  individual  taste 
with  coloring  matter  gathered  by  herself  from  the  neighboring  woods. 
From  top  to  toe — from  her  sun-bonnet,  stiffened  with  hickory  splints,  to 
her  moccasined  feet — she  was  able  to  boast  that  her  wearing  apparel 
was  the  creation  of  her  own  busy  fingers. 

We  shall  not  attempt  to  institute  a  comparison  between  Jemima 
Boone,  Betsy  Calloway  and  the  other  young  women  of  their  day,  and 
the  belles  of  our  own  period.  Were  we  to  do  so,  however,  it  is  not  at 
all  certain  that  we  should  not  be  compelled  to  accord  to  the  former  the 
greater  sum  of  praise.  It  is  beyond  question  that  they  were  physically 
superior,  and  it  is  an  open  one  whether  they  did  or  did  not  possess  in 
a  greater  degree  those  qualities  of  heart  and  mind  that  go  so  far  to 
insure  happiness  in  the  married  state. 

Emigration  to  Kentucky  assumed  great  activity  at  the  close  of  the 
revolutionary  war  in  1782.  Those  proposing  to  setde  in  the  State 
ordinarily  came  in  bands,  as  well  for  mutual  protection  as  with  the 
view  of  after  social   intercourse  in  their  new  homes.     As  a  general 


24  CATHOLIC    EMIGRATION. 

thing,  the  emigrants  were  agriculturists,  but  in  each  distinct  company 
there  was  ordinarily  to  be  found  one  or  more  persons  who  were 
familiar  with  particular  mechanical  trades,  such  as  blacksmithing, 
wagon  making,  carpentering,  etc.  These  latter  usually  settled  at 
points  that  were  most  convenient  to  the  greater  number  of  the  families 
upon  whose  patronage  they  were  dependent.  All  the  old  towns  in 
Kentucky  owe  their  origin  to  this  circumstance.  For  many  years 
there  was  little  money  in  the  country,  and  trade  amongst  the  people 
was  almost  exclusively  carried  on  by  interchange  of  commodities. 


CHAPTER  II. 


CATHOLIC   EMIGRATION  TO  KENTUCKY. 

Among  the  adventurous  men  who  sought  to  conquer  homes  in 
Kentucky  between  the  years  1773  and  1785,  there  were,  without  doubt, 
many  who  were  born  of  Catholic  parents  and  had  been  received  by 
baptism  into  the  Catholic  Church.  That  there  were  more  of  these 
than  is  generally  supposed  is  to  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  unmis- 
takable Catholic  names  are  to  be  met  with  all  over  the  State  whose 
present  owners  know  nothing  whatever  of  the  ancient  faith  of  Chris- 
tendom. These  men  came  as  adventurers,  and  not  as  Catholics ;  and 
it  was  only  through  God's  mercy  that  here  and  there  an  individual 
amongst  them  was  saved  from  shipwreck  of  his  faith.  Of  this  class  of 
Catholics,  the  only  two  of  whose  lives  there  is  any  settled  record  were 
William  Coomes  and  Dr.  George  Hart.  The  late  Most  Rev.  Dr. 
Spalding,  in  his  admirable  "Sketches  of  Kentucky,"  says  of  these 
two  adventurous  spirits : 

"  They  both  came  out  in  the  spring  of  1775,  among  the  very  first 
white  people  who  removed  to  Kentucky.*  They  settled  in  Harrod's 
station,  at  that  time  the  only  place  in  Kentucky  except  Boonesborough, 
and,  perhaps,  Logan's  station,  where  emigrants  could  enjoy  any  degree 

■■■■This  is  likely  a  mistake.  Dr.  Spalding  tells  us  (see  note,  pages  34-35) 
that  his  informant,  the  late  Walter  A.  Coomes,  who  was  a  son  of  the  William 
Coomes  mentioned,  stated  to  him  that  "his  father  reached  Harrodstown  in  the 
spring  of  1774,"  but,  as  that  date  did  not  agree  with  the  statement  made  by 
Butler  and  Marshall  respecting  the  first  settlement  of  the  town,  he  had  thought 
it  more  probable  that. his  arrival  had  been  a  year  later.  Neither  Marshall  nor 
Butler  are  wholly  reliable  in  regard  to  dates.  Collins  has  corrected  many  of 
their  errors,  the  one  referred  to  among  others.  He  tells  us  that  in  the  spring 
of  1774,  "James  Harrod,  Abram  Hite,  Jacob  and  James  Sandusky,  and  thirty- 
seven  others,  descended  the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  river,  and  that 
they  went  up  that  stream  to  what  is  now  Mercer  county,  where,  in  June,  they 
laid  off  Harrodstown  (afterwards  called  Oldtown,  and  now  Harrodsburg),  and 
erected  a  number  of  cabins."     (Collins'  Kentucky,  Vol.  I,  page  17). 


CATHOLICITY  TN  KENTUCKY.  .  25 

of  security  from  the  attacks  of  Indians.  .  .  .  William  Coomes 
was  originally  from  Charles  county,  Maryland,  whence  he  had  removed 
to  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac  river  in  Virginia.  He  emigrated 
to  Kentucky  with  his  family,  together  with  Abraham  and  Isaac  Hite. 
On  the  way  through  Kentucky  to  Harrod's  station,  the  party  encamped 
for  some  weeks  at  Drilling's  Lick,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  present 
city  of  Frankfort.  Here  Mrs.  Coomes,  aided  by  those  of  the  party 
not  engaged  in  hunting,  employed  herself  in  making  salt — for  the 
first  time  perhaps  that  this  article  was  manufactured  in  the  State."* 

Dr.  George  Hart  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  in  religion  a  Catholic, 
and  by  profession  a  physician.     Dr.  Spalding  say  of  him : 

"He  was  one  of  the  first  physicians,  if  not  the  very  first  of  the 
profession,  who  settled  in  Kentucky.  He  lived  for  many  years  in 
Harrodstown,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine. 
After  the  great  body  of  the  Catholics  had  located  themselves  in  the 
vicinity  of  Bardstown,  he  too  removed  thither  in  order  to  enjoy  the 
blessings  of  his  religion.  He  purchased  a  farm  about  a  mile  from 
Bardstown,  embracing  the  site  of  the  present  burial  ground  of  St. 
Joseph's  congregation.  It  was  he  who  made  a  present  to  the  church 
of  the  lot  of  ground  upon  which  the  old  church  of  St.  Joseph  was 
.erected.  Towards  the  building  of  this,  one  among  the  oldest  Catholic 
churches  in  Kentucky,  he  also  liberally  contributed.  He  was  the  first 
Catholic  who  died  in  Kentucky,  and  the  first  who  was  buried  in  the 
cemetery  which  himself  had  bestowed."  f 

*  It  is  nK)re  than  likely  that  Mrs.  Coomes  was  the  first  white  woman  who 
came  to  the  State  with  the  view  of  permanent  residence. 

1 1  have  to  acknowledge  that  I  am  unable  to  reconcile  Dr.  Spalding's  state- 
ments respecting  William  Coomes  and  Dr.  Hart  with  other  well  ascertained 
facts  and  the  inferences  they  naturally  suggest.  On  page  30  of  his  "Sketches," 
he  tells  us  that  Walter  A.  Coomes  was  "  16  years  old  when  he  came  to  Ken- 
tucky with  his  father  in  1 775,  and  that  the  same  Walter  A.  Coomes  is  (then 
living  in  1844)  in  his  74th  year."  Here  we  are  presented  with  an  arithmet- 
ical impossibility.  Again,  on  page  40,  he  says  of  William  Coomes,  father  of 
Walter  A.  Coomes,  that  he  moved  from  Harrodstown  to  the  vicinity  of  Bards- 
town in  1783,  "in  order  to  be  near  his  Catholic  brethren."  But  there  were  no 
"Catholic  brethren"  for  him  in  all  Kentucky  until  1785;  no  priest  till  1787; 
no  Catholics  about  Bardstown  as  permanent  residents  till  still  later.  Again, 
on  page  24,  Dr.  Spalding  says  of  Dr.  Hart,  that  "he  was  the  first  Catholic  who 
died  in  Kentucky,  and  the  first  that  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  that  himself 
had  bestowed."  Inferentially,  the  statement  that  Dr.  Hart  was  the  first  Cath- 
olic to  die  in  Kentucky  is  altogether  improbable.  Dr.  Hart  must  have  died 
after  July  12th,  1802,  which  is  the  date  of  his  deed  :  "  In  consideration  of  the 
sum  of  five  shillings,  unto  Stephen  Theodore  Badin,  of  Washington  county, 
for  a  certain  tract  of  land  lying  near  Bardstown,  containing  two  and  three- 
quarter  acres,  including  the  Roman  Catholic  chapel."  This  deed  is  signed 
"George  Hart"  and  is  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  Nelson  County  Court,  in 
Deed  Book  6,  page  97. 

When  Father  Badin  first  reached  Kentucky  in  1793,  he  estimated  the 
number  of  Catholic  families  under  his  charge  at  three  hundred.  The  ordinary 
statistics  of  mortality  would  preclude  the  idea  that  there  had  not  been 
many  deaths  among  them   previous  to    Dr.    Hart's  own   demise.      It  is  beyond 


2$  CATHOLIC    EMIGRATION. 

Properly  speaking,  Catholic  emigration  to  Kentucky  did  not  set  in 
until  the  year  1785.  In  the  beginning  it  was  wholly  from  Maryland, 
and  principally  from  the  counties  of  St.  Mary,  Charles  and  Prince 
George.  The  greater  part  of  the  emigrants  were  descendants  of  the 
original  Catholic  settlers,  who,  in  1634,  disembarked  from  the  ArA'  and 
the  Do7>e,  and  took  peaceable  pos.session,  by  right  of  purchase,  of  the 
territory  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  Maryland.  In  deciding  to 
give  up  their  ancient  homes  and  to  seek  others  in  the  wilds  of  Ken- 
tucky, the  emigrants  were  influenced  principally,  no  doubt,  by  the 
motive  of  bettering  their  worldly  prospects.  Their  Maryland  farms, 
exhausted  by  unskilful  methods  of  cultivation  through  a  long  series 
of  years,  had  ceased  to  yield  them  remunerative  crops,  and  in  the  then 
state  of  the  public  mind  in  reference  to  the  boundless  fertility  of  the 
soil  of  Kentucky,  it  is  not  at  all  wonderful  that  they  should  have  been 
stirred  to  just  such  a  movement  as  the  one  that  followed. 

Preliminary  to  passing  on  to  the  histories  of  the  eight  leading 
Catholic  setdements  of  Kentucky,  the  writer  would  ask  his  readers  to 
bear  in  mind  certain  facts  here  stated  in  brief,  but  hereafter  to  be 
treated  in  detail : 

1.  The  Catholic  settlement  on  Pottinger's  creek,  begun  in  1785, 
was  followed  a  year  later  by  that  of  Hardin's  Creek,  and  possibly,  by 
that  of  Scott  county.  The  settlement  near  Bardstown  and  that  of 
Cartwright's  Creek  date  from  the  year  1787.  The  Rolling  Fork  settle- 
ment was  begun  in  1788;  that  of  Breckinridge  county  in  1790;  and 
that  of  Cox's  Creek,  or  Fairfield,  in  1795.  With  the  exception  of  that 
of  Scott  county,  all  these  settlements  were  in  the  single  county  of 
Nelson  as  then  laid  out. 

2.  The  first  missionary  priest  sent  to  Kentucky,  Rev.  M.  Whelan, 
reached  the  Pottinger's  Creek  settlement  in  the  early  summer  of  1787, 
and  he  remained  in  the  State  till  the  spring  of  1790.  He  was  followed 
six  months  later  by  Rev.  William  de  Rohan,  who  built  Holy  Cross 
church,  the  first  erected  in  the  State,  In  1795  came  Rev.  Stephen 
Theodore  Badinand  Rev.  M.  Barrieres,  the  former  remaining  till  181 9, 
and  the  latter  serving  the  mission  for  only  four  months.  In  February, 
1797,  came  Rev.  Michael  C.  J.  Fournier;  and  two  years  later  Rev. 
Anthony  Salmon.  The  first  named  died  in  1803,  and  the  last  after  a 
brief  service  of  nine  months  on  the  mission.  In  1799,  Rev.  John 
Thayer,  a  native  of  New  England,  a  convert  and  a  priest,  came  to 
Kentucky  and  labored  efficiently  for  four  years.  In  July,  1805,  came 
Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  afterwards  the  founder  of  the  Loretto  Society, 
who  served  upon  the  missions  of  the  State  until  1824.     The  same  year 

question  that  the  memory  of  Dr.  Spalding's  aged  informant  was  not  equal  to 
his  desire  to  give  exact  information  on  the  points  submitted  to  him  by  the 
author  of  the  "Sketches."  If  the  motive  v/hich  influenced  Dr.  Hart  and 
William  Coomes  to  remove  from  Harrodstown  to  the  neighborhood  of  Bards- 
town was  to  be  "near  their  Catholic  brethren,"  it  is  quite  certain  that  their 
change  of  residence  did  not  take  place  until  1785.  lam  inclined  to  think  that 
it  took  place  in  reality  a  year  later. 


1  rr 


..--1 

f 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  27 

came  Rev.  Urban  Guillet  and  his  associates  of  the  order  of  Our  Lady 
of  La  Trappe,  and  founded  a  Monastery  on  Pottinger's  creek.  In 
the  same  year  came  to  Kentucky  the  Dominican  fathers,  Revs. 
V_Edward  Fenwick,  Thomas  Wilson,  WiUiam  Raymond  Tuite  and 
Robert  Angier,  who  founded  the  estabUshment  to  this  day  known  as 
that  of  St.  Rose. 

3.  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  first  bishop  of  the  See  of 
Bardstown,  reached  the  seat  of  his  episcopal  jurisdiction  early  in 
June,  181 1.  He  >vas  accompanied  by  several  ecclesiastics,  among 
whom  were  Revs.  John  B.  David  and  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat,  the 
latter  not  yet  in  priest's  orders. 

4.  From  the  novitiate  of  the  Dominican  fathers  of  St.  Rose  were 
brought  forward  five  students  for  ordination  in  1816.  The  names  of 
these  were :  Revs.  Richard  P.  Miles,  Samuel  H.  Montgomery,  William 
T.  Willett,  Stephen  Montgomery  and  N,  D.  Young,  all  afterwards 
engaged  in  missionary  work  in  the  territory  attached  to  the  diocese  of 
Bardstown. 

5.  The  diocesan  seminary  of  St.  Thomas  was  established  in  181 1, 
under  the  direction  of  Rev.  John  B.  David,  and  from  that  date  to  the 
year  1824,  quite  a  number  of  priests  were  ordained  from  the  ranks 
of  its  students.  Among  them  it  is  only  necessary  here  to  mention  the 
following:  Revs.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat,  Peter  Schaeffer,  Anthony 
Ganihl,  M.  Derigaud,  David  Deparcq,  Philip  Horstman,  Robert  A. 
Abell,  George  A.  M.  Elder,  William  Byrne,  Ignatius  A.  Reynolds, 
Edward  McMahon,  Robert  Byrne  and  E.  J.  Durbin. 

THE    pottinger's    CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

In  the  year  1785,  "a  league"  of  sixty  famihes  was  formed  in 
Maryland — all  Catholics,  and  mosdy  residents  of  St.  Mary's  county — 
each  one  of  whom  was  pledged  to  emigrate  to  Kentucky  within  a 
specified  time.  Their  purpose  was  to  settle  together,  as  well  for 
mutual  protection  against  the  Indians,  as  with  the  view  of  securing  to 
themselves,  with  the  least  possible  delay,  the  advantages  of  a  pastorate 
and  a  church.  They  were  not  all  to  emigrate  at  once,  but  as  circum- 
stances permitted.  The  tradition  of  this  league  is  sufficiently  general 
among  old  people,  as  well  in  Maryland  as  in  Kentucky,  to  give  to  it 
certainty.*  Of  the  sixty  families  subscribing  to  the  compact,  twenty- 
five  Isft  Maryland  early  in  1785,  and  reached  Kentucky  before  the 
end  of  spring  of  the  same  year.  Their  journey  was  prosecuted  by 
land  to  Pittsburg,  and  thence  in  flatboats  down  the  Ohio  to  Maysville. 
This  landing  was  chosen  for  the  reason  that  the  country  bordering  on 
the  river  above  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  was  known  to  be  infested  by 
Indians.     The  party  marched  inland  from  Maysville  and  arrived  in 

*The  United  States  Catholic  Miscellany  of  Wednesday,  December  ist, 
1824,  mentions  the  fact  that  about  twenty  Catholic  families  reached  Kentucky 
in  the  year  1785. 


^ 


A** 


28  THE    POTTINGER'S   CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

due  time  at  Goodwin's  station  (near  the  present  town  of  Boston,  in 
Nelson  county),  which  was  the  nearest  fortified  post  to  their  pre- 
arranged and  ultimate  destination,  the  Pottinger's  creek  lands.  Leav- 
ing the  women  and  children  under  the  protection  of  the  fort,  the 
able-bodied  men  and  youths  of  the  party  soon  set  out  in  quest  of  their 
future  homes,  the  sites  of  which  lay  some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  south- 
east of  the  station.  The  lands  being  found  and  identified,  the  work 
of  clearing  them  of  their  forest  growth  at  once  began,  and  this  was 
soon  succeeded  by  that  of  dwelling-house  construqtion.  Rude  enough 
were  the  tabernacles  our  forefathers  in  the  faith  set  up  in  the  wilder- 
ness. They  sufficed  for  shelter,  however,  and  heaven  be  praised, 
daintiness  was  not  a  characteristic  of  those  who  were  to  dwell  in  them. 
The  names  borne  by  these  twenty-five  families  are  not  now  all  certainly 
known;  but  the  principal  among  them  was  Basil  Hayden,  whose  bond 
for  his  land,  signed  at  Baltimore  in  1785,  is  of  record  in  the  Nelson 
county  clerk's  office.  On  the  face  of  this  bond  appears  the  name  of 
Philmer  (Philip)  Lee,  as  Hayden's  security.  It  is  quite  certain  that 
Basil  Hayden  and  Philip  Lee  were  living  on  adjoining  farms  on 
Pottinger's  creek  in  the  year  1786.  Lee  may  be  said  to  have  been  a 
man  of  method.  While  still  in  Maryland  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
keeping  a  record  of  passing  events.  From  the  entries  in  that  record 
extending  back  to  the  year  1735,  ^^'^  continued  after  his  removal  to 
Kentucky,  it  appears  that  his  neighbors  in  both  States  bore  identical 
names.  Among  the  names  most  frequently  met  with  in  Lee's  diary 
are :  Lancaster,  Coomes,  Brown,  Thompson,  Smith,  Rapier,  Cash, 
Bullock,  Hayden  and  Howard.  Though  there  is  little  doubt  that  the 
list  that  follows  does  not  include  the  names  of  all  the  Catholic  settlers 
on  Pottinger's  creek  up  to  the  year  1800,  it  is  reasonably  certain  that 
the  omissions  are  few  in  number  and  not  of  special  consequence.  The 
first  names  given  are  thought  to  be,  in  part,  those  borne  by  the  twenty- 
five  families  of  the  Maryland  "league,"  to  which  reference  has  been 
made :  Basil  Hayden,  Philip  Lee,  William  Bald,  Bernard  Cissell, 
Charles  Payne,  William  Brewer,  Leonard  Johnson,  Henry  McAtee, 
Joseph  Clark,  Stephen  Elliott,  James  Mollihorne,  Henry  Norris, 
Ignatius  Cissell,  Ignatius  Byrne,  Randal  Hagan,  Ignatius  Hagan, 
Jeremiah  Brown,  Robert  Cissell,  Ignatius  Bowles,  Hezekiah  Luckett, 
Stanislaus  Melton,  Thomas  Bowlin,  John  Baptist  Dant,  Philip  Miles, 
Harry  Hill,  John  Hutchins,  Isaac  Thawles,  John  Spalding,  William 
Mahony,  Henry  Lucas,  William  Bowles,  John  Bowles,  James  Queen, 
Bernard  Nally,  James  Stevens,  Ignatius  French,  Washington  Boone, 
Francis  Bryan,  Jeremiah  Wathen,  Thomas  Mudd,  Raphael  R.  Mudd, 
Walter  Burch,  Philip  Mattingly,  Joseph  Spalding,  James  Dant, 
Joseph  Dant,  Urban  Speaks,  Joseph  Edelin,  Joseph  Howe,  Joseph 
Mills,  Harry  Miles,  Monica  Hagan,  Rodolphus  Norris,  Francis  Peak. 

It  is  eminently  proper  that  what  the  writer  has  learned  concerning 
individuals  in  the  above  list  should  be  here  recorded: 

Of  Basil  Hayden,  the  leader  in  the  scheme  of  Catholic  emigration 
to  Kentucky,  little  is  now  known  beyond  the  fact  that  his  acknowl- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


29 


edged  influence  over  his  associates  was  at  all  times  exerted  with  a  view 
to  their  interests  for  time  and  eternity.  The  date  of  his  own  death  is 
uncertain.  His  aged  widow  was  a  pious  member  of  Holy  Cross  con- 
gregation up  to  the  year  1837,  when  she  was  called  to  a  better  life. 

William  Bald,  Bernard  Cissell,  Charles  Payne  and  William  Brewer, 
named  above,  formed  the  first  board  of  trustees  ever  organized  in  the 
State  for  the  secure  tenure  of  Catholic  Church  property.  The  deed 
of  transfer  of  the  grounds  attached  to  Holy  Cross  church,  the  first 
erected  in  the  State,  reads  as  follows  : 

"This  indenture,  made  this  first  day  of  May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1798, 
between  Basil  Hayden,  Sr.,  of  the  county  of  Washington  and  State  of  Kentucky, 
on  the  one  part,  and  William  Bald,  Bernard  Cissell,  Charles  Payne  and  William 
Brewer,  of  the  county  and  State  aforesaid,  of  the  other  part,  witnesseth  :  That 
the  said  Basil  Hayden,  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  five  pounds, 
good,  lawful  and  current  money  of  Kentucky,  to  him  in  hand  paid  by  the 
asid  William  Bald,  Bernard  Cissell,  Charles  Payne  and  William  Brewer,  the 
receipt  whereof  I  do  hereby  acknowledge,  and  thereof  do  release  and  acquit 
them,  the  said  William  Bald,  Bernard  Cissell,  Charles  Payne,  and  William 
Brewer,  their  heirs,  executors  and  administrators:  I,  the  said  Basil  Hayden, 
hath  this  day  granted,  bargained  and  sold  unto  the  said  William  Bald,  Bernard 
Cissell,  Charles  payne  and  William  Brewer,  their  heirs,  executors  and  adminis- 
trators, for  the  use  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  forever,  a  certain  tract  or 
parcel  of  land  containing  two  acres,  more  or  less,  situated,  lying  and  being  in 
the  county  of,  Washington,  and  on  the  waters  of  Pottinger's  creek,  including 
the  chapel  in  the  centre,  and  bounded  as  follows:  Beginning  at  a  hickory 
standing  45"  W.,  twelve  and  a  half  poles  from  said  chapel,  running  thence  due 
east  eight  poles  to  a  white  oak  sapling ;  thence  due  south  eighteen  poles  to  a 
white  oak  and  hickory  ;  thence  due  west  eighteen  poles  to  a  dogwood ;  thence 
due  north  eighteen  poles  to  the  beginning  ;  and  all  the  appurtenances  there- 
unto belonging ;  to  have  and  to  hold  the  said  two  acres  of  land,  to  the  said 
William  Bald,  Bernard  Cissell,  Charles  Payne  and  William  Brewer,  for  the  only 
purpose  and  benefit  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  ;  and  I,  the  said  Basil 
Hayden,  Sr.,  for  myself  and  my  heirs,  unto  the  said  William  Bald,  Bernard 
Cissell,  Charles  Payne  and  William  Brewer,  and  their  heirs,  do  the  said  land 
and  premises  from  my  heirs  and  all  and  every  person  claiming  by  or  under  us, 
warrant  and  forever  defend.     In  testimony,  etc.  Basil  Hayden." 

"Attest:     John  Reed,  Clerk." 

Leonard  Johnson's  children  were  John,  Clement,  George,  Thomas, 
Philip  and  Polly.  The  latter  married  Thomas  Hayden,  and  died  only 
a  few  years  ago  near  Knottsville,  in  Daviess  county.  John  Johnson 
married  a  daughter  of  Philip  Miles,  and  was  the  father  of  Sylvester 
Johnson,  Esq.,  of  New  Haven,  Kentucky,  who  has  long  been  favor- 
ably known  throughout  the  diocese  of  Louisville  for  his  benefactions  to 
the  poor  and  orphans.  For  years  Mr.  Johnson  has  been  providing  the 
orphans  of  St.  Thomas'  Asylum  with  annual  outfits  of  clothing. 

Clement  Johnson  was  a  remarkable  character  among  the  settlers  on 
the  creek.  His  tastes  were  aesthetic,  and  his  mode  of  giving  expres- 
sion to  them  was  through  the  medium  of  a  fiddle.  It  is  more  than 
likely  that  he  supplied  the  music  to  which  some  of  our  grandfathers 
and  grandmothers  capered  "when  their  dancing  legs  were  on,"  and  it 
is  not  improbable  that  Father  Badin  regarded  him  with  no  favorable 
eye  for  the  facility  with  which  he  could  transform  decorousness  into 


30  THE   POTTINGER'S   CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

hilarity.  Whether  this  was  so  or  not,  certain  it  is  that  Clammy  John- 
son was  a  great  favorite  in  the  neighborhood  in  which  he  lived,  and 
a  well  meaning  man  withal.  If  he  felt  at  times  that  he  had  been  instru- 
mental in  causing  the  development  of  a  worldly  spirit  in  the  minds  of 
the  young  people  of  the  congregation,  he  at  least  sought  to  atone 
for  his  fault  by  endeavoring  to  render  the  choir  singing  in  Holy  Cross 
church  more  artistic  in  its  character.  Clement  Johnson's  fiddle,  I  have 
reason  to  believe,  was  the  first  instrument  of  music  ever  brought  into 
the  choir  of  any  church  in  Kentucky. 

Joseph  Clark  was  one  of  the  most  exemplary  members  of  Holy 
Cross  congregation.  He  lived  on  a  farm  adjoining  that  of  Philip  Lee, 
and  almost  in  sight  of  Holy  Cross  church. 

Jeremiah  Brown  was  the  maternal  grandfather  of  the  late  Rev.  John 
B.  Hutchins,  whose  name  for  nearly  fifty  years  has  been  associated 
with  Catholic  institutions  of  learning  in  Kentucky. 

James  Mollahorne  was  the  first  adult  person  among  the  original 
settlers  buried  in  the  Holy  Cross  cemetery.  His  death  took  place  in 
the  year  1801,  and  the  stone  slab  that  covers  his  grave  and  bears  his 
name  is  an  object  of  curious  interest  to  the  members  of  the  congrega- 
tion to  the  present  day. 

Henry  Norris  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  on  the  creek.  It  is  to 
the  kindness  of  one  of  his  great-granddaughters,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Edelin, 
married  to  Hamilton  Edelin,  Esq.,  of  the  Holy  Cross  congregation, 
that  the  writer  is  indebted  for  much  valuable  information  touching  the 
local  history  of  the  Pottinger's  Creek  settlement.  She  still  retains  the 
original  patent  to  the  land  upon  which  her  great  grandfather  lived. 
This  patent  bears  date  of  December  2d,  1785,  and  is  signed  by 
*'  Patrick  Henry,  Governor  of  Virginia."* 

Ignatius  Cissell  was  accompanied  to  Kentucky  by  his  four  sons, 
Rody,  Ignatius,  Joseph  and  James.  The  entire  family  was  conspic- 
uous for  its  sterling  worth  and  its  strong  adherence  to  Catholic  truth. 

Thomas  Bowlin  was  the  father  of  Rev.  Charles  D.  Bowlin,  of  the 
St.  Rose  establishment  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic.  He  was  a 
widower  with  several  children  when  he  married  the  widow  of  John 
Hutchins,  who  had  also  a  young  family  by  her  deceased  husband, 
including  one,  John  B.   Hutchins,  who  became  afterwards  a  priest. 

*  I  append,  as  an  evidence  of  cheap  taxes  at  the  time,  the  following  tax 
receipt,  of  which  description  of  papers  Mrs.  Edelin  has  sent  me  several : 

"July  the  29  day,  1789,  Rec'd  of  Harry  Norris  three  shillings,  it  being  for 
his  levy  for  the  year  1788,  by  me.  Samuel  Grundy,  D.  S." 

My  correspondent's  paternal  great-grandparents  were  William  Mahony 
and  Charles  Payne ;  her  maternal  great-grandparents  were  Henry  Norris  and 
John  Spalding.  The  first  named  hewed  the  logs  that  formed  the  old  Holy 
Cross  Church.  Betty  Norris,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Norris,  lived  single  to  a 
good  old  age  and  died  the  death  of  a  saint.  It  is  said  of  her  that  she  never 
missed  an  opportunity  to  hear  mass.  It  was  her  habit  to  walk  to  church,  no 
matter  what  was  the  state  of  the  weather,  and  not  unfrequently,  when  it  was 
her  purpose  to  go  to  confession,  she  was  to  be  found  at  the  church  door  as  early 
as  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  3 1 

Thus  it  was  that  Fathers  Bowlin  and  Hutchins,  though  really  in  no 
wise  related  by  blood,  were  accounted  brothers.  The  home  education 
and  training  of  both  were  directed  by  the  mother  of  the  latter. 

The  Bowles  brothers,  Ignatius,  John  and  William,  were  upright 
and  pious  men,  and  gready  respected  in  the  community. 

Joseph  Edelin  was  the  grandfather  of  the  writer.  He  came  from 
Maryland  in  1795,  ^^"^  settled  on  a  farm  less  than  three  miles  from 
Holy  Cross  church.  Two  cousins  accompanied  him  to  Kentucky  with 
their  families.  These  settled  near  St.  Ann's  church,  in  Washington 
county.* 

James  Dant,  whom  the  writer  remembers  well,  was  most  likely 
young  when  he  came  to  Kentucky.  In  faith  he  was  earnest,  and  in 
charity  he  was  abounding.  He  made  a  gift  to  the  sisters  of  Loretto 
of  the  Gethsemani  plantation,  on  condition  that  they  should  keep  up 
a  school  on  the  place  for  poor  girls.  The  farm  was  afterwards  sold  to 
the  Trappist  fathers  on  the  same  condition. 

Ignatius  Byrne  was  the  father  of  several  sons,  one  of  whom  was 
Rev.  Robert  Byrne.  Both  himself  and  his  wife  were  exemplary 
christians. 

Stephen  Elliott  was  noted  in  the  settlement  for  his  immense  size. 
His  son,  the  late  Rev.  James  Elliott,  though  he  was  much  below  his 
father's  standard  in  this  particular,  was  also  a  man  of  large  proportions. 

Philip  Miles,  through  his  son  Harry  Miles,  married  to  Nancy 
McAtee,  was  the  grandfather  of  Rev.  Thomas  Miles,  S.  J.,  of  the 
province  of  Missouri. 

Monica  Hagan  was  a  widow  when  she  came  to  Kentucky  in  1782. 
She  settled  with  her  three  sons,  Clement,  James  and  Edward  Hagan, 
near  the  present  site  of  the  Trappist  Monastery,  near  New  Hope. 

The  leading  idea  of  the  emigrants  was  that  a  priest  should  ac- 
company them  to  Kentucky,  and  there  remain  with  them;  but  in  this 
particular  point,  regarded  by  them  of  the  utmost  importance,  they 
were  destined  to  disappointment.  At  the  time  referred  to,  it  is  true, 
the  number  of  Catholics  in  the  whole  country  was  not  great ;  but  there 
were,  comparatively,  still  fewer  priests  to  serve  them.  Very  Rev.  John 
Carroll,  who  then  held  spiritual  jurisdiction  over  the  entire  body  of 
the  faithful  of  the  United  States,  anxious  as  he  undoubtedly  was  to 
supply  a  needed  want  to  those  of  his  spiritual  children  who  had 
decided  to  emigrate  to  Kentucky,  found  himself  utterly  unable  to 
furnish  them  with  a  priest.  Two  years  later  he  sent  them  one  of 
whom  we  shall  speak  further  on. 

It  is  a  singular  circumstance  in  the  history  of  Catholic  emigration 
to  Kentucky,  that  the  first  colony  of  emigrants  should  have  settled  on 

■■'■Joseph  Edelin's  children,  some  born  in  Maryland  and  some  in  Kentucky, 
■were:  Cloe  or  Clotilde,  married  to  Nehemiah  Webb,  of  Bardsto-wn,  in  1813; 
Leonard,  Teresa,  Peggy,  Elisa,  Lewis,  Lucy,  Benedict,  James,  George  and 
Helen.  Benedict  and  George  removed  to  Missouri  over  forty  years  ago,  where 
the  latter  soon  afterwards  died.  James  Edelin,  the  last  survivor  of  Joseph 
Edelin's  children,  died  in  1880. 


32  THE    POTTINGER  S   CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

lands  that  were,  possibly,  the  least  inviting  of  any  to  be  found  in  all 
Central  Kentucky.  Referring  to  this  circumstance,  Dr.  Spalding 
uses  the  following  language:  "The  selection  of  Pottinger's  creek  as 
the  location  of  the  new  Catholic  colony  was  unfortunate.  The  land 
was  poor  and  the  situation  uninviting.  Yet,  the  nucleus  of  the  colony 
having  been  formed,  these  disadvantages  were  subsequently  disre- 
garded, and  new  Catholic  emigrants  from  Maryland  continued  to  flock 
to  the  same  neighborhood.  They  preferred  being  near  their  brethren, 
and  enjoying  with  them  the  advantages  of  their  holy  religion,  to  all 
other  mere  worldly  considerations.  They  could  not  brook  the  idea  of 
straggling  off  in  different  directions,  where,  though  they  might  better 
their  earthly  conditions,  they  and  their  children  would  in  all  prob- 
ability be  deprived  of  the  consolations  of  their  religion."* 

It  is  very  generally  believed  that  deception  in  respect  to  the 
quality  of  the  Pottinger's  creek  lands  was  successfully  practiced  upon 
the  first  Catholic  emigrants  to  the  State  by  certain  speculators  in  wild 
lands  then  living  in  Baltimore.  These  parties  were  the  owners  of 
patents  from  the  government  of  Virginia  covering  the  surveys  in 
question;  and,  no  doubt,  the  emigrants  were  induced  to  buy  on  their 
representations.  Having  paid  instalments  in  cash,  and  given  bonds 
for  the  remainder  of  the  purchase  money,  they  were  afterwards  power- 
less to  right  the  wrong  that  had  been  done  them.  The  motives 
influencing  subsequent  emigrants  to  settle  on  Pottinger's  creek  are 
clearly  and  truthfully  stated  by  Dr.  Spalding.  From  and  after  the 
year  1787,  however,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter,  but  few  of  the  incoming 
Catholic  colonists  were  content  to  setrie  on  the  poor  lands  contiguous 
to  those  previously  occupied  by  their  brethren.  They  sought  and 
found  better  lands,  and  more  favorable  localities  upon  which  to  settle; 
first,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bardstown,  and  afterwards  on  Hardin's 
and  Cartwright's  creeks,  and  on  the  Rolling  Fork  of  Salt  river. 

In  the  fall  of  1787,  the  Catholic  colonists  on  Pottinger's  creek  were 
gladdened  by  the  sight  of  a  priest.  Father  Whelan,  an  Irish  Francis- 
can, had  been  sent  to  them  by  Dr.  Carroll;  and  for  the  first  time 
in  two  years  for  themselves,  and  for  the  first  time  in  creation 
for  their  surroundings,  the  great  sacrifice  of  the  New  Law  was  to  be 
offered  up  in  their  sight.  Father  Whelan  was  undoubtedly  a  laborious 
and  painstaking  pastor  of  souls.  All  the  traditions  of  the  times  are 
in  so  far  concurrent.  It  is  true  that  though  he  remained  in  Kentucky 
for  two  years  and  a  half,  he  did  not  cause  to  be  erected  a  single  church 
or  chapel.  It  is  more  than  likely,  however,  that  he  only  deferred  a 
work  which  he  saw  could  not  be  properly  accomplished  at  the  time.f 

*  Sketches  of  Kentucky,  p.  25. 

1 1  have  not  been  able  to  learn  the  designation  of  the  church  stations  at 
which  Father  Whelan  was  in  the  habit  of  saying  mass  and  administering  the 
sacraments.  It  is  reasonably  certain,  however,  that  the  church  station  on 
Pottinger's  creek  was  the  house  of  Basil  Hayden ;  that  near  the  present  town 
of  New  Hope,  the  house  of  Jeremiah  Brown ;  that  on  Poplar  Neck,  the  house 
of  Edward  Howard;  that  near  Bardstown,  the  house  of  Thomas  Gwynn ;  that 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  33 

Owing  to  serious  trouble  with  a  number  of  his  parishioners,  Father 
Whelan  abandoned  the  Kentucky  mission  in  the  year  1790.* 

Father  Whelan  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  William  de  Rohan,  who 
came  unaccredited  to  the  mission  shortly  after  the  first-named  had  left 
the  State.  It  was  during  his  pastorship,  in  1792,  that  Holy  Cross 
chapel  was  built.  This  was  the  first  structure  for  Catholic  worship 
put  up  in  the  State,  f 

The  next  priest  to  serve  the  Holy  Cross  congregation  was  Rev.  M. 
Barrieres,  who  accompanied  Rev.  Stephen  Theodore  Badin  to  Ken- 
tucky in  1793.  He  remained  in  the  State  but  a  few  months,  however, 
and  he  was  succeeded  by  his  compatriot.  Father  Badin,  whose  labors 
in  the  extended  field  of  his  ministry,  embracing  the  entire  State,  have 
justly  entitled  him  to  the  distinctive  appellation  of  the  "Apostle  of 
Kentucky." 

From  1797  to  1803,  no  doubt  Rev,  M.  Fournier  was  at  times 
charged  with  the  care  of  the  congregation ;  and  the  same  may  be  said 
of  Rev.  Anthony  Salmon  during  the  year  1799.^ 

In  1819,  Father  Badin  left  Kentucky  for  Europe,  where  he  spent 
several  years.  Upon  leaving,  his  place  at  Holy  Cross  was  supplied  by 
the  appointment  of  Rev.  Anthony  Ganihl  to  the  vacant  mission.  Father 
Ganihl  was  by  birth  a  Frenchman,  and  he  was  in  deacon's  orders  when 

on  Cartwright's  creek,  the  house  of  Thomas  Hill,  or  possibly  that  of  Henry 
Cambron  ;  and  that  on  the  Rolling  Fork,  the  house  of  Robert  Abell. 

■■See  elsewhere  a  sketch  of  his  life,  and  a  history  of  his  ministerial  labors  in 
Kentucky. 

t  The  history  of  Father  de  Rohan's  connection  with  the  mission  of  the 
State  is  given  elsewhere. 

X  It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  either  of  the  priests  named  in  the  text  was 
more  peculiarly  the  pastor  of  Holy  Cross  congregation  than  he  was  of  the 
scattered  bodies  of  Catholics  in  other  parts  of  the  State.  Until  after  the  arrival 
in  Kentucky  of  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  in  1805  ;  of  the  Trappist  fathers,  in  the 
same  year;  and  of  the  Dominican  fathers,  Wilson,  Fenwick,  Tuite  and  Angier, 
in  1806  ;  it  is  doubtful  if  the  Holy  sacrifice  was  offered  up  in  Holy  Cross  church 
oftener  than  once  a  month.  It  was  only,  indeed,  after  Bishop  Flaget  and  his 
companions  came  to  Kentucky  in  181 1,  that  the  congregation  of  Holy  Cross 
was  so  far  favored  as  to  be  able  to  hear  mass  on  every  Sunday  and  Holyday  of 
obligation.  Nominally,  Father  Badin  remained  pastor  of  Holy  Cross  from 
1794  to  1819;  but  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  greater  part  of  his  time  was  given 
to  missionary  duty  in  other  congregations.  From  the  fall  of  1805  to  the  spring 
of  1809,  the  Trappist  fathers,  settled  within  a  mile  of  Holy  Cross  church,  were, 
doubtless,  in  the  frequent  habit  of  supplying  his  place,  as  well  there  as  at  the 
nearer  surrounding  stations.  After  their  removal  from  Kentucky  in  the  last 
named  year,  it  is  known  that  Father  Nerinckx  was  charged  with  the  care  of 
the  congregation,  often  for  intervals  extending  over  several  months.  My 
mother,  whose  girlhood  was  passed  on  her  father's  farm  near  Holy  Cross  church, 
was  often  heard  to  speak  of  Father  Nerinckx,  whom  she  venerated  greatly. 
As  Bishop  Flaget  and  Father  David  had  their  first  home  with  Father  Badin 
at  St.  Stephen's,  only  three  miles  from  Holy  Cross  church,  it  is  reasonably  cer- 
tain that  both  of  them  were  in  the  habit,  occasionally  at  least,  of  exercising 
the  functions  of  their  ministry  in  the  congregations  attached  thereto.  The 
same  can  be  said,  more  than  likely,  of  Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat,  after  his 
elevation  to  the  priesthood  at  the  close  of  the  year  181 1, 

3 


34  THE  pottinger's  creek  settlement. 

he  came  to  the  country.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  mental  gifts  and 
of  great  learning.  His  entry  into  the  diocesan  seminary  was  most 
likely  in  1817,  and  he  was  ordained  priest  soon  afterwards.  After 
having  filled,  for  a  year  or  more,  the  position  of  professor  in  the  semi- 
nary, he  was  dispatched  to  the  mission  of  which  Holy  Cross  was  the 
centre.  Here  he  remained  until  after  the  consecration  of  Dr.  Edward 
Fenwick,  first  bishop  of  Cincinnati.  On  the  occasion  of  the  consecra- 
tion of  that  prelate  at  the  church  of  St.  Rose,  in  1822,  with  the  consent 
of  his  own  bishop,  he  offered  his  services  for  the  new  diocese,  in  which 
there  was  then  but  a  single  priest,  and  they  were  at  once  and  gratefully 
accepted.  He  returned  to  Kentucky  in  1838,  and  filled  for  about  two 
years  the  position  of  professor  of  modern  languages  in  the  college 
of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown.  His  name  does  not  appear  in  the  Catholic 
Directory  after  1841,  and  it  is  supposed  he  returned  to  France  some 
time  during  that  year.  * 

*  In  early  times  in  Kentucky  it  was  not  an  unusual  thing  for  missionary 
priests  to  receive  challenges  from  sectarian  ministers  to  debate  with  them  points 
of  religious  doctrine.  Most  generally  these  challenges  were  respectfully  de- 
clined, but  occasionally  they  were  accepted,  and  the  debate  followed.  While 
Father  Ganihl  was  serving  the  Holy  Cross  congregation,  a  challenge  of  this 
nature  was  sent  to  him  by  a  Baptist  minister  known  throughout  the  country  as 
Elder  Elkins.  The  subject  proposed  was  "The  correct  mode  of  administer- 
ing christian  baptism."  Father  Ganihl  only  knew  of  his  challenger  that  he 
was  a  man  of  gigantic  stature,  with  a  voice  of  corresponding  compass.  He 
concluded  to  accept  the  challenge,  however,  and  at  the  proper  time  he  was  on 
hand  with  a  few  members  of  his  own  congregation.  The  debate  had  been 
advertised  from  mouth  to  ear  throughout  the  district,  and  an  immense  crowd 
had  gathered  to  hear  the  discussion,  which  was  to  be  held  out  of  doors,  some 
standing,  some  sitting  on  improvised  seats,  and  some  lolling  on  the  grass  in 
comfortable  expectancy  of  a  wordy  fight  from  which  they  would  be  able  to 
extract  amusement  at  least.  The  elder  was  complaisant,  and  he  politely  asked 
Father  Ganihl  to  mount  the  stand  and  give  his  reasons  for  adhering  to  the 
Catholic  mode  of  administering  baptism.  The  priest  thanked  him  for  his 
courtesy,  and  at  once  began  his  discourse.  He  first  stated  the  doctrine  of  the 
Church  in  reference  to  baptism,  and  then  urged  its  necessity  and  the  obliga- 
tion which  rested  upon  men  to  receive  it.  He  then  defined  the  mode  of  its 
administration  adopted  by  the  Church.  He  quoted  largely  from  the  Bible, 
from  church  history  and  the  Fathers,  and  he  showed  his  learning  by  frequent 
references  to  Greek  and  Latin  authorities  on  the  subject.  He  concluded 
by  declaring  that  the  vast  majority  of  those  who  had  borne  the  christian 
name  from  the  beginning,  had  been  brought  into  the  fold  through  the 
administration  of  the  sacrament  as  it  is  now  prescribed  by  the  Catholic 
Church.  He  here  signed  to  his  opponent,  who  was  standing  within  the  inner 
circle  of  auditors,  immediately  fronting  him,  that  he  was  ready  to  exchange 
places  with  him.  But  that  individual,  as  it  appeared  from  the  sequel,  had  no 
notion  of  exhibiting  his  ignorance  in  that  company.  From  the  beginning  of 
Father  Ganihl's  address,  he  had  shown  symptoms  of  restlessness,  and  now 
that  it  was  his  time  to  speak,  he  stood  for  a  moment  as  if  transfixed.  Suddenly, 
and  without  a  word  of  explanation  or  apology,  he  turned  in  his  tracks,  elbowed 
his  way  through  the  crowd,  mounted  his  horse  and  sped  away  as  if  a  legion  of 
devils  were  at  his  heels.  At  first  the  crowd  appeared  bewildered;  but  a 
moment  later  a  shout  arose  from  it  that  could  have  been  heard  a  mile.  Among 
the  priest's  friends  who  were  present  that  day  was  Walter  Burch.     Watty,  as 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY, 


35 


From  the  fall  of  1822  to  the  spring  of  1824,  the  congregation  was 
served  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  superior  of  the  Loretto  com- 
munity, assisted,  most  probably,  by  Rev.  G.  I.  Chabrat.  In  1823, 
the  old  log  church  built  by  Father  de  Rohan  in  1792,  gave  place  to  the 
present  structure  of  brick,  which  was  erected  by  Father  Nerinckx. 
Four  years  before,  this  indefatigable  servant  of  God  had  put  up, 
mostly  at  his  own  expense,  it  is  said,  the  church  of  St.  Vincent,  near 
New  Hope,  and  only  a  few  miles  distant  from  that  of  Holy  Cross. 
From  the  date  of  Father  Nerinckx's  death,  August  12th,  1824,  to  that 
of  the  installation  of  Rev.  Robert  Byrne  as  pastor,  sometime  in  the 

year  1825,  the  congregation  was  served  by  Rev. Butler  and  Rev. 

O'Bryan.* 

In  1825,  Rev.  Robt.  Byrne,  then  but  recently  ordained,  was 
appointed  resident  pastor  of  Holy  Cross  congregation.  The  life  and 
labors  in  the  sacred  ministry  of  this  exemplary  priest  are  worthy  of 
more  than  casual  mention  in  this  history.  His  thirty-one  years  of 
ministerial  life  were  passed  in  but  two  congregations,  and  these  were 
but  four  miles  apart.  Robert  Byrne  was  the  son  of  Ignatius  Byrne, 
an  early  settler  from  Maryland  who  had  taken  up  a  farm  lying  about 
midway  between  Goodwin's  station  and  the  present  town  of  New 
Haven,  in  Nelson  county,  f  Here  he  was  himself  born  in  the  year 
1792.  His  parents  were  good,  pious,  simple  people,  poor  in  respect 
to  the  goods  of  this  world,  but  rich  in  those  virtues  which  form  the 
crown  of  christian  souls.  What  they  were  themselves  possessed  of, 
in  the  way  of  secular  knowledge,  so  much,  doubtless,  they  imparted 
to  their  son ;  but  that  was  little.  The  knowledge  they  had  of  tJieir 
faith,  and  of  the  means  requisite  to  give  to  it  vitality,  they  also 
imparted  to  him;  and  that  was  much.  He  grew  up  a  dutiful  and 
christian  youth,  and,  as  was  afterwards  made  manifest,  a  patriotic  one. 
In  the  year  18 14,  a  call  was  made  on  the  authorities  of  Nelson  county 
for  troops  to  defend  the  country  from  British  aggression,  and  Robert 
Byrne,  with  others  of  his  young  cotemporaries,  shouldered  his  musket 
and  his  knapsack  and  marched  to  the  defense  of  New  Orleans.  "  In 
one  pocket,"  writes  a  correspondent,  "he  carried  his  cartridges,  and 

much  as  Yorick  of  the  play,  or  anybody  else,  was  a  man  of  infinite  jest. 
Mounting  the  vacated  stand,  he  cried  out:  "Well  done.  Elder  Elkins  !  I 
tell  you  what,  boys,"  he  added,  turning  to  the  crowd,  "the  elder  has  proved 
himself  this  day  to  be  a  man  of  sense  ;  the  wind  has  been  knocked  out  of  him, 
and  he  has  gone  to  recover  it." 

•■■I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  even  the  christian  names  of  these  two 
priests.  Neither  of  them  was  ordained  in  the  diocese.  Father  Butler  remained 
only  six  months  at  his  post.  Father  O'Bryan,  as  I  learn  from  one  who  knew 
him,  was  a  priest  of  unblemished  character  and  excellent  abilities.  After 
laboring  on  the  mission  for  about  a  year,  he  was  seized  with  a  mental  malady 
which  rendered  his  removal  a  nece'ssity.  He  recovered  his  normal  faculties 
after  a  time,  and  soon  afterwards  left  the  diocese. 

t  Several  other  Catholic  families  had  settled  in  the  same  neighborhood,  and. 
among  others,  that  of  Ignatius  Greenwell,  whose  house  for  many  years  after- 
wards was  a  church  station. 


36  THE   POTTINGER'S    CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

in  the  other  his  prayer-book  and  beads.  To  the  end  of  his  life  his 
devotion  to  the  Holy  Mother  of  God  found  its  expression  in  the  daily 
repetition  of  her  rosary."  The  company  to  which  he  was  attached 
only  reached  New  Orleans  after  the  battle  had  been  fought  and  the 
victory  won  by  the  army  under  the  command  of  General  Andrew 
Jackson.  Peace  was  soon  afterwards  proclaimed,  and  the  volunteer 
forces  were  disbanded.  Returning  to  his  home,  Robert  Byrne  began 
to  reflect  seriously  on  the  subject  of  a  vocation  for  life.  His  short 
experience  as  a  soldier  had  given  him  something  of  an  insight  into 
the  ways  of  the  world,  and  its  hollowness  and  frivolity  disgusted 
him.  The  more  he  reflected,  the  clearer  opened  his  way  before  him, 
and  that  led  him  to  the  army  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  whose  antagonism 
is  "against  principalities  and  powers;  against  the  rulers  of  the  world 
of  this  darkness."  He  entered  the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  most 
likely,  in  1817,  and  he  was  ordained  priest  in  1825.  Immediately 
after  his  ordination,  he  was  given  charge  of  the  church  and  congre- 
gation of  Holy  Cross;  a  position  retained  by  him  for  more  than  twenty 
years.*  From  the  beginning,  his  conduct  of  the  mission  was  marked 
by  the  most  gratifying  results.  The  people  recognized  in  him  the 
true  priest,  thoroughly  unselfish,  and  thoroughly  imbued  with  the 
mild  and  merciful  spirit  of  the  Great  Master  whose  commission  he 
carried,  and  with  whose  work  he  had  been  intrusted.  He  gained 
their  respect  at  once,  and  it  was  not  long  before  they  accorded  to  him 
their  love.     He  had  an  innate  sense  of  justice,  and  this  virtue  was  as 

*  A  reverend  correspondent  who  knew  Father  Byrne  intimately  thus  writes 
me  concerning  him  :  "  He  never  went  through  what  is  called  a  formal  course 
of  theology,  but  he  had  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  science,  could  preach  a  good 
sermon,  and  was  as  efficient  a  priest  for  good  as  is  ordinarily  to  be  met  with 
nowadays  among  those  who  have  been  favored  with  superior  educational 
advantages.  He  did  not  stoop  to  refute  or  confound  either  the  avowed  infidel 
or  the  fanatical  sectarian;  but  he  explained  in  simple  language  the  dogmas  of 
the  Church,  and  used  all  his  powers  of  persuasion  to  induce  his  hearers  to 
become  practical  Catholics.  So  successful  were  his  efforts  in  this  direction, 
that  his  parishioners  were  recognized  far  and  wide  as  a  'confession-going 
people.'  He  was  v^ry  abstemious  in  eating,  and  he  drank  nothing  intoxicating. 
The  only  excitant  he  ever  used  was  snuff,  and  that  only  in  moderation.  Not 
unfrequently,  after  having  heard  a  confession,  he  would  offer  his  box  to  his 
penitent,  and  say  to  him:  'Take  a  pinch,  my  child,  and  thank  God  it  is  no 
worse.'  I  never  yet  heard  any  one  complain  that  his  neighbor  was  too  kind, 
but  if  Father  Byrne  had  a  fault  at  all,  I  should  express  it  by  the  term,  over- 
kindness.  •  His  walk  was  that  of  a  father  in  the  midst  of  his  children.  Every- 
body loved  him,  and  the  little  ones  most  of  all.  His  visits  to  the  houses  of  his 
parishioners  were  regarded  by  them  as  red-letter  occasions,  and  it  was  pleasant 
to  witness  the  delight  that  was  manifested  in  the  countenances  of  an  entire 
household  when  the  announcement  was  made,  '  Here  comes  Father  Byrne  !' 
At  the  sight  of  him  riding  'down  the  fence'  or  'up  the  lane,'  the  children 
of  the  family,  white  and  black,  uproariously  joyful,  would  sally  out  to. meet 
and  escort  him  to  the  house,  where  the  elders  stood  ready  to  give  him  a  less 
demonstrative,  but  a  no  less  hearty  welcome.  It  is  no  wonder  that  Father 
Byrne  was  content  to  live  and  die  among  the  simple-minded  people  of  his  first 
and  only  mission," 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY  37 

natural  to  him  as  eating  and  drinking.  It  never  failed  him,  and  it 
aided  him  wonderfully  in  defining  lines  of  duty  in  human  action  in 
respect  to  those  who  were  in  the  habit  of  consulting  him.  "  Give  to 
God,"  he  would  say,  "what  belongs  to  God;  to  Csesar  what  belongs 
to  Caesar;  and  to  your  neighbor  what  belongs  to  your  neighbor." 
He  never  spared  himself  He  was  prompt  at  the  altar,  prompt  in  the 
confessional,  and  prompt  in  his  visits  to  the  sick  and  the  dying. 
Neither  heat,  nor  cold,  nor  flood,  nor  darkness,  was  an  obstacle 
sufficiently  formidable  to  keep  him  from  the  bedsides  of  the  sick.  In 
1845,  Father  Byrne's  failing  health  demanded  at  the  hands  of  his 
Ordinary  some  measure  of  relief  from  excessive  labor.  Though  he 
was  but  fifty-three  years  of  age,  he  was  fairly  broken  down.  He  was 
offered  the  smaller  neighboring  parish  of  St.  Vincent,  and  accepted 
its  pastorate.  The  duties  of  the  position  he  fulfilled  without  assistance 
for  a  little  more  than  a  year,  when  his  increasing  infirmities  forced 
him  to  retire  from  the  ranks  of  the  active  ministry.  St.  Vincent's, 
however,  was  his  home  for  the  remaining  years  of  his  life.  Up  to  the 
year  1849,  ^^^  residence  was  with  Mr.  Joseph  Clark;  after  that  time 
it  was  with  a  family  known  throughout  the  district  as  "the  Brown 
children."  This  family  consisted  at  the  time  of  two  bachelor  brothers, 
of  whom  Peter  Brown  was  the  elder ;  six  maiden  sisters,  all  advanced 
in  life ;  and  a  widower  brother  with  two  girl  children.  With  these 
good  people  Father  Byrne  lived  for  nearly  seven  years,  engaged  at 
times  in  such  light  missionary  work  as  was  not  unequal  to  his  strength. 
His  death  took  place  on  the  7th  day  of  April,  1856.* 

"In  answer  to  your  request  that  I  should  furnish  you  with  my  own 
estimate  of  Father  Byrne's  character,"  writes  his  successor  in  the 
pastorship  of  Holy  Cross  church,  "I  can  simply  say  that  he  lived  a 
truly  christian  life,  and  died  a  most  edifying  death.  He  was  a  repre- 
sentative priest  of  the  class  known  as  workers.     He  was  not  in  the 

*  The  annexed  details  of  Father  Byrne's  sickness  and  death  are  from  a 
letter  addressed  to  me  by  Rev.  Francis  Wuyts,  who  was  one  of  his  successors 
in  the  pastorship  of  Holy  Cross  church  :  "  About  a  week  before  that  event 
took  place  I  assisted  Father  Byrne  for  death.  I  doubted  at  the  time  if  his 
condition  was  extreme  enough  to  warrant  me  in  administering  the  last  sacra- 
ments; but  he  told  me  he  felt  that  his  end  was  fast  approaching,  and  I 
submitted  to  his  judgment..  Six  days  later,  I  again  visited  him,  and  I  found 
him  almost  in  extretyiis.  I  stayed  with  him  all  night,  and  said  mass  in  his  room 
the  next  morning.  At  the  elevation,  his  agony  commenced,  and  when  I 
approached  him,  immediately  after  mass,  he  was  exhaling  his  last  breath.  He 
was  buried  from  the  Trappist  Monastery,  Abbot  Eutropius  singing  the  mass  of 
requiem,  and  Father  Robert  Abell  delivering  an  effective  eulogy.  The  veteran 
preacher  reviewed  the  life  of  his  deceased  brother,  with  which  he  had  been 
familiar  from  the  time  they  had  both  been  inmates  of  the  Diocesan  seminary. 
He  spoke  of  his  youthful  example  of  worth  and  piety  ;  of  his  after  life  of 
usefulness;  and  of  his  devotion  to  God  and  humanity.  He  eulogized  the 
virtues  that  had  distinguished  him  living  and  would  form  his  crown  of  glory 
for  eternity.  His  remains  were  consigned  to  the  earth  in  the  old  cemetery  of 
the  Lorettine  Sisterhood  at  Gethsemani,  a  short  distance  from  the  convent  of 
the  Trappist  fathers," 


38  THE  tOTTINGER  S  CREEK  SETTLEMENT. 

habit  of  putting  off  the  duties  of  the  present  for  a  future  day,  nor  fbr 
a  future  hour.  His  faith  was  firm,  his  piety  sincere,  and  his  charity 
overflowing.  His  people  looked  upon  him  as  a  saint  when  he  walked 
in  their  midst,  and  they  now  revere  his  memory  as  that  of  a  saint  in 
heaven.  Naturally  of  a  quick  temper,  he  had  so  schooled  his  nature 
as  to  be  able  to  preserve  christian  equanimity  under  the  provocations 
of  insult  and  injury.  His  life  as  a  priest  was  one  of  incessant  toil, 
and  insignificant  enough  was  the  worldly  recompense  accruing  to  him 
for  his  labor.  When  he  came  to  die,  he  divided  his  little  personal 
effects  among  his  friends,  his  beneficiaries  for  the  most  part  being  poor 
and  hard-worked  priests.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  and  a  little  before 
that  event,  Rev.  J.  DeVries  was  endeavoring  to  build  a  church  in 
Hodgensville.  The  work  progressed  slowly  for  lack  of  funds,  a  cir- 
cumstance that  was  well  known  to  Father  Byrne.  Said  he  to  me  one 
day :  '  DeVries  is  a  ^ert*  little  fellow,  and  I  think  I  will  give  him  a 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.'  Then  and  there,  he  had  me  open  a  drawer 
in  his  table,  and  count  out  the  money  from  his  little  savings  kept 
therein." 

In  1846,  Rev.  Daniel  Kelly  was  named  pastor  of  Holy  Cross 
church,  and  remained  attached  to  the  congregation  for  a  little  over  a 
year."t 

From  1847  to  the  middle  of  the  year  1850,  the  congregation  of 
Holy  Cross  was  served  by  Rev.  Athanasius  A.  Aud.J 

*The  \.trm.pert,  ordinarily  pronounced  as  if  spelt/<rar^,  is  a  common  expres- 
sion with  many  people  to  denote  activity  or  sprightliness. 

1 1  knew  Father  Kelly,  a  few  years  later,  when  he  was  holding  the  position 
of  chaplain  of  St.  Vincent's  Orphan  Asylum,  in  Louisville.  He  was  educated 
for  the  ministry  in  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  and  was  ordained 
priest  by  Bishop  Flaget  on  the  23d  day  of  November,  1828.  Holy  Cross  was 
his  first  mission  in  the  diocese.  He  remained  in  Louisville  till  1856,  when  he 
returned  to  Ireland,  and  there  died  some  years  afterwards.  He  was  a  good 
man  and  a  well  meaning  priest,  but  too  lethargic  by  nature  to  be  effective  as 
the  pastor  of  a  congregation. 

{Father  Aud  is  still  living,  and  I  trust  he  will  be  spared  for  many  years  to 
serve  and  edify  the  good  sisters  and  pupils  of  Calvary  convent  and  school, 
among  whom  he  has  passed  the  later  years  of  his  long  and  useful  life.  It  had 
not  been  my  purpose  to  refer  in  this  history,  except  in  a  casual  way,  to  living 
persons;  but  I  think  I  will  and  should  be  excused  for  speaking  my  thoughts  of 
the  only  two  remaining  to  the  present  time  of  the  old  missionary  priests  of  the 
diocese.  Athanasius  A.  Aud  was  born  near  Fairfield,  Kentucky,  on  the  2ist 
February,  1803.  His  father  was  Zachariah  Aud,  one  of  the  original  emigrants 
to  the  settlement,  and  his  mother  was  Margaret  Wathen,  a  widowed  daughter 
of  Francis  Coomes,  another  of  the  first  settlers,  and  a  man  who  was  as  remark- 
able for  his  christian  virtues  as  he  was  for  his  longevity.  He  died  a  centena- 
rian on  the  3d  day  of  April,  1822.  Among  the  descendants  of  Francis  Coomes 
born  in  Kentucky,  were  four  priests,  more  than  double  that  number  of  members 
of  religious  orders  and  hundreds  of  orderly  practical  Catholics.  His  daughter 
Winifred  was  the  mother  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Wathen;  Margaret  was  the  mother  of 
Rev.  A.  A.  Aud,  and  Anna  C.  was  the  mother  of  Rev.  Charles  I.  Coomes.  His 
daughter  Rachel  was  the  wife  of  William  Coomes,  of  Owensboro,  whose  house 
was  a  station  and  resting-place  for  Fathers  Nerinckx,  Abell,  Durbin  and  other 
priests  in  their  visitations  to  that  part  of  the  State.     The  house  of  his  son.  Rich- 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  39 

Zachariah  Aud  and  Margaret  Wathen  were  married  by  Father 
Badin  in  1799,  and  their  first  children,  including  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  received  baptism  at  his  hands.  The  early  education  and  train- 
ing of  Father  Aud  were  such  as  to  fit  him  for  his  after  vocation.  When 
he  had  reached  his  sixteenth  year,  he  was  sent  to  Father  David,  at  St. ' 
Thomas'  seminary,  with  the  view  to  his  education  for  the  ministry. 
To  a  letter  of  inquiry  lately  addressed  to  him,  he  thus  answers  respect- 
ing the  date  of  his  entrance  into  the  seminary:  "It  was  on  the  nth 
day  of  February,  1819.  The  beautiful  peach  trees  along  the  road  were 
in  full  bloom,  and  notwithstanding  the  early  spring,  they  bore  a  boun- 
tiful crop  that  year."  After  pursuing  his  studies  for  several  years  at 
St.  Thomas',  the  young  man's  health  began  to  fail,  and  it  was  thought  • 
best  that  he  should  be  returned  to  secular  life.  He  afterwards  studied 
medicine,  and  would  doubtless  have  become  a  successful  practitioner 
had  he  not  felt  that  his  caUing  was  in  another  direction.  With  health 
fully  restored,  he  again  entered  the  seminary,  and  for  about  four  years 
his  time  was  divided  between  study  and  teaching.  His  ordination  to 
the  priesthood,  in  conjunction  with  that  of  the  late  Rev.  Joseph  Hasel- 
tine,  took  place  in  the  cathedral  of  Bardstown,  in  the  year  1836. 
"Bishop  David,"  he  writes,  "was  the  ordaining  prelate,  and  I  think 
we  were  the  last  priests  he  ever  did  ordain.  I  may  be  mistaken  in  this 
belief,  but  my  reason  for  so  thinking  is  based  upon  the  fact  that  he 
was  afterwards  in  the  habit  of  calling  Father  Haseltine  his  'Joseph,' 
and  me  his  'Benjamin'"  Father  Aud's  first  mission  was  at  St. 
Thomas',  three  miles  from  Bardstown,  and  it  included  the  care  of  the 
growing  congregation  at  New  Haven.  There  were  also  four  stations 
in  the  district,  extending  from  New  Haven  to  Nolynn  creek,  and 
thence  to  Green  river,  to  each  of  which  he  was  engaged  to  pay  peri- 
odical visits.  He  retained  the  mission  until  1844,  when  he  was 
intrusted  with  the  pastorship  of  St.  Stephen's,  Owensboro,  with  sev- 
eral outlying  stations.  He  was  subsequently  removed  to  the  Church 
of  St.  Lawrence,  near  Knottsville,  in  the  same  county,  where  his 
pastoral  charge  extended  over  three  other  churches  and  five  stations, 
some  of  them  being  in  Hancock,  Ohio  and  Muhlenburg  counties. 
As  has  been  stated  above.  Father  Aud  became  pastor  of  the  old 
Church  of  Holy  Cross  in  1847,  and  he  retained  his  position  until  the 
year  1850.  During  this  time  he  also  served  the  congregation  of  St. 
Vincent,  aided,  no  doubt,  by  such  assistance  as  the  former  pastor.  Rev. 
Robt.  Byrne,  who  was  an  invalid,  was  able  to  render.  In  the  year 
1850,  Father  Aud  was  attacked  by  serious  illness,  consequent  upon 
unavoidable  exposure.  Unable  longer  to  discharge  the  duties  of  his 
position,  he  was  sent  to  Calvary  convent  to  say  mass  for  the  sisters 
and  to  assist  the  pastor  of  Holy  Mary's  church  in  the  labors  of  his 

ard,  a  short  distance  from  Fairfield,  in  Nelson  county,  was  a  church  station  for 
many  years,  kept  up  principally  for  the  benefit  of  his  aged  parents  and  other 
infirm  persons  living  in  the  neighborhood.  Francis  Coomes'  wife  survived  her 
husband  but  a  few  years,  dying  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years.  Their 
son  Richard  lived  to  see  his  96th  birthday. 


40  THE   POTTINGER's   CREEK   SETTLEMENT. 

ministry.  He  remained  in  this  position  until  the  death  of  Rev.  D.  A. 
Deparcq,  in  1864,  when  he  became  pastor  of  Holy  Mary's  and  chap- 
lain of  Calvary  convent.  The  first  named  of  these  positions  he  held 
mitil  1873,  and  the  chaplaincy  of  the  convent  he  has  ever  since 
retained.  * 

During  the  three  years  ending  with  1853,  the  congregation  of 
Holy  Cross,  as  well  as  that  of  St.  Vincent,  were  served  by  Rev. 
James  Quinn.f 

The  later  pastors  of  Holy  Cross  church  Avere  :  Rev.  Francis  Wuyts, 
who  served  the  congregation  for  about  fifteen  years;  Rev.  Thomas 
Faunt;  Rev.  F,  Fauran;  Rev.  E.  Vantroostenberghe ;  Rev.  D.  O'Sul- 

*My  acquaintance  with  Father  Aud  began  when  I  was  little  more  than  a 
child,  but  I  have  a  more  perfect  recollection  of  him  when  he  was  a  student  of 
medicine  in  Bardstown,  in  1830-31.  At  that  time  there  was  not  a  young  man 
in  the  county  who  was  held  in  higher  regard  by  all  classes  of  citizens,  Protest- 
ants and  Catholics.  He  was  tall  and  sparely  built,  and  his  general  appearance 
indicated  a  delicate  physical  organization.  In  this  particular  he  is  little  changed 
to  the  present  day.  His  most  favored  acquaintances  were  persons  devoted  to 
scientific  and  literary  pursuits.  He  was  himself  a  graceful  writer  and  a  critic 
of  no  mean  pretensions.  One  of  his  most  pleasing  characteristics  was  his  con- 
stant cheerfulness.  I  need  scarcely  say,  that  not  the  less  than  when  he  was  an 
inmate  of  the  diocesan  seminary,  was  he  regardful  of  his  duties  in  respect 
to  religion.  From  the  time  referred  to,  it  has  been  only  at  long  intervals  that 
I  have  been  favored  with  opportunities  to  see  and  converse  with  Father  Aud. 
But  all  his  old  friends  of  the  clergy  were  my  own  also,  and  with  these  he  was 
a  not  unfrequent  theme  of  conversation  and  of  friendly  eulogy.  He  was  never 
referred  to  by  them  except  in  terms  of  kindly  interest.  This  was  specially 
the  case  with  the  late  Dr.  McGill,  bishop  of  Richmond,  and  the  late  Very  Rev. 
B.  J.  Spalding,  of  Louisville. 

t  Rev.  James  Quinn's  ordination  took  place,  most  likely,  in  1844.  In  1845 
and  1846,  he  was  assistant  to  Rev.  Elisha  J.  Durbin,  on  the  missions  of  south- 
western Kentucky.  He  was  afterwards  stationed  at  Holy  Mary's,  at  Holy  Cross 
and  at  St.  Francis  Xavier's  (Raywick),  Marion  county.  "Father  Quinn," 
writes  a  clerical  friend  who  knew  him  well,  "  was  a  man  of  solid  piety  and  of 
a  zeal  that  was  active,  charitable  and  winning.  When  he  left  the  diocese  of 
Louisville,  about  the  year  1859  I  think,  he  took  the  pastorship  of  a  respectable 
congregation  in  one  of  the  New  England  States,  where  he  remained  till  the 
failure  of  his  health  necessitated  his  retirement  from  all  onerous  duties.  In 
1868  or  1869,  he  returned  west,  and  thenceforth  lived  with  his  sister  in  Newport, 
Kentucky,  occasionally  aiding  the  pastor  of  the  church  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  of  that  place.  He  was  also,  by  request  of  the  bishop  of  Covington, 
confessor  for  one  or  more  communities  of  sisters.  He  was  less  brilliant  than 
talented,  but  he  was  altogether  an  efficient  priest,  and  was  much  respected  by 
the  clergy  among  whom  he  labored."  A  lay  friend  writes  me  thus  concerning 
him:  "Father  Quinn,  when  I  knew  him  in  1848,  as  a  frequent  visitor  at  St. 
Mary's  college,  had  the  reputation  of  an  accomplished  gentleman  and  a  labo- 
rious priest.  He  was  tall  and  spare,  and  he  stooped  slightly  in  walking. 
Father  J.  Delaune,  who  was  then  president  of  the  college,  and  who,  as  you  may 
know,  was  a  man  of  superior  talents  and  acknowledged  piety  and  worth,  was 
in  the  habit  of  referring  to  him  in  terms  of  respect  and  strong  affection.  I 
remember  to  have  heard  it  stated  of  him  that  he  never  permitted  a  day  to  pass 
without  evincing  his  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  by  the  recitation  of  the 
rosary."  The  death  of  Father  Quinn  took  place  at  Covington,  Kentucky, 
December  6th,  1876. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  4I 

livan;  Rev.  David  Russell;  and  Rev.  R.  P.  Feehan,  whose  pastorate 
ended  in  the  fall  of  1877.  Since  that  date  the  present  pastor,  Rev. 
Edward  Lynch,  has  had  charge  of  the  congregation. 

No  truth  can  be  plainer  than  that  Catholicity  in  Kentucky  is 
largely  indebted  for  its  wonderful  extension,  and  for  the  religious 
fervor  that  still  distinguishes  very  many  of  its  adherents,  to  the  fidelity 
of  those  who  first  brought  their  religion  into  the  State,  and  who,  in 
many  instances,  made  sacrifice  of  their  worldly  prospects  in  order  to 
enjoy  the  advantages  of  Catholic  association  and,  as  was  their  hope 
and  common  belief,  the  ministry  of  a  priest.  There  is  scarcely  a 
Catholic  congregation  in  the  State  that  has  not  its  representative  from 
that  of  Holy  Cross;  and  beyond  its  borders,  and  especially  in  Indiana 
and  Missouri,  very  many  resident  Catholics  of  the  present  day  are 
able  to  trace  their  ancestry  to  those  who,  first  of  all  in  the  wilds  of 
Kentucky,  told  their  beads  in  the  shadow  of  Rohan's  Knob.  The 
writer  cannot  better  conclude  his  account  of  the  Pottinger's  creek 
Catholic  settlement  than  by  presenting  his  readers  with  the  substance 
of  a  letter  lately  received  by  him  from  one  who,  for  fifteen  years  of 
his  ministerial  life,  occupied  the  position  of  pastor  of  souls  in  Holy 
Cross  congregation: 

' '  Holy  Cross  and  its  congregation  have  little  to  boast  of  that  is 
purely  conventional.  The  lands  upon  which  the  first  Catholic  emi- 
grants to  the  State  settled  are  not  noted  for  their  fertility.  One  sees, 
to  be  sure,  plenty  of  dwarf  pines  and  hardy  weeds;  but  it  is  only  here 
and  there  that  the  soil  is  at  all  generous.  But  let  it  not  be  thought  that 
Holy  Cross  is  voiceless  of  jubilation  on  other  accounts.  Here  was 
set  the  cradle  of  the  Church  in  Kentucky.  Here  was  planted  the 
mustard  seed  of  divine  faith  that  has  grown  indeed  into  a  great  tree 
whose  overshadowing  branches  are  to-day  giving  shelter  to  tens  of 
thousands  of  ardent  believers,  symbolized  by  '  the  birds  of  the  air '  of 
the  holy  Gospel. 

"Outside  of  the  duties  of  my  ministry,  at  least,  there  was  nothing 
that  so  much  interested  me  during  my  pastorship  of  the  Holy  Cross 
congregation  as  the  strong  affection  evinced  by  visiting  pilgrims — most 
of  whom,  no  doubt,  had  first  drawn  breath  in  the  neighborhood — for 
everything  connected  with  the  old  church.  These  would  come  from 
all  parts  of  the  State,  but  the  greater  part  of  them,  I  was  informed, 
were  residents  of  Daviess  county,  whither  they  had  removed  years 
before  I  came  to  the  country.  It  was  a  common  thing  with  these 
good  people  to  pay  periodical  visits  to  the  spots  of  earth  upon  which 
they  were  born,  and  to  seek  revivification  of  their  faith  where  its 
divine  truths  were  first  unfolded  to  their  infant  minds.  Their  strange 
faces  would  appear  before  me  in  the  church,  and  I  would  after- 
wards find  them  in  the  graveyard;  the  men  with  uncovered  heads,  and 
the  women  with  clasped  hands  and  tearful  eyes,  now  stopping  before 
one  mound  of  earth  and  now  before  another,  and  all  engaged  in 
prayer  for  relatives  and  friends  whose  earthly  tabernacles  were  there 
awaiting  the  trump  of  resurrection.     Upon  addressing  them,  as  I 


42  THE   POTTINGER's   CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

sometimes  did,  they  would  tell  me:  'This  is  father's  grave,'  or  ' here 
rests  mother,' or 'sister' or 'brother.'  When  I  saw  them,  as  was  not 
unfrequently  the  case,  standing  by  some  sunken  headstone  and 
devoutly  reciting  the  rosary  of  our  Blessed  Lady,  I  could  but  feel 
that  their  teachers  and  guides,  and  those  of  their  parents,  must  have 
been  apostolic  men  indeed;  otherwise,  they  had  not  laid  in  their 
hearts  foundations  deep  and  broad  enough  to  support  the  grand  and 
beautiful  superstructure  of  faith  and  piety  upon  which  my  eyes  were 
resting. 

"Of  old  Holy  Cross  church,  built  by  Father  de  Rohan  in  1792, 
there  is  no  vestige  remaining.  The  present  beautiful  and  commodious 
structure  owes  its  erection  to  the  indefatigable  zeal  of  one  whose  name 
should  be  heard  and  pronounced  with  reverence  by  all  Kentucky 
Catholics.  I  refer  to  the  late  Very  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx.  Called 
to  the  temporary  pastorship  of  the  congregation  in  1822,  he  could  but 
feel  that  the  decency  of  divine  worship  required  at  his  hands  an  effort 
to  provide  a  more  fitting  abode  for  the  Immaculate  Lamb  of  God  when 
visiting  His  people,  than  was  afforded  by  the  stable-like  structure — 
meaner  than  was  that  wherein  the  eyes  of  His  infant  humanity  first 
opened  to  the  light  Himself  had  made — that  had  served  the  absolute 
wants  of  the  congregation  for  more  than  thirty  years.  Sunday  after 
Sunday  he  referred  to  the  matter  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation, 
and  at  length  he  astonished  his  hearers  greatly  by  telling  them  that  he 
had  fixed  upon  the  following  day  as  a  proper  time  to  begin  the  work. 
He  was  aware  of  the  fact,  he  said,  that  not  many  amongst  them  were 
so  circumstanced  as  to  be  able  to  set  their  names  down  for  money 
subscriptions,  at  least  in  large  amounts,  but  all  of  them  could  do 
a  little,  and  the  greater  number  of  them  could  at  least  give  the  labor 
of  their  own  hands,  and  that  of  their  cattle  and  horses,  to  the  under- 
taking. He  ended  by  inviting  all  the  able-bodied  men  of  the  congre- 
gation to  meet  him  at  an  early  hour  next  day,  and  to  come  prepared 
with  such  tools  and  implements  as  they  might  have  at  command,  to 
enter  upon  the  work  with  willing  hands  and  cheerful  hearts. 

"They  did  come  in  goodly  numbers,  and  with  them  they  brought 
the  appliances  of  their  farmer's  calling — horses  and  wagons,  oxen  and 
sleds,  crows  and  mattocks  and  spades,  saws  and  axes  and  adzes — and 
day  after  day  gangs  of  them  were  to  be  seen,  some  engaged  in  felling 
timber,  and  others  in  shaping  it  into  girders  and  joists  and  rafters 
by  the  aid  of  a  whip-saw ;  some  in  hauling  clay  and  sand  to  be 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  bricks;  some  in  one  species  of  labor  and 
some  in  another;  but  all  directing  their  best  energies  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  task  that  had  been  set  before  them. 

"It  is  said  that  Father  Nerinckx  experienced  much  difficulty  in 
raising  funds  with  which  to  pay  for  the  skilled  labor  he  was  under  the 
necessity  of  employing  in  the  building  of  the  church.  But  his  was  a 
fearless  soul,  and  he  was  never  known  to  turn  back  from  any  needed 
work  to  which  he  had  once  set  his  hands.  In  a  greater  degree  than 
any  of  his  cotemporaries  of  the  Kentucky  mission  was  his  name  con- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  43 

nected  with  the  work  of  church  building.  Aheady  he  had  caused  to 
be  erected  nine  churches  in  different  parts  of  the  State,  and  now, 
with  zeal  unabated,  he  was  giving  to  the  immediate  work  before  him 
the  still  unyielding  energies  of  his  nature.  Obstacles  to  the  enterprise 
seemed  to  clear  themselves  away  before  the  momentum  of  his  own 
christian  courage,  and  he  was  enabled  to  open  the  new  church  and  to 
offer  therein  the  Holy  Sacrifice  in  thanksgiving  for  the  happy  close  of 
his  labors  in  a  comparatively  short  time  after  he  had  brought  the  people 
to  consider  and  to  act  in  reference  to  the  undertaking. 

"I  have  not  seen  a  single  one  of  the  old  churches  of  the  State, 
saving,  it  may  be,  the  former  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  at  Bardstown, 
that  presents  so  fresh  an  appearance  as  does  that  of  Holy  Cross.* 
The  figures  1823,  the  date  of  its  erection,  formed  of  iron  anchors 
running  through  the  wall,  appear  high  up  on  one  of  the  gables  of  the 
church. 

"The  good  people  of  Holy  Cross  congregation  have  sometirnes 
been  regarded  as  wanting  in  polish,  and  in  those  delicate  virtues  which 
form  the  basis  of  what  is  known  as  social  gentility.     I  am  not  going  to 
deny  that  very  few  of  them,  whether  men  or  women,  have  the  appear- 
ance of  having  just  '  stepped  out  of  a  band-box.'     It  is  further  said  of 
them  that  they  are  not  a  sedate  people.     This  charge  is  in  part  true 
and  in  part  false.     On  proper  occasions  they  can  be  and  are  sedate. 
But  it  is  to  be  acknowledged  that  they  are  the  reverse  of  puritanic  in 
their  every-day  conversation  and  modes  of  life.     They  will  dance,  as 
their  fathers  and  mothers  did  before  them;  they  are  not  averse  to  play- 
ing a  game  o!"  cards  now  and  then ;  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  some 
amongst  them  are  a  trifle  too  much  given  to  joviality.     But  whatever 
may  be  their  foibles,  I  can  say  of  them  with  truth,  that  I  never  wit- 
nessed amongst  them  anything  that  was  deserving  of  severe  censure. 
Under  rough  exteriors  they  carry  honest  and  open  hearts.     They  are 
kind  and  hospitable  and  obliging.     They  are  compassionate  of  human 
suffering,  and  they  are  to  the  full  as  liberal  in  their  benefactions,  accord- 
ing to  their  means,  as  others  who  are  more  boastful  of  their  givmgs. 
But  it  is  because  of  their  warm  and  steadfast  Catholic  faith  that  they 
are  most  deserving  of  praise  from  without  their  own  gates.     Little 
affluent    otherwise,    they   esteem    themselves  rich  in  possessing  this 
precious  gift  of  God.     But  theirs  is  by  no  means  a  faith  that  is  inop- 
erative of  good  works.     It  is  fruitful  of  good  works,  of  charity  and 
practical  piety.     There  are  few  households  in  the  parish  that  are  not 
gathered  together  morning  and  night  for  prayer  in  common,  and  I  have 
never  known  a  people  who  were  more  exact  in  their  observance  of 
the  wholesome  laws  of  the  Church  in  relation  to  religious  duty  and 
moral  obligation. 

*  The  brick  masonry  of  both  churches  named  was  the  handiwork  ot  Col. 
James  M.  Brown,  of  Bardstown.  This  gentleman  was  not  only  a  master  of  his 
"trade,  but  he  was  never  accused  of  slighting  his  work  in  the  least  particular. 
Col.  Brown  died  at  an  advanced  age  only  a  few  years  ago,  and  no  one  stood 
higher  than  he  in  public  esteem. 


44  THE  pottinger's  creek  settlement. 

"It  was  my  privilege  to  administer  the  last  sacraments  to  two  of  the 
original  Maryland  emigrants,  who,  in  1785,  settled  on  Pottinger's 
creek,  and  formed  the  first  Catholic  colony  of  the  State.  These  were 
John  Downs,  who  died  in  186 — ,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  four 
years,  and  Mary  Clark,  widow  of  Joseph  Clark,  who  had  been  noted 
in  the  early  history  of  the  settlement  for  his  staunch  adherence  to  the 
faith  of  his  fathers,  and  for  the  free-handed  hospitality  it  had  pleased 
him  to  extend  to  the  old  missionary  priests  of  the  State.  This 
venerable  lady  had  reached  the  ninety-fifth  year  of  her  age  when,  in 
1863,  she  was  called  to  the  reward  of  her  faithfulness. 

"  Mr.  Downs,  or  '  Uncle  Johnny  Downs,'  as  he  was  called  by  the 
young  and  the  old  of  the  congregation,  was  as  remarkable  for  his 
simple  faith  and  the  hardy  virtues  he  practiced  in  life,  as  he  was  for 
his  longevity.  He  was  known  to  everylDody,  and  he  was  respected  by 
all.  Almost  to  his  last  day  it  could  have  been  said  of  him  as  it  was 
said  of  Moses,  '  His  eye  was  not  dimmed;  neither  were  his  teeth 
moved.'  The  first  were  still  as  the  eye  of  the  eagle,  and  the  last 
were  sound  in  his  head.  He  was  twice  married,  and  his  children  and 
his  grand  and  great-grand  children  cover  the  land.  His  home  was 
the  home  of  the  priest,  and  the  stranger  was  never  turned  away  from 
his  door.  He  ground  his  corn  and  baked  his  bread  alike  for  his  own 
household  and  for  goers  and  comers  without  distinction  of  race, 
religion  or  nationality.  People  respected  him  and  what  belonged  to 
him,  and  he  was  never  known  to  keep  a  lock  on  his  meat-house.  He 
never  paid  a  doctor's  bill,  for  the  reason  that,  up  to  his  first  and  last 
illness,  he  was  never  sick  in  his  life.  He  was  a  type  of  true  humanity 
as  well  as  of  true  christian  spirit  and  deportment.  All  loved  him,  all 
spoke  well  of  him,  and  to  this  day  the  recollection  of  him  and  his 
many  virtues  is  cherished  in  the  hearts  of  all  to  whom  he  was  known 
in  Holy  Cross  congregation. 

' '  The  life  of  Mrs.  Mary  Clark  was  beautiful  in  its  christian  sim- 
plicity and  meekness.  She  was  a  stranger  to  the  Church  until  about 
the  time  of  her  marriage;  but  from  the  day  upon  which  the  regener- 
ating waters  of  baptism  were  poured  upon  her  head  to  that  of  her 
happy  death,  she  was  ever  faithful  to  the  obhgations  imposed  upon  her 
by  her  religion.  During  her  husband's  lifetime  she  seconded  all  his 
efforts  to  promote  Cathofic  interests,  and  during  her  long  widowhood, 
like  Anna  of  old,  it  was  her  delight  to  serve  God  in  His  holy 
temple.  In  conversing  with  others,  it  was  her  habit  to  speak  only 
of  holy  things.  Of  her  great  charity,  she  was  constant  in  prayers  that 
all  might  be  led,  as  she  had  been,  into  the  ark  of  God's  Church. 
Meeting  a  stranger,  she  was  sure  to  ask  him  if  he  were  a  Catholic;  if 
he  had  ever  read  Catholic  books ;  and  if  he  did  not  consider  it  a  great 
blessing  to  be  a  member  of  Christ's  mystical  body.  Her  conversation 
was  edification  itself,  as  much  so  to  me  as  to  others ;  and  after  listening 
to  her  for  a  brief  while,  as  I  had  frequent  opportunities  of  doing,  I 
was  disposed  to  thank  God  for  having  led  me  to  a  land  wherein  such 
exemplars  of  primitive   christian   piety   were   to    be    met   with    and 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  45 

honored.  'Grandmother'  Clark — so  was  she  called  by  everybody — 
left  behind  her  dying  the  sweet  aroma  of  her  many  virtues.  Who  of 
her  sex  would  not  esteem  it  a  privilege  to  live  as  she  did,  a  life 
of  faith  and  goodness  and  thanksgiving;  and  to  die  as  she  did,  offering 
her  divine  Master  an  undivided  heart." 


CHAPTER  HI. 

Hardin's  creek  settlement. 

This  settlement,  situated  about  ten  miles  east  of  that  of  Pottinger's 
creek,  and  about  eight  miles  southwest  of  that  of  Cartwright's  creek, 
had  its  beginning  as  early  as  1786.  It  is  asserted  by  some,  indeed, 
that  several  of  the  earliest  emigrants  to  the  district  were  members  of 
the  emigration  league  of  sixty  families  formed  in  Maryland,  to  which 
reference  has  already  been  made.  This  may  well  be  true,  since  the 
intervening  distance  between  the  Pottinger's  creek  lands  and  those  of 
Hardin's  creek  was  but  a  few  miles.  It  is  the  more  probable,  too, 
for  the  reason  that,  after  the  Church  of  Holy  Cross  was  built  in  1792, 
very  many  of  the  Catholic  people  living  on  Hardin's  creek  were  in 
the  habit  of  going  thither  to  hear  mass  and  for  the  reception  of  the 
sacraments. 

The  first  Catholic  settlers  on  Hardin's  creek  are  supposed  to  have 
been  Edward  Beaven  and  his  brother,  Col.  Charles  Beaven.  Many 
of  the  name,  residents  of  the  State,  and  some  living  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  their  ancestor's  former  holding,  are  the  descendants  of  the 
first  mentioned  of  these  brothers.  Col.  Charles  Beaven,  who  was  a 
widower,  and  whose  title  had  been  acquired  in  the  service  of  the 
country  in  its  struggle  for  independence,  not  rehshing  the  hardships 
that  are  inseparable  from  pioneer  life,  returned  to  Maryland  after  a 
few  years,  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days. 

The  next  emigrants  from  Maryland  to  the  settlement  were  Mathew, 
Zachariah,  Sylvester  and  Jeremiah  Cissell,  brothers,  and  all,  as  is 
supposed,  from  St.  Mary's  county,  Maryland.  It  is  stated  that  all  of 
them  lived  to  be  old  men,  and  that  there  were  none  to  speak  ill  of 
them  after  they  had  passed  away.  Mathew,  the  most  noted  of  them 
all,  was  a  man  of  rare  intelligence,  equally  displayed  in  his  temporal 
affairs  and  in  those  that  had  relation  to  his  own  future,  and  that  of 
those  whom  God  had  committed  to  his  charge.  His  influence  in  the 
settlement  was  great,  and  it  was  always  exerted  for  the  furtherance  of 
common  interests.  Of  his  sons,  Charles  and  Mathew  Cissell,  Jr., 
long  ago  deceased,  it  would  be  unnecessary  to  speak  in  the  hearing 
of  those  who  knew  them  living.     Equally  with  their  father,  they  were 


46  HARDIN'S   CREEK   SETTLEMENT. 

respected  and  confided  in  by  their  cotemporaries.  Honorable  men, 
good  citizens  and  faithful  Catholics,  the  example  of  their  lives  has  not 
been  lost  upon  their  children.* 

Early  in  1786,  the  settlement  was  much  strengthened  by  the 
addition  to  its  numbers  of  the  families  of  William,  Leonard  and  Lucas 
Mattingly,  three  brothers,  whose  previous  homes  had  been  in  St. 
Mary's  county,  Maryland.  To  these  three  is  to  be  traced  the  descent 
of  a  family  connection  that  is  known  in  every  State  of  the  South  and 
West,  and  is  represented  by  hundreds  in  the  single  congregation  of 
St.  Charles,  in  Marion  county,  f 

William  Mattingly,  the  first  to  reach  the  settlement  of  the  three 
brothers  named,  was  married  in  Maryland  to  a  Miss  Spalding,  who, 
with  their  three  sons,  James,  Edward  and  Richard  Mattingly,  accom- 
panied him  to  Kentucky.  His  wife  dying,  he  afterwards  intermarried 
with  EHzabeth  Clark,  a  sister,  as  is  supposed,  of  Joseph  Clark,  of 
the  Pottinger's  Creek  settlement.  | 

Leonard  Mattmgly,  the  acknowledged  patriarch  of  the  family  in 
Kentucky,  must  have  been  past  middle  life  when  he  came  to  the 
State.  His  children,  all  born  in  Maryland,  were  named,  without 
reference  to  order  of  birth :  Leonard,  Basil,  John,  William,  Joseph, 
Ignatius,  Jane,  Margaret,  Susan,  and  another  daughter  whose  christian 
name  is  not  now  remembered  by  the  surviving  members  of  the  family.  || 

*The  brothers  Cecil,  of  Cecilia  College,  Hardin  county,  are  sons  of  Charles 
and  grandsons  of  Mathew  Cissell,  the  elder.  Many  years  ago,  Charles  and 
Mathew  Cissell,  Jr.,  secured  the  passage  of  an  act  by  the  Kentucky  legislature 
empowering  them,  and  all  who  bore  the  name  in  the  State,  to  change  its 
orthography  from  Cissell  to  Cecil.  It  is  not  believed,  however,  that  the 
change  was  adopted  outside  of  the  families  of  the  brothers  named. 

tWhen  Leonard  Mattingly  died  in  1827,  it  was  estimated  that  his  living 
descendants  numbered  nearly  three  hundred  souls. 

J  William  Mattingly  was  the  father  of  ten  children  by  his  second  wife. 
These  were  respectively  named:  William,  Mary,  Benjamin,  Felix,  Ignatius, 
Julia,  George,  Susan,  Catherine  and  John.  Of  these,  there  were  living  in 
1879,  Felix  a^nd  John,  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Charles,  with  large  families 
of  children;  Ignatius,  an  old  and  respected  citizen  of  Bardstown ;  and  Julia, 
known  as  Sister  Theresa,  of  the  Sisterhood  of  Loretto.  One  of  George 
Mattingly's  daughters,  now  deceased,  was  known  as  Sister  Mary  Charles,  of 
the  same  society;  and  one  of  John  Mattingly's  daughters  is  a  member  of  the 
Sisterhood  of  St.  Francis,  in  Shelbyville,  Kentucky. 

II  A  great-grandson  of  Leonard  Mattingly  furnishes  me  with  the  annexed 
account  of  the  after  lives  of  his  grand-uncles  and  aunts  named  above,  which 
he  characterizes  as  "  lamentably  imperfect  :  "  Leonard  Mattingly,  Jr.,  took 
to  wife  a  sister  of  Mathew  Cissell.  Basil  Mattingly's  first  wife  was  Monica 
Miles,  a  sister  of  Harry  Miles,  of  the  Pottinger's  creek  settlement.  Their 
children  were:  Harriet,  who  became  the  wife  of  Irvin  Buckman ;  Martha, 
afterwards  Sister  Generose,  of  the  Loretto  society;  Austin,  now  of  Mississippi; 
and  George,  now  of  Daviess  county,  Kentucky.  His  second  wife  was  Polly 
Hagan  (of  whom  I  will  speak  later).  Joseph  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Hayden,  and  a  sister  of  the  late  Rev,  George  Hayden,  who  died  in  Texas 
about  forty  years  ago.  Ignatius  married  a  Miss  Fowler.  John  took  to  wife 
Polly  Fenwick.  Of  six  of  their  children,  it  is  said,  not  others  in  all  the 
congregation  of  St.  Charles  were  more  devoted  Catholics,  or  exemplified  their 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  47 

Of  Lucas  Mattingly,  last  of  the  trio  of  brothers  named  as  having 
settled  on  Hardin's  creek  in  the  year  1786,  the  writer  has  learned 
absolutely  nothing  beyond  the  fact  that  one  of  his  descendants,  John 
G.  Mattingly,  was  living  a  few  years  ago  near  the  village  of  Manton, 
in  Washington  county,  a  respectable  member  of  the  congregation  of 
Holy  Rosary  church.* 

faith  by  acts  that  betokened  a  fuller  understanding  of  its  spirit.  Margaret 
Mattingly,  the  elder  of  the  daughters,  was  of  the  band  of  christian  maidens 
out  of  which  grew  the  now  well-known  Sisterhood  of  Loretto.  Nancy,  another 
daughter,  would  have  followed  her  sister's  example  had  she  not  been  a  cureless 
invalid.  She  wore  the  habit  of  the  sisterhood  in  her  own  home,  and  it  is  said 
that  her  short  after  life  was  that  of  a  saint  on  earth.  The  sisters  of  these, 
Susan,  Elizabeth  and  Polly,  married  respectively  John  Thomas,  John  Miles 
and  Basil  Payne,  and,  in  their  different  spheres  of  life,  were  patterns  of  virtue 
and  christian  propriety.  Their  brother,  Benjamin  F.  Mattingly,  married  Susan 
Mary  Graves.  Two  of  their  children,  John  G.  and  Benj.  F.  Mattingly,  are 
to-day  widely  known  and  respected,  not  only  as  consistent  and  pious  Catholics, 
but  as  business  men  of  enterprise  and  integrity.  The  residences  of  both  are 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Church  of  St.  Charles,  but  they  both  have  large  distillery 
interests  in  Louisville.  William,  son  of  Leonard,  Sr.,  married  Henrietta,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  Buckman.  Dr.  C.  P.  Mattingly,  of  Bardstown,  is  one  of 
their  sons.  Jane,  eldest  daughter  of  the  elder  Leonard,  married  Charles 
Russell,  who  is  the  progenitor  of  all  of  that  name  in  the  present  congregation 
of  St.  Charles.  Through  his  son,  Ignatius,  Charles  Russell  became  the  grand- 
father of  Rev.  David  Russell,  a  priest  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville.  Margaret 
and   Susan,  daughters  of  Leonard  Mattingly,  Sr.,    married  respectively,   Dr. 

Davis  and  Mr.  Absalom  Ray,  both  non-Catholics.     The  life  of  the  former 

is  said  to  have  been  rendered  most  unhappy  through  her  husband's  tyranny, 
exerted  in  opposition  to  the  religious  rights  of  his  wife,  and  in  direct  conflict 
with  his  own  pre-marital  promises.  The  poor  woman  was  forbidden  to  go  to 
church,  and  though  she  did  manage,  often  at  extreme  peril,  to  comply  with 
the  absolute  requirements  of  her  faith  in  respect  to  the  reception  of  the  sacra- 
ments, she  was  constantly  tortured  by  the  thought  that  her  children,  unbap- 
tized  because  her  husband  would  have  it  so,  and  without  religious  instruction 
for  the  same  reason,  were  growing  up  around  her  in  the  condition  of  heathens. 
The  late  saintly  Father  Vital  Gilles,  S.  J.,  who  was  then  pastor  of  the  church 
of  St.  Charles,  once  told  me  of  the  edification  he  experienced  beside  the  bed 
of  death  of  one  of  Mrs.  Davis'  sons.  He  had  been  sent  for  by  the  dying 
man,  and  though  he  found  him  speechless,  he  easily  divined  from  his  beseech- 
ing look  that  he  was  asking  for  the  rite  of  baptism.  The  sacrament  was 
administered  at  once,  and  a-  few  minutes  later  the  man  was  dead.  Father 
Gilles  was  well  convinced,  as  he  said,  that  this  happy  result  had  come  about 
through  the  prayers  of  the  mother,  whose  purgatory  had  been  passed  on  earth. 
*The  Mattinglys  of  Maryland  and  Kentucky  are  evidently  not  of  one 
lineage.  Some  of  them  have  dark  and  some  of  them  light  complexions,  and 
this  peculiarity  is  as  much  observable  in  the  families  of  either  class  today  as  it 
was  in  those  of  their  grand-parents  nearly  a  century  ago.  With  the  fair- 
skinned  of  the  name,  the  descendants,  possibly,  of  Joseph,  Philip  and  Richard 
Mattingly,  of  Washington,  Nelson  and  Breckinridge  counties,  respectively, 
my  acquaintance  has  been  limited.  Among  the  swarthy  of  the  name,  I  have 
had  friends  from  my  youth  upward.  At  a  time  when  impressibility  was  one  of 
my  weaknesses,  I  remember  to  have  fallen  into  the  company  of  a  young  lady 
descendant  of  Leonard  Mattingly,  and  to  have  associated  her  in  my  mind  with 
the  opening  couplet  of  Handel's  well-known  song,  "  Ruddier  than  the  cherry — 
Browner  than  the  berry !  " 


48  Hardin's  creek  settlement. 

John  Lancaster  came  to  the  settlement  in  1788.  It  has  been  said 
by  some  that  he  had  previously  visited  Kentucky  as  an  attache  of  a 
party  of  surveyors.  He  was  of  English  and  Irish  descent,  and  of 
Maryland  birth.  Family  tradition  says  of  the  Lancasters  that  the  first 
of  the  name  to  come  to  America  was  John,  the  son  of  a  Lancashire 
landlord  of  the  same  name,  who  had  given  offence  to  his  father  by 
uniting  himself  in  marriage  with  Fanny  Jarnigan,  a  portionless  Irish 
girl.  It  would  appear  that  the  young  man  was  a  lad  of  spirit,  and 
that,  rather  than  see  his  wife  snubbed  by  his  family,  he  concluded  to 
remove  both  her  and  himself  to  America,  where  disgrace  was  not 
likely  to  attach  to  either  of  them  on  the  score  .of  misalliance.  The 
pair  settled  on  the  lower  Potomac,  in  a  locality  known  as  Cob  Neck, 
where  they  reared  a  family  of  sons  and  daughters.  One  of  the  sons, 
Raphael  Lancaster,  married  Eleanor  Bradford,  whose  mother  was  a 
Darnell,  a  sister  of  the  mother  of  Dr.  John  Carroll,  first  bishop  and 
archbishop  of  Baltimore.  Two  of  Raphael  Lancaster's  sons,  John 
and  Raphael,  removed  to  Kentucky  in  1788,  the  first-named  to  the 
Catholic  settlement  on  Hardin's  creek,  and  the  other  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Bardstown. 

John  Lancaster  was  a  man  whose  capabilities  would  have  been 
considered  extraordinary  anywhere.  This  will  be  recognized  by  the 
reader  when  he  shall  have  perused  the  account  given  below,  condensed 
from  Dr.  Spalding's  "Sketches  of  Kentucky,"  of  his  capture  by  the 
Indians  while  on  his  way  to  Kentucky  in  the  year  named : 

"The  party  on  the  flat-boat  comprised  four  persons,  viz:  Col. 
Joseph  Mitchell  and  his  son,  Alexander  Brown  and  John  Lancaster. 
On  the  8th  of  May,  while  proceeding  down  the  Ohio,  below  Mays- 
ville,  at  a  point  where  it  was  impossible  for  the  voyagers  to  escape, 
they  found  themselves  confronted  by  a  large  party  of  Indians  with 
leveled  guns.  One  of  the  chiefs,  known  afterwards  to  Mr.  Lancaster 
as  Shawnee  Jim,  caused  a  white  flag  to  be  displayed  from  the  shore, 
and  he  intimated  in  broken  English  that  the  object  of  the  Indians  was' 
but  to  trade  with  the  occupants  of  the  boat.  At  this  juncture,  a  skiff 
manned  by  four  Indians  was  rowed  rapidly  toward  the  boat,  which  it 
struck  so  violently  as  to  cause  it  to  upset  and  precipitate  three  of  the 
Indians  into  the  river.  Mr.  Lancaster  did  not  hesitate  to  obey  the 
impulse  which  prompted  him  to  jump  to  their  rescue.  He  succeeded, 
and  his  success  furnished  him  with  a  hope  that  in  his  case,  at  least, 
the  good  will  of  the  red-skins  was  assured.  The  parties  in  the  boat 
were  soon  made  prisoners,  two  of  the  Indians  struggling  with  each 
other  for  the  possession  of  the  person  of  Mr.  Lancaster.  The  quarrel 
between  them  was  renewed  when  the  party  reached  the  shore,  and  a 
desperate  fight  ensued.  Shawnee  Jim  here  interposed,  and  he  decided 
in  favor  of  the  Indian  who  had  first  seized  Mr.  Lancaster's  person. 
Having  robbed  the  boat  of  its  effects,  which  included  a  considerable 
amount  of  whiskey,  the  Indians,  accompanied  by  their  prisoners, 
decamped  with  their  booty.  Camping  for  the  night,  they  bound  the 
prisoners,  hands  and  feet,  and  attached  them  to  stakes  driven  in  the 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  49 

ground.  Instead  of  their  clothing,  of  which  they  had  been  previously 
stripped,  a  blanket  was  thrown  over  each,  and  in  this  condition  they 
passed  the  night,  care  and  bodily  torture  rendering  sleep  impossible. 
Though  the  savages  had  spent  much  of  the  night  in  drinking,  they 
were  up  with  the  dawn,  unbound  the  prisoners  and  hurried  them 
onward  until  an  Indian  village  was  reached,  situated,  as  Mr.  Lan- 
caster supposed,  about  sixty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  river. 
There  their  experiences  proved  of  stirring  interest.  Mr.  Lancaster 
was  adopted  into  the  tribe  by  his  captor,  the  name  Kiohba  or  Running 
Brook  being  given  him,  and  he  was  treated  with  kindness.  Eight 
days  after  his  arrival  at  the  village,  however,  he  was  left  by  his  captor 
in  charge  of  Shawnee  Jim,  who  happened  to  be  in  a  sullen  and 
vindictive  mood  at  the  time,  and  at  length  began  to  quarrel  with  his 
wife.  The  poor  Avoman,  fearing  his  vengeance,  fled  from  the  camp, 
and  was  thence  followed  by  her  husband.  Very  soon  he  was  seen 
returning  alone,  after  having,  as  Mr.  Lancaster  supposed,  murdered 
the  woman  in  cold  blood,  A  daughter  of  the  chief  was  standing 
near  Mr.  Lancaster  at  the  time,  and  she  said  to  \\\xi\,  puckete — runt 
Being  assured  by  her  looks  that  the  girl  apprehended  danger  to  him 
from  her  father's  ungovernable  temper,  he  turned  and  fled  swiftly 
away.  Reaching  a  hill  that  overlooked  the  village,  he  glanced  back- 
ward, and  saw  enough  to  put  wings  to  his  feet.  A  burly  savage  was 
seen  raining  blows  upon  the  body  of  Capt.  Mitchell  with  a  tent-pole. 
Mr.  Lancaster  afterwards  learned  that  young  Mitchell  had  been 
burned  at  the  stake.  The  others  of  his  companions  in  misfortune 
were  finally  ransomed  and  returned  to  their  friends." 

After  six  days  of  fatiguing  travel,  and  without  other  food  than  four 
turkey  eggs  discovered  by  him  in  the  hollow  of  a  fallen  tree,  Mr. 
Lancaster  found  himself  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Ohio  river.  He 
managed  to  cross  the  stream  on  the  floating  trunk  of  a  tree,  and  he 
afterwards  succeeded  in  constructing  a  raft  upon  which  he  was  finally 
borne  to  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio.  Finding  his  way,  a  little  later,  to  the 
settlement  of  his  co-religionists  on  Hardin's  creek,  the  natural  energies 
of  his  character  found  lodes  upon  which  to  work,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  he  came  to  be  recognized  as  a  leader  of  the  people  in  whatever 
was  esteemed  beneficial  to  their  material  prosperity.  About  the  year 
1790,  as  is  supposed,  he  took  to  wife  Catharine  Miles,  a  daughter  of 
Philip  Miles,  of  the  Pottinger's  Creek  settlement.  The  children  of 
this  connection  were:  Joseph  B.,  whose  wife  was  Anna  Blair; 
Raphael,  married  to  Caroline  Carter,  a  sister  of  the  late  Rev.  Charles 
Carter,  of  the  arch-diocese  of  Philadelphia;  Henry,  married  to 
Catherine  Hagan ;  John,  married  to  Mary  Hayden  ;  Benjamin,  married 
to  Ann  Pottinger;  Ellen,  married  to  Judge  A.  H.  Churchill;  Ann, 
married  to  E.  B.  Smith;  James  Madison,  a  priest;  William,  married 
to  Malvina  Churchill;  Catherine,  first  wife  of  Leonard  A.  Spalding, 
the  only  surviving  brother  of  the  late  archbishop  Spalding  of 
Baltimore;  and  Mary  Jane,  married  to  Richard  M.  Spalding. 
This  admirable  christian  and  amiable  gentleman  died  as  late  as  the 

4 


50  Hardin's  creek  settlement. 

25th  of  September,  1883.*  John  Lancaster  was  a  man  of  won- 
derful energy,  especially  in  business  affairs.  He  was  well  known, 
too,  in  politics,  and  was  generally  regarded  as  a  safe  representative 
of  the  people.  He  was  a  representative  from  Washington  county  in 
the  sessions  of  the  Kentucky  legislature  for  the  years  1799,  1800, 
1801,  1802  and  1820. t  He  amassed  quite  a  fortune  for  the  times, 
and  died  in  the  spring  of  1838. 

Of  James  Elder,  who  came  to  the  settlement  in  1791,  nothing 
need  here  be  said.  The  reader  is  referred  for  a  sketch  of  his  life  to 
the  history  of  "The  Cox's  Creek  Settlement,"  given  further  on,  under 
the  sub-heading,  ' '  The  Elder  Family  of  Maryland  and  Kentucky. " 

Henry  Hagan  was  an  early  settler  on  Hardin's  creek,  but  the 
writer  has  vainly  sought  for  evidence  that  would  convince  him  that  he 
came  to  the  State  earlier  than  the  year  1794.     It  is  the  common  belief 

*  John  Lancaster  and  Catherine  Miles  were  the  parents  of  one  priest,  the 
late  Rev.  James  Madison  Lancaster,  administrator  at  the  date  of  his  death  of 
the  diocese  of  Covington ;  the  grandparents  of  a  bishop  and  a  priest,  Rt.  Rev. 
John  Lancaster  Spalding  and  Rev.  Benedict  J.  Spalding,  of  the  diocese  of 
Peoria;  and  the  great-grandparents  of  a  priest,  Rev.  Samuel  B.  Spalding,  of 
the  arch-diocese  of  Philadelphia.  TvvfO  of  their  grandchildren,  daughters  of 
Richard  M.  Spalding  and  William  Lancaster,  are  members  of  the  order  of  the 
Sacred  Heart. 

tin  one  of  John  Lancaster's  canvasses  for  the  legislature,  he  was  opposed 
by  Jeroboam  Beauchamp,  one  of  the  sharpest  and  least  scrupulous  politicians 
of  his  day  in  all  Kentucky.  Finding  the  canvass  going  against  him,  Mr. 
Beauchamp  resorted  to  a  trick,  through  the  perpetration  of  which  he  had  no 
difficulty  in  securing  his  own  return.  A  joint  discussion  had  been  arranged 
between  the  two  for  a  given  time  and  place,  where  Mr.  Lancaster  was  first  to 
address  the  people.  But  a  limited  number  of  the  voters  had  reached  the  spot 
when  time  was  called,  and  Mr.  Lancaster  began  his  address.  Instead  of 
listening  to  his  opponent,  Mr.  Beauchamp  betook  himself  to  a  point  upon  the 
principal  road  leading  to  the  place  of  speaking,  where  every  new  comer  could 
not  help  seeing  him,  and  where,  as  a  specimen  of  the  colloquies  that  ensued, 
the  following  will  sufficiently  explain  the  ruse  by  which  he  carried  his  election  : 
"Why,  what  are  you  doing  here,"  cried  one  of  his  friends,  possibly  before 
taken  into  his  confidence,  "when  you  ought  to  be  listening  to  John  Lancaster, 
and  considering  your  own  reply  to  his  speech?" 

"I  am  already  beaten,  boys,"  replied  Beauchamp,  "and  I  might  as  well 
surrender.  Do  you  know,"  he  added,  so  as  to  be  heard  by  a  dozen  horsemen 
who  had  by  this  time  reached  the  spot,  "that  he  is  telling  the  people  that 
there  is  not  a  respectable  man  in  Washington  county  who  is  going  to  vote  for 
me ;  that  I  have  not  a  friend  anywhere  who  is  able  to  put  shoes  on  his  feet,  or 
is  ever  seen  with  a  whole  pair  of  suspenders."  It  is  needless  to  say  that  Mr. 
Lancaster  had  given  utterance  to  no  such  assertion;  but  the  story,  nevertheless, 
got  public  credence  before  he  was  able  to  contradict  it.  When  the  election 
took  place,  there  was  never  such  a  show  seen  of  independent,  barefooted,  one- 
gallowsed  voters  as  the  one  that  was  presented  around  the  polls  of  Washington 
county  on  that  day.  So  strong  was  public  sentiment  aroused  against  the  man 
who,  as  was  supposed,  had  offered  public  insult  to  a  class  of  voters,  common 
enough,  it  may  be,  at  the  time,  but  none  the  less  to  be  trusted  on  account  of 
their  independence  of  the  conventionalities  of  social  life,  that  hundreds  against 
whom  no  such  charge  could  have  been  made  were  seen  to  denude  themselves, 
so  to  speak,  before  going  to  the  polls,  and  appeared  there  in  their  shirt- 
sleeves, barefooted,  and  with  their  pantaloons  held  up  by  a  single  suspender. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  51 

of  his  descendants  that  he  was  by  birth  an  Irishman.  It  is  quite 
certain  that  for  several  years  before  the  first  Church  of  St.  Charles 
was  built  by  Father  Nerinckx,  in  1806,  his  house  was  the  church- 
station  for  the  Catholic  people  of  the  settlement.  He  was  a  man  of 
better  resources  than  his  neighbors,  and  his  house  was  better  suited 
for  the  purpose  to  which  it  was  put  by  Father  Badin  and  his  successors 
in  the  pastorate  of  the  congregation.  He  was  fairly  liked  by  his 
neighbors,  and  he  brought  up  an  interesting  family  of  children,  of 
which  one,  in  particular,  was  a  special  favorite  of  Father  Badin. 
Polly  Hagan  was  a  precocious  child,  and  she  soon  evinced  capabilities 
of  culture  that  naturally  attracted  the  notice  of  the  priest.  Her  head- 
way in  this  direction  would  have  been  slow  but  for  the  assistance  of 
her  pastor.  He  loaned  her  books,  and,  as  occasion  served,  directed 
her  in  her  application  of  their  contents.  Under  his  tuition  and 
direction,  she  became  in  time  an  accomplished  reader  of  the  ver- 
nacular of  the  country,  and  this  faculty  of  hers  was  put  to  use  by  her 
pastor,  no  doubt,  in  the  reading  of  lessons  previously  selected  by 
himself  in  the  hearing  of  the  children  and  youth  of  the  congregation 
assembled  for  catechetical  instructions.  In  time,  Polly  Hagan,  grown 
to  womanhood,  became  the  wife  of  Basil,  second  son  of  Leonard 
Mattingly,  the  patriarch  of  the  setders  on  Hardin's  creek.* 

Edward  H.  Mattingly,  of  Marion  county,  a  son  of  Basil  and 
Polly  Mattingly,  and  an  intelligent  and  highly  respected  farmer,  still 
living  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  mother's  former  residence,  relates 
the  following  amusing  incident,  in  which  his  mother  and  Father  Badin 
were  the  most  conspicuous  actors: 

In  the  winter  of  1837-8,  soon  after  his  return  to  Kentucky,  the 
renowned  missionary  referred  to  paid  a  lengthened  visit  to  the  Jesuit 
fathers  then  established  at  St.  Mary's  College.  His  quarters  were 
about  a  mile  away  from  the  old  Hagan  place,  and  one  night  he  took 
it  into  his  head  to  visit  the  house  and  see  for  himself  the  changes  that 
time  had  wrought  in  surroundings  that  had  once  been  familiar  to  his 
eyes.  He  knew,  no  doubt,  that  there  was  no  face  there  but  that  of 
Polly  Mattingly  upon  which  he  had  ever  cast  eyes;  but  he  wished  to  see 
that,  and  to  learn  from  lips  that  could  tell  the  story,  what  had  become 
of  friends  not  yet  forgotten,  in  whose  service  he  had  passed  no  small 
part  of  the  earlier  years  of  his  missionary  life.  Disguising  himself  as 
well  as  he  could,  and  putting  on  for  the  occasion  a  manner  that  was 
the  least  natural  to  him,  he  tramped  through  the  crispy  snow  the 
intervening   distance,    reached   the   house,   lifted   the   latch   without 

*  Basil  and  Polly  Mattingly  had  issue :  Mahala,  married  to  Washington 
Mattingly;  Edward  H.,  married  to  Alethair,  daughter  of  Thomas  Spalding, 
who  was  an  uncle  of  the  late  Archbishop  Spalding,  of  Baltimore;  Nancy, 
married  to  A.  J.  Mudd ;  Mary  Jane,  married  to  Joseph  Spalding,  a  half- 
brother  of  Archbishop  Spalding;  Henry,  married  to  Susan  Jane  Spalding;  and 
Burrilla  M.,  married  to  J.  W.  Montgomery.  Dr.  Ernest  Mattingly,  a  well- 
known  physician  of  Lebanon,  Kentucky,  is  a  grandson  of  Basil  and  Polly 
Mattingly^ 


52  Hardin's  creek  settlement. 

knocking,  drew  up  a  chair  toward  the  fire,  around  which  Mrs. 
Mattingly,  then  a  widow,  and  her  sons  and  daughters  were  sitting, 
and,  without  uttering  a  word,  and  without  having  previously  divested 
himself  of  either  hat  or  wrappings,  deliberately  took  his  seat  in  their 
midst.  His  silence  continued  so  long  that  the  mother  and  her  elder 
children  began  to  fear  that  they  had  been  intruded  upon  by  a  mad- 
man, and  the  younger  of  the  brood  were  to  be  seen  edging  away  from 
the  fire  with  frightened  faces.  Lifting  his  head  at  length,  which  had 
previously  been  bent  toward  the  fire,  but  without  removing  the  muffler 
that  hid  the  lower  part  of  his  face,  as  his  hat  did  the  greater  part  of 
his  forehead,  he  asked  abruptly : 

"Is  not  this  the  house  in  which  Henry  Hagan  used  to  live?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Mrs.  Mattingly;  "but  that  was  years  ago,  and 
there  have  been  many  changes  in  it  since." 

"Henry  Hagan  had  a  daughter  named  Polly;  what  has  become 
of  her?"  asked  the  unceremonious  visitor. 

"I  am  Polly,"  answered  Mrs.  Mattingly,  "and  I  am  a  widow, 
and  these  are  my  children." 

Having  cast  his  eyes  around  the  group,  as  if  to  ascertain  if  the 
Polly  of  his  remembrance  had  not  been  reproduced  in  one  or  another 
of  the  younger  generation,  the  aged  missionary  thus  continued  his 
inquiries: 

"  And  who  was  it  that  used  to  keep  church  here  ?" 

"At  first  it  was  Father  Badin,  and  afterwards  Father  Nerinckx," 
answered  the  lady. 

"  I  have  heard  of  them,"  said  her  visitor,  in  a  musing  sort  of  way, 
and  then  he  asked  abruptly: 

"What  sort  of  a  priest  was  Father  Badin,  and  how  did  the  people 
like  him?" 

"He  was  a  good  priest,  I  make  no  doubt,  and  I  thought  a  great 
deal  of  him,  because  he  was  kind  to  me,"  replied  the  woman;  "but 
the  people  generally  did  not  hke  him  a  bit;  he  was  cross  and  crabbed, 
and  he  wouldn't  let  the  young  folks  dance  and  have  a  little  fun  now 
and  then." 

Laughing  heartily,  as  he  arose  and  laid  aside  his  cloak  and  hat 
and  muffler,  the  old  man  exclaimed  gleefully:  "And  so,  Polly, 
Father  Badin  comes  back  to  his  people  of  long  ago  to  find  that  he  is 
only  remembered  for  his  accredited  faults!  Well,  well,  it  is  better  so 
than  for  lack  of  severity  to  have  opened  the  door  to  all  manners  of 
evil." 

Mrs.  Mattingly  was  distressed  beyond  measure  when  the  identity 
of  her  visitor  and  her  old  pastor  was  established  in  her  mind,  and  she 
tried  hard  to  modify  the  effects  of  her  unfortunate  speech.  She  was 
silenced  at  length  by  the  good  father's  "Tut,  tut,  Polly!  Don't 
distress  yourself  for  having  given  me  assurance  that  you  are  no  less 
truthful  now  than  when  you  were  a  girl !  " 

Without  waiting  for  a  reply,  he  wanted  to  know  if  Polly  Mattingly 
had  improved  in  reading  over  Polly  Hagan. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  53 

"Not  at  all,  Father,"  replied  the  lady.  "Any  of  the  older  of 
my  children  can  read  better  than  the  Polly  Hagan  of  your  remem- 
brance." 

Nothing  would  satisfy  the  priest  but  that  a  book  should  be  brought 
and  trial  made  on  the  spot.  One  after  another  the  children  were 
invited  to  read ;  but,  whether  from  natural  timidity,  or  from  disinclina- 
tion to  exhibit  their  elocutionary  powers  in  direct  rivalry  with  their 
own  mother,  and  in  the  hearing  of  the  friend  of  her  youth,  one  after 
another  found  excuse  for  declining  the  ordeal.  It  was  only  at  the 
direct  bidding  of  her  mother  that  Mary  Jane,  only  then  a  short  time 
returned  from  the  school  of  Loretto,  could  be  induced  to  exhibit  her 
skill  as  a  reader.  She  had  been  prejudged  by  her  critic,  however, 
and  her  failure  was  the  natural  consequence.  Having  read  but  a  few 
sentences,  he  interrupted  her  by  saying : 

' '  That  will  do,  my  child !  You  will  never  read  as  your  mother 
did  before  she  was  of  your  age."* 

A  long  conversation  followed  between  Mrs.  Mattingly  and  her 
ancient  pastor,  the  burden  of  which  was  the  dead  past.  Their  minds 
were  peopled  with  shadowy  forms,  once  known  to  them  as  living 
personalities ;  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the  old  priest's  after  walk  to 
his  temporary  home  at  the  college  was  signalized  by  many  a  de  pro- 
fundis  offered  up  by  him  for  the  souls  of  former  friends,  laid  to  rest 
since  he  left  the  diocese  in  the  not  distant  grave-yard  attached  to  the 
Church  of  St.  Charles. 

The  name  of  Bennet  Rhodes,  another  early  settler  on  Hardin's 
creek,  and  that  of  his  wife,  Nelly  Medley,  are  not  to  be  overlooked  in 
writing  out  the  history  of  the  settlement.  The  Catholic  faith  of  the 
twain  was  no  mere  sentiment,  to  be  lightly  held  and  slothfully  prac- 
ticed, but  a  reality  that  had  in  it  for  them  the  complement  of  all 
that  was  to  be  most  hoped  for  and  sought  after  and  clung  to  while  life's 
pilgrimage  lasted.  As  they  were  themselves,  so  did  they  endeavor  to 
rear  their  children,  and  when  they  passed  away  these  "rose  up  and 
called  them  blessed."  Two  of  Bennet  Rhodes'  sisters,  Mary  and 
Nancy  Rhodes,  were  of  the  Sisterhood  of  Mary  at  the  Foot  of  the 
Cross,  when  the  community  so  called  was  first  established  by  Father 
Nerinckx. 

A  beautiful  character  was  that  of  George  Hardisty,  whose  name, 
among  the  early  Catholic  settlers  on  Hardin's  creek,  was  synonymous 
with  whatever  distinguishes  the  christian  above  the  worldling,  the  true 
man  above  the  trickster  and  time-server.    His  virtues  were  so  ingrained, 

*  Mary  Jane  Mattingly,  the  young  girl  alluded  to  in  the  text,  afterwards 
intermarried  with  Joseph  Spalding,  a  half  brother  of  the  late  archbishop  of 
Baltimore  of  that  patronymic.  The  husband  died  this  present  year,  1884, 
leaving  the  greater  part  of  his  considerable  estate  to  Catholic  charitable  uses. 
The  wife  survives  to  continue,  in  the  sight  of  the  good  people  of  the  congre- 
gation of  St.  Augustine,  Lebanon,  the  example  of  her  marked  correspondence 
with  both  the  precepts  and  the  counsels  of  the  faith  that  has  been  to  her 
hitherto  as  a  lamp  to  guide  her  footsteps  in  the  way  of  salvation. 


54  HARDIN  S   CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

and  they  were  of  such  pubHc  recognition,  that  when  his  neighbors 
wished  to  express  themselves  forcibly,  they  were  in  the  habit  of  appeal- 
ing to  his  name  in  confirmation  of  their  utterances.  With  them,  the 
thing  done  or  said  could  be  no  more  proper  and  no  more  true  had  it 
been  performed  or  enunciated  by  George  Hardisty  himself.  How  true 
it  is  that  what  constitutes  the  life  of  the  true  christian  on  earth  ends 
not  with  his  death.  The  sun  of  such  a  life  sets  not  until  there  is  no 
tradition  of  its  brightness  left  to  attract  susceptible  hearts.  * 

William  and  Andrew  Mudd  were  always  reckoned  among  the  old 
settlers  on  Hardin's  creek.  They  were  men  of  much  prominence  in 
the  Church  and  in  society,  and  they  lived  and  died  respected  by  all  to 
whom  they  were  known.  Several  of  William  Mudd's  children  inter- 
married with  the  Russells. 

Lower  down  on  Hardin's  creek,  settled  Ignatius  Medley,  a  well 
known  Catholic  patriarch  of  his  day,  whose  descendants  are  still 
numerous  in  the  neighborhood. 

On  the  Rolling  Fork,  about  where  now  stands  the  town  of  Ray- 
wick,  long  afterwards  a  part  of  the  parish  of  St.  Charles,  settled 
Thomas  Medley,  who  left  behind  him  when  he  died,  a  name  that  has 
not  yet  ceased  to  be  referred  to  with  veneration  by  his  numerous 
descendants.  Some  of  these  have  now  their  homes  in  the  county  of 
Meade,  and  one  of  his  granddaughters.  Sister  Adelaide,  of  the  Sisters 
of  Charity  of  Nazareth,  is  now  occupying  the  position  of  Mistress  of 
Novices  at  the  mother  house  of  the  order,  near  Bardstown. 

There  were  quite  a  number  of  settlers  of  Irish  birth  among  the 
early  colonists  on  Hardin's  creek — more,  possibly,  than  were  attached 
to  any  Catholic  settlement  in  the  State,  with  the  single  exception  of 
the  wholly  Irish  settlement  on  lower  Cox's  creek,  in  Nelson  county. 
In  addition  to  the  family  of  Henry  Hagan,  already  referred  to,  there 

were  those  of  James  and  — —  Hughes,  Robert  Cook, Flannigan, 

Robert  and  Patrick  Raney  and  James  Gannon.  Descendants  of  all 
these,  good  citizens,  and  still  faithful  to  the  religion  of  their  fathers, 
are  numerous  in  Marion  and  the  adjoining  counties,  especially  in  the 
congregation  of  St.  Charles.  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  James  Gannon, 
intermarried  with  John  Graves,  a  non- Catholic.  These  were  the 
parents  of  the  late  Rev.  James  Graves,  S.  J.,  whose  death  took  place 
in  Louisville  about  twenty  years  ago.  One  of  their  sons,  Hon. 
Edward  Graves,  represented  Marion  county  in  the  Kentucky  State 
legislature  of  187 1-3. 

Ignatius  Clark  married  Aloysia,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hill,  of  the 

settlement  on  Cartwright's  creek.  Both  himself  and  his  wife  were 
singularly  pious,  and  much  respected.  Mr.  Clark  was  a  nephew  of 
Rt,  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick,  first  bishop  of  Cincinnati,  and  the  father 

*  Of  the  names  of  George  Hardisty's  children  I  have  those  of  only  five,  all 
sons.  These  were :  James,  George,  Richard,  Cornelius  and  Benjamin  Hardisty. 
There  are  descendants  of  some  of  them  living  still  in  Marion  county,  mostly 
in  the  congregation  of  St.  Xavier,  Raywick. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  Sg 

of  the  late  Rev.  Edward  Clark,  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville.*  He 
was  also  the  father  of  Sisters  Isabella,  Eleanora  and  Rosalia,  of  the 
Sisterhood  of  Loretto. 

Joseph  Hay  den  was  a  neighbor  and  friend  of  Ignatius  Clark,  and 
their  families  were  intimate.  This  intimacy  extended  especially  to  a 
son  of  each,  George  Hayden  and  Edward  A.  Clark,  who  together 
entered  the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas  and  became  priests.  Reference 
is  made  to  Father  George  Hayden,  whose  missionary  career  was  a 
short  one,  in  the  note  last  written. 

WiUiam  Bryan,  still  living  as  this  is  written,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-three  years,  is  supposed  to  be  the  only  human  Unk  that 
connects  the  present  of  St.  Charles'  congregation  with  the  past  of  the 

*  Edward  Clark  most  likely  entered  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St.  Thomas 
as  early  as  1824.      I   remember  him   as    a    tutor  in    the    college   of   St.  Joseph, 
Bardstown,  in  1827,  and  afterwards  as    Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy  m  the 
same  institution.      Together  with  Rev.   Charles  Coomes,  Rev.  Edward   Quinn 
and  Rev.  William  Whelan,  he  was  raised  to    the  deaconate  by  Bishop  Flaget, 
on  the  15th  September,   1830.      Though   the    exact  date  of  his  priestly  ordina- 
tion is  unknown  to  me,  it  is   reasonable  to  suppose  that  it  took  place  towards 
the  close  of  the  yeai  named.      His   first   mission  included  the  large  district  of 
country   covered   by   the   county    organizations    of    Hardin,    Grayson,    Hart, 
Breckinridge  and  Edmundson.      He  was   afterwards  associated  with  the   Rev. 
E.  J.  Uurbin  in  the  mission  of  Union  and    the  adjoining  counties.     In  1836  he 
was  one   of    the  assistant    priests   of    St.     Louis   church,    Louisville,   of  which 
Rev.  I.  A.   Reynolds  was  pastor,  having   for  his  associates  Rev.  John  McGill 
and  Rey.  George   Hayden.      The  last  named    had   been  an  intimate  friend   of 
Father  Clark's  from  boyhood,  a  fellow-student  with  him  in  the  seminary,  and, 
if  I  mistake  not,  they  were   together  raised    to  the   dignity  of  the  priesthood. 
With  the  consent  of  their  ordinary,  toward  the  close  of  the  year  1837,  the  two 
left  the  diocese  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  exercising  their  ministry  in  Texas, 
and,  if  circumstances  proved  favorable,  of  establishing  there  an   institution  of 
learning.     This  latter' purpose  was  frustrated  b*y  the  death  of  Father  Hayden 
within  a  comparatively  short  time  after  the  two  had  reached  the  State   referred 
to.     After  the  death  of  his  friend.  Father  Clark's  time  was  wholly  occupied  in 
missionary  work    among    the    widely    scattered     Catholic    population    of    the 
country.      He   built  several   churches    in    the  State,  doing   much    of  the  work 
with  his  own  hands.     About    the   year    1852,  as   it   is  supposed,  he   settled   in 
Houston,  where  he  built  a  church,  a   parsonage  and  a  school,  and  where  his 
memory   is    still  treasured    by  many    pious   souls.      His   health   failing    him   at 
length,  he  returned  to  Kentucky  with   the   hope  of   finding   relief.      Reaching 
Louisville    in    June,    1856,    he    was    warmly    received    by    his    friend,    Bishop 
Spalding,  with  whom   he  remained    until  removed    by  death,  November    23d, 
i>858.     Father  Clark  was   a  zealous   priest,  and   I  never   knew  the    man  whose 
amiability  was  greater.     The  Catholic   Guardiatt    of    December  4th,   1858,  con- 
tains  a  short   sketch   of   his   life  written    by  the  late  archbishop  of  Baltimore, 
who  was  then  bishop  of  Louisville,  from  which  I  extract  the  following:    "The 
incidents  of  his  protracted  illness  and  last  moments  were  particularly  edifying. 
Never  could  any  of  his  friends  visit  him  without  deriving  benefit.     Unable  to 
speak  above  his  breath,  he  whispered  words  of  advice   into   the  ears  of  those 
who  approached  him.     Throughout  his  sufferings,  he  was  never  heard  to  com- 
plain  He  received  the  last  rites  of  the  holy  religion,  of  which 

he  was  a  minister  for  twenty-five  years,  at  the  hands  of  his  old  friend,  Rev, 
Walter  S.  Coomes,  and  he  died  as  he  had  lived,  quietly  and  calmly,  poor  in  the 
goods  of  this  world,  but  rich  in  the  virtues  of  his  holy  state." 


56  Hardin's  creek  settlement. 

early  Catholic  colonists  on  Hardin's  creek.  As  he  is  known  to  the 
entire  congregation,  so  is  he  held  by  them  in  esteem  and  reverence. 

The  list  that  follows  comprises  the  names  of  other  early  emigrants 
settled  on  Hardin's  creek,  almost  exclusively  from  Maryland,  most 
of  whom  left  descendants  who  are  to-day  well  known  and  highly 
respected  Catholic   citizens  of    Marion  county :     Thomas  S.    Alvey, 

John  Alvey,  Edward  Beaven,  Edward  Berry,  Borders,  Richard 

Beaven,  Thomas  Beckitt,  George  Brown,  John  Bolton,  Roswell  Bow- 1 

man,    John    Boone,    John    Clements,    John   Cissell,    Fenwick,  | 

Wilfred  Goodrum,  Benj.  Green,  Leonard  Green,  -"Hoskins,  John 

Howard,  James  Howard,  John  Hardisty,  Clement  Hayden,  Walter 
Jarboe,  Samuel  Livers,  James  MoUahorne,  Luke  Mudd,  Ignatius 
Mudd,  Joseph  Mudd,  Walter  Madden,  Barton  Miles,  John  S.  Miles, 
John  Mills,  John  Medley,  Thomas  Raney,  Samuel  Sims,  Samuel 
Smith,  Zachariah  Tucker,  Richard  Thompson,  Bennet  Thompson, 
Thomas  Tucker,  John  Thompson,  Bennet  Wheatley,  Alexander 
Williams. 

The  first  church  of  St.  Charles,  on  Hardin's  creek,  was  built  by 
Father  Charles  Nerinckx  in  the  year  1806.*  It  was  a  substantial  log 
structure,  and  though  the  number  of  souls  attached  to  the  congrega- 
tion was  then  estimated  at  six  hundred,  it  was  made  to  serve  in  some 
sort  the  ever-increasing  needs  of  the  Catholic  body  of  the  district  until 
the  year  1832,  when  the  then  pastor,  the  late  Rev.  D.  A.  Deparcq, 
pulled  it  down  and  caused  to  be  erected  in  its  stead  a  church  of  brick, 
eighty  feet  long  by  forty  wide.f  The  congregation  has  been  served 
by  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  Rev.  William  Byrne,  Rev.  D.  A.  Deparcq, 
Rev.  John  Wathen,  Rev.  John  B.  Hutchins  and  other  zealous  priests, 
long  since  deceased. 

*  In  his  life  of  Father  Nerinckx,  Rev.  C.  P.  Maes  classifies  this  church  as 
the  fourth  church  in  the  State.  This  is  certainly  a  mistake.  The  old  church 
of  St.  Joseph,  near  Bardstown,  is  known  to  have  been  used  for  divine  worship 
in  1802,  and  is  believed  to  have  been  so  used  for  four  years  previous  to  that 
date. 

tThe  church  was  much  enlarged  by  its  present  pastor.  Rev.  P.  Fermont, 
in  the  year  1874. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  57 


CHAPTER  IV. 


SETTLEMENTS    IN    AND    NEAR    BARDSTOWN. 

Bardstown,  the  county  seat  of  Nelson  county,  was  already  a  pros- 
perous inland  village  when  Kentucky  was  admitted  into  the  Union  of 
States  in  1792.*  Its  incorporation  as  a  town  by  the  legislature  of 
Virginia  bears  date  November  4th,  1788.  It  is  not  believed  that  there 
was  a  single  Catholic  resident  of  the  town  at  that  date.  Two  years 
later  there  were  but  two — Anthony  Sanders,  an  emigrant  from  Mary- 
land, and  Nehemiah  Webb,  a  convert,  from  Pennsylvania,  both  young, 
unmarried  men.  In  the  country,  however,  from  one  to  five  miles 
from  the  town,  there  were  already  settled  several  families  of  Catholics. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  William  Coomes  and  Dr.  George  Plart, 
referred  to  in  chapter  11  of  this  history,  bought  the  farms  upon  which 
they  settled,  lived  and  died,  in  the  vicinity  of  Bardstown,  as  early  as 
the  year  1786.! 

The  first  arrival  of  emigrants  direct  from  Maryland  was  certainly 
in  1776.  In  that  year  came  Capt.  James  Rapier,  with  his  sons, 
Charles  and  William  Rapier,  both  grown  or  nearly  so,  who  setded  on 
lands  a  few  miles  southeast  of  Bardstown,  on  the  Beach  Fork  of  Salt 
river,  and  in  a  district  of  country  known  at  the  time  and  since  as 
Poplar  Neck.  J 

*The  county  of  Nelson,  established  by  act  of  the  general  assembly  of 
Virginia  in  1784,  was  so  called  from  Gen.  Thomas  Nelson,  of  the  State  named. 
Out  of  its  original  territory,  since  1792,  has  been  taken  that  now  included  in 
the  boundaries  of  Hardin,  Washington,  Marion,  Breckinridge,  Grayson, 
Daviess,  Hancock,  Meade,  Larue,  Taylor,  and  parts  of  Green,  Bullitt,  Spencer, 
Edmondson,  Anderson,  Hart  and  McLean  counties. 

tThe  farm  of  William  Coomes,  comprising  a  thousand  acres,  was  situated 
about  three  miles  northeast  of  Bardstown.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Coomes  was 
induced  to  purchase  the  property  for  the  reason  that  there  was  a  cave  upon  it 
to  which,  in  case  of  danger  from  the  proximity  of  Indians,  he  might  retire 
with  his  family.  At  his  death,  the  land  was  divided  among  his  children. 
With  the  exception  of  What  is  known  as  "The  Cave  Place,"  which,  I  am  told, 
is  owned  by  Aloysius  Coomes,  a  grandson  of  the  original  proprietor,  the  estate 
has  passed  away  from  the  family.  The  late  Rev.  and  venerable  Charles  I. 
Coomes,  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville,  was  a  grandson  of  William  Coomes. 

JThe  Captain  Rapier  referred  to  above  did  not  bear  any  exalted  reputation 
for  practical  religion.  His  wife,  however,  was  a  woman  of  strong  faith  and 
fervent  piety.  To  the  present  day  her  memory  is  venerated  by  her  numerous 
descendants.  Charles  and  William  Rapier,  whom  I  remember  well,  were  good 
citizens  artd  pious  Catholics. 


58  BARDSTOWN    SETTLEMENT. 

Three  years  later,  and  possibly,  as  to  the  first  mentioned,  a  little 
earlier,  came  Thomas  Gwynn,  Anthony  Sanders  and  Nehemiah  Webb. 
Mr.  Gwynn  bought  and  settled  on  a  farm  about  two  miles  northwest 
of  Bardstown,  near  the  site  of  the  now  well  known  Nazareth  Convent 
and  Academy.  Previous  to  the  erection  of  the  first  church  of  St. 
Joseph,  a  mile  nearer  town,  his  house  is  said  to  have  been  the  church 
station  for  all  Catholics  residing  within  a  circuit' of  eight  miles.  His 
name,  with  that  of  Anthony  Sanders,  is  closely  associated  with  the 
early  Church  in  that  part  of  Nelson  county  out  of  which  was  after- 
wards formed  the  cathedral  parish.  Certainly,  than  these,  no  other 
two  laymen  in  the  State  did  more  to  advance  Catholic  interests  and 
to  secure  a  firm  footing  for  the  faith  in  Kentucky.  Though  the  first 
named  was  a  farmer,  and  the  other  a  mechanic,  neither  was  without 
culture.  Each  had  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  sublime  truths 
of  his  religion,  and  the  life  of  each  was  squared  to  the  equally  sublime 
morality  which  is  its  just  measurement  in  human  action.* 

Anthony  Sanders  was  a  hatter  by  trade,  and  did  business  when  the 
material  of  his  specialty  was  all  drawn,  in  the  shape  of  wool  and  furs, 
from  the  surrounding  country,  in  which  lived  the  greater  number  of 
his  customers.  He  was  an  industrious,  careful  man  of  business,  and 
though  he  lived  well  and  was  exceedingly  generous,  especially  toward 
the  Church  and  its  suffering  missions,  he  acquired  a  considerable 
estate.  The  lot  upon  which  stands  the  church  of  St.  Joseph,  the 
former  cathedral  of  the  diocese,  was  purchased  of  Mr.  Sanders  at  a 
nominal  price.  At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  the  county 
of  Nelson  and  those  counties  previously  formed  out  of  its  territory 
had  not  within  their  borders  a  resident  citizen  who  was  better  known 
or  more  generally  respected  than  Anthony  Sanders.  He  was  above 
the  ordinary  stature  of  men,  of  a  full  habit,  and  weighed,  possibly, 
two  hundred  pounds.  His  face  was  an  intelligent  one,  but  its  bland- 
ness  was  its  leading  characteristic.  He  was  pleasantly  humorous,  too, 
and  an  interesting  conversationalist,  f  , 

*  About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  two  daughters  of  Thomas 
Gwynn  were  married  to  Charles  and  William  Rapier,  and  a  third,  some  years 
later,  was  taken  to  wife  by  Alexius  Hagan,  and  became  the  mother  of  the  late 
Rev.  Alfred  Hagan,  a  most  deserving  priest  of  the  diocese  of  Bardstown.  In 
his  old  age,  Mr.  Gwynn  had  his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Hagan,  whose 
residence  was  more  than  five  miles  distant  from  Bardstown.  Up  to  a  short 
time  preceding  his  death,  which  took  place,  if  I  mistake  not,  in  1830,  he  was 
in  the  habit,  even  on  week  days,  of  walking  the  entire  distance,  in  order  to  be 
present  at  the  first  mass  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph.  The  late  Rev.  John 
B.  Hutchins,  only  a  few  months  before  his  own  death,  told  me  that  he  saw 
him  on  one  such  occasion,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  and  long  before  it  was  light, 
waiting  patiently  for  admission  to  the  church.  His  remains  are  buried  in  the 
cemetery  of  St.  Thomas. 

t  As  I  write,  an  old  Douay  Bio.e  lies  open  before  me,  upon  the  fly-leaf  of 
which  is  written  in  bold  characters,  "Anthony  Sanders,  his  Book."  Than  his, 
from  my  earliest  years  to  the  date  of  his  death,  few  forms  have  been  more 
familiar  to  me.  He  was  born,  most  likely  in  Maryland,  March  25th,  1764. 
Just  thirty-five  years  thereafter,  he    took  to  wife  Eleanor  Knott,  probably  a 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  59 

Nehemiah  Webb,  a  convert  from  his  i8th  year,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  parents  were  of  the  sect  known  as  Quakers.  He 
was  a  mill-wright  by  trade,  and,  until  about  the  year  1800,  when  he 
became  himself  a  mill  proprietor  in  Bardstown,  his  business  took  him 
frequently  from  home,  sometimes  for  months  together.  Hence  it  was 
that  he  was  as  well  known  in  other  Catholic  districts  of  the  State  as 
he  was  in  the  place  of  his  residence.  It  is  more  than  likely  that 
he  was  the  contractor  for  all  the  mills  built  in  the  large  territory  covered 
by  the  county  of  Nelson  previous  to  the  year  1798.* 

The  next  Catholic  emigrants  to  reach  Bardstown  were  undoubtedly 
Mrs.  Mary  McManus  and  her  four  fatherless  children,  Margaret, 
Mary,  Charles  and  Naomi.     Both  herself  and  her  deceased  husband 

member  of  St.  Rose's  congregation,  of  Washington  county.  Their  children 
were:  Stephen,  Cyprian,  Urban,  Benedict,  John,  Ignatius,  Susan,  Catherine 
and  William.  With  the  two  daughters  I  had  such  acquaintance  as  to  warrant 
me  in  saying  that  they  were  at  once  amiable,  accomplished  and  pious.  The 
first  named  was  the  wife  of  the  late  Pius  G.  Thompson,  once  a  citizen  of 
Louisville.  She  died  at  the  age  of  22  years,  January  1 2th,  1839.  The  younger, 
Catherine,  was  the  wife  of  the  late  James  McGill,  Jr.,  a  brother  of  the  late  Rt. 
Rev.  John  McGill,  bishop  of  Richmond.  She  died  of  yellow  fever  in  Louisi- 
ana, September  l6th,  1855.  For  several  years  preceding  his  death,  I  was 
a  frequent  visitor  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Sanders,  in  Bardstown.  Though 
confined  to  the  house  by  reason  of  age  and  infirmity,  he  was  always  cheerful 
and  always  ready  to  talk  of  the  past.  Said  he  to  me  one  day :  "  I  often  think 
of  the  time  when  your  father  and  myself  were  the  only  Catholics  residing  in 
Bardstown.  We  used  often  to  joke  with  each  other  of  the  weighty  repre- 
sentation the  Church  had  in  our  town  in  those  days."  The  death  of  this 
patriarch  took  place  on  the  6th  day  of  January,  1839. 

*  Nehemiah  Webb  was  the  writer's  father.  His  first  wife  was  Mary  Waller, 
a  daughter  of  John  Waller,  the  proprietor  of  a  mill  on  Cartwright's  creek,  after- 
wards sold  by  him  to  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick.  She  became  a  Catholic  after  her 
marriage.  Their  children  were  named  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  Jerome  and  Leo. 
His  second  wife,  Miss  McArdle,  died  childless.  The  children  of  the  third  wife, 
Clotilde  Edelin,  were,  Benedict  Joseph,  John  Carroll,  Mary,  Eliza,  Jane, 
Lucretia  and  Clara.  With  the  exception  of  Leo,  now  living  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years,  with  a  married  daughter  in  McLean  county,  the  children  of 
the  first  wife  are  all  dead.  A  singular  circumstance  attended  the  death-bed 
of  Elizabeth.  In  1833,  when  that  part  of  the  country  was  first  visited  by 
cholera,  she  was  living  with  her  husband,  Patrick  Green,  in  Texas,  and  at  a 
point  where  there  was  no  priest  stationed  within  a  hundred  miles  of  them. 
Seized  with  the  malady,  and  feeling  that  her  hour  was  come,  she  asked  her 
husband  to  read  the  prayers  for  the  soul  departing.  The  poor  man,  overcome 
by  grief  and  excitement,  was  unable  to  find  the  page  in  his  wife's  mass-book 
where  the  petitions  appeared.  "Give  me  the  book,"  she  said,  and  having 
received  it,  she  turned 'the  leaves  until  the  formulary  was  found,  and  then 
handed  it  back  to  her  husband.  By  the  time  the  reading  was  finished,  she 
had  passed  away.  She  had  done  what  she  could,  and  God  is  merciful.  Nearly 
ten  years  ago  all,  save  one,  of  the  third  wife's  children  were  gathered  around 
the  table  of  the  writer  and  elder  brother  in  Louisville.  Only  a  short  time 
before,  death  had  invaded  the  band  and  taken  from  us  our  unmarried  sister, 
Eliza.  Content  were  we  all  if  death  should  find  us  prepared,  as  she  was,  to 
enter  into  the  presence  of  our  Judge.  Jane  Webb  has  long  borne  the  name  of 
Sister  Felicitas  in  the'  Loretto  Society.  *Nehemiah  Webb's  death  took  place 
in  the  year  1828. 


6o  BARDSTOWN    SETTLEMENT. 

were  of  Irish  birth,  and  their  first  home  in  the  United  States  was 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  were  married  and  their  children 
were  Lorn.  In  1791,  concluding  to  remove  to  Kentucky,  Thomas 
McManus  took  his  family  to  Pittsburg  and  tlience  embarked  with  them 
on  a  flatboat  for  the  prosecution  of  his  voyage  down  the  Ohio. 
When  a  short  distance  above  the  town  of  Gallipolis,  the  boat  was 
fired  upon  by  Indians  and  the  husband  and  father  killed.  Not  know- 
ing what  better  to  do,  the  distressed  widow  continued  her  journey 
with  the  other  emigrants  of  the  boat,  and  settled  with  them  near 
Winchester,  in  Clark  county.  Here  another  misfortune  befell  her  in 
the  destruction  of  her  house  by  fire.  With  the  exception  of  a  few 
treasured  books,  everything  she  had  was  destroyed.  Another  in  her 
place  might  have  given  way  to  despair ;  not  so  this  truly  courageous 
woman.  Her  dependence  was  upon  Providence,  and  Providence 
raised  up  friends  for  her  in  her  sore  distress.  It  is  uncertain  how  long 
she  remained  in  Clark  county,  but  it  is  believed  that  her  removal  to 
Bardstown  took  place  at  a  date  not  long  anterior  to  that  of  the  erection 
of  the  old  church  of  St.  Joseph,  near  the  town.  She  made  up  her 
mind  that  it  was  her  duty  to  go  where  it  was  possible  for  her  to  put  in 
practice  the  precepts  of  her  religion,  and  no  persuasion  on  the  part  of 
her  neighbors  had  any  effect  in  shaking  her  resolution.  She  managed 
somehow  to  get  to  Bardstown  with  her  children,  and  she  afterwards 
managed  to  support  herself  and  them  without  being  dependent  on 
public  or  private  charity.* 

Charles  McManus,  the  only  son  of  his  mother,  was  as  remarkable 
in  youth  for  his  industry  and  filial  piety  as  he  was  afterwards  for  his 
business  integrity,  and  for  his  christian  manner  of  life.  From  early 
manhood  to  the  date  of  his  death.  May  2 2d,  1840,  he  was  the  leading 
merchant  of  the  town,  and  one  of  its  most  honored  citizens  f 

Among  the  earlier  emigrants  to  the  neighborhood  of  Bardstown 
was  John  Reynolds,  who,  with  his  wife,  Ann  French,  and  their  family 
of  children,  settled  on  a  small  farm  almost  within  sight  of  that  upon 
which  was  afterwards  built  the  convent,  school  and  chapel  of  the 
Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth.     But  for  the  fact  that  John  Reynolds 

*I  remember  to  have  heard  when  a  boy,  an  edifying  anecdote  related  of  Mrs. 
McManus :  One  evening  an  emigrant  family  approached  her  cabin  door  and 
asked  for  food  and  shelter  for  the  night.  She  was  herself  in  great  straits  at  the 
time,  not  knowing  whence  was  to  come  the  next  day's  supplies  for  herself  and 
her  little  ones.  At  first  she  was  much  troubled,  but  her  face  soon  brightened  up, 
and  she  said:      "God  will  provide!     In  His  name  I  bid  you  welcome." 

t  In  the  year  1817,  Charles  McManus  was  married  to  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of 
Bartholomew  and  Priscilla  Roby.  She  was  a  woman  of  rare  personal  beauty, 
and  of  an  affectionate  disposition.  She  survived  her  husband  a  little  more  than 
five  years.  Mary  McManus  became  the  wife  of  Edward  Hayden,  whom  I 
remember  as  one  of  the  older  and  more  venerable  members  of  the  cathedral 
congregation.  Her  youngest  sister,  Naomi  McManus,  died  in  the  year  1817. 
Margaret  McManus,  the  older  child  and  daughter,  outlived  all  the  members  of 
her  family,  her  death  occurring  November  27th,  1862.  The  aged  emigrant 
mother,  full  of  merits  and  ripe  for  heaven,  died  October  5th,  1825. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  6l 

was  the  husband  of  an  extraordinary  wife,  and  the  father  of  a  still 
more  extraordinary  son,  no  special  mention  of  his  name  would  be  here 
necessary.  He  was  an  industrious,  well-meaning  man,  to  be  sure,  and 
after  a  manner,  pious.  But  he  was  given  to  the  vice  of  intemperance. 
His  wife  was  altogether  of  another  standard.  To  use  the  expression 
applied  to  her  by  an  aged  sister  of  the  Nazareth  community,  she  was 
"a  living  saint."  It  is  doubtful  if  there  has  ever  occurred  in  Kentucky 
a  more  noteworthy  example  of  healthful  influence  exerted  over  a 
household  than  that  which  is  presented  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Ann 
Reynolds.  In  addition  to  the  fact  that  her  religion  was  as  the  measure 
of  her  life,  she  was  of  that  precise  temperament  that  is  most  attractive 
of  love  and  confidence.  Modest,  retiring,  helpful,  prayerful,  sweet 
of  temper  and  loving  her  children  in  God  and  for  God,  it  will  not  be 
considered  strange  that  these  latter  should  have  readily  yielded  them- 
selves to  her  molding  hands  and  become,  even  as  she  was  herself, 
exemplars  of  christian  life  and  social  respectability.* 

Among  the  emigrants  of  1788  who  came  to  the  neighborhood,  were 
Edward  Howard  and  his  son,  Thomas,  to  whom  reference  has  already 
been  made.  The  latter,  by  whom  was  bequeathed  to  the  Church  of 
Kentucky  the  seminary  farm  of  St.  Thomas,  is  to  be  regarded  as 
the  most  munificent  of  the  benefactors  of  the  early  church  of  the 
State. 

Raphael  Lancaster,  a  brother  of  John  Lancaster,  of  the  Hardin's 
Creek  settlement,  is  supposed  to  have  come  to  the  neighborhood  of 
Bardstown  in  1788.  He  is  said  to  have  been  not  a  little  improvident, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  his  family  suffered  from  his  remissness.  For 
several  months  after  he  reached  the  town,  his  dwelling  was  a  cave,  still 
to  be  seen  in  the  hillside  that  fronts  its  eastern  edge.  He  had  a  cow, 
and  an  excellent  one,  and  good  Mrs.  Lancaster  being  unable  to 
procure  other  vessels  for  dairy  use,  was  in  the  habit  of  keeping  her 
milk  in  sugar  troughs  inside  the  cave.  In  time,  Mr.  Lancaster  bought 
a  farm  about  eight  miles  north  of  Bardstown,  not  far  from  what  is  now 
known  as  Samuels'  Depot,  upon  which  he  lived  and  died.  Some  of 
his  descendants  are  still  living  in  the  neighborhood,  though  most  of 
them  are  to  be  found  in  the  counties  lying  southwest  of  Jefferson. 

In  the  congregation  of  St.   Joseph,   Bardstown,  previous  to  the 
year  181 2,  there  were  living  several  families  of  Hagans,  all  of  whom 
•were  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  their  fellow  Catholics.     Among 
these  were  the  families  of  Basil,  Robert  and  Alexius  Hagan. 

•■-John  and  Ann  Reynolds  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  viz:  Bernard, 
whose  wife  was  Polly  Brown ;  Ignatius  Aloysius,  who  became  a  priest  and  died 
bishop  of  Charleston ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Coomes ;  John,  who  died 
a  most  edifying  death  in  his  22d  year;  and  Ellen,  who  married  John  Horrell. 
The  aged  couple  passed  the  last  years  of  their  lives  in  the  old  seminary  of  St. 
Thomas,  in  Nelson  county.  Mrs.  Reynolds  died  suddenly  and  without  previous 
illness,  in  August,  1840.  Her  husband,  utterly  prostrated  by  the  occurrence, 
took  to  his  bed,  and,  two  weeks  later,  he  was  buried  by  her  side  in  the  ceme- 
tery attached  to  the  church  of  St.  Thomas. 


62  BARDSTOWN   SETTLEMENT. 

Among  the  earlier  Catholic  residents  of  Bardstown  was  a  man 
named  Hottenroth,  much  thought  of  by  Father  Badin,  and  especially 
by  Bishop  Flaget,  on  account  of  his  singular  piety  and  the  zeal  he 
displayed  in  every  work  undertaken  for  the  good  of  religion.  After 
the  church  of  St.  Thomas  was  built,  it  was  his  habit  to  repair  thither, 
walking  or  riding  the  intervening  distance  of  three  miles,  in  order  to 
be  present  at  the  Holy  Sacrifice.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  while 
attempting  the  passage  of  the  Beech  Fork,  the  course  of  which  lies 
between  the  town  and  the  church  named,  he  was  swept  away  and 
drowned.  The  event  caused  much  sorrow  throughout  the  Catholic 
settlements  of  the  State. 

As  early  as  the  year  1800,  there  were  living  in  Bardstown  two 
Catholic  heads  of  families,  whose  surnames  were,  respectively,  Bean 
and  Kelly,  the  latter  supposed  to  be  of  Irish  birth.  The  writer  has 
no  remembrance  of  having  seen  either  of  them,  and  their  names  are 
here  introduced  solely  for  the  purpose  of  referring  to  their  widows, 
than  whom  the  congregation  of  St.  Joseph  at  a  later  day  had  no  more 
edifying  members.  It  was  something  for  edification  to  visit  these 
ancient  sisters — for  such  was  the  degree  of  their  relationship — at  their 
retreat  a  few  miles  west  of  Bardstown.  In  the  year  1838,  in  the 
company  of  a  number  of  youthful  friends,  the  writer  paid  them  such  a 
visit,  and  so  impressed  was  he  with  everything  he  witnessed  and  heard, 
that  when  he  would  now  picture  to  himself  a  home  wherefrom  every- 
thing is  banished  that  obstructs  insight  to  heaven,  he  has  but  to  renew 
in  his  mind  his  experiences  of  that  day. 

Edward  Hayden,  whose  wife  was  Mary  McManus,  emigrated  to 
Kentucky  when  he  was  a  young  man,  and  settled  in  or  near  Bards- 
town. He  was  always  a  pious  Catholic,  a  good  citizen  and  a  liberal 
benefactor  of  the  Church.* 

Felix  Cashot  and  Stephen  Gates  were  Frenchmen.  They  came  to 
the  country  with  the  Trappist  fathers  in  1805.  For  some  reason,  upon 
the  removal  of  the  community  to  Illinois  in  1809,  the  two  remained 
behind  and  settled  in  Bardstown,  where,  for  many  years,  they  carried 
on  business  as  jewelers  and  manufacturers  of  clocks.  The  habits 
they  had  formed  in  the  Trappist  monastery  clung  to  them  in  after  life. 
Except  in  church,  they  were  seldom  seen  beyond  their  own 
premises,  where  they  hved  more  Hke  hermits  than  men  of  the  world. 
Mr.  Cashot' s  death  took  place  in  1840,  and  his  compatriot  and 
business  partner,  led  thereto  by  a  countryman  of  unknown  antece- 

*The  pew  fronting  the  epistle  side  of  the  altar,  in  the  cathedral  of  St. 
Joseph,  was  occupied  by  Edward  Hayden's  family,  and  the  opposite  pew,  on 
the  gospel  side,  by  that  of  my  father.  As  I  remember  him  first,  he  was  tall, 
spare  and  erect.  His  features  were  angular,  but  agreeable,  and  in  manner  he 
was  wholly  free  from  conventionalism.  His  son,  Charles  Hayden,  whether  as 
an  intelligent  and  practical  Catholic,  a  good  citizen,  or  as  an  honorable 
merchant,  was  a  man  in  a  thousand.  It  has  been  said  of  Edward  Hayden  that 
he  was  one  of  the  principal  purveyors  for  the  army  of  defense  under  General 
Jackson  in  the  war  of  1812. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  6;^ 

dents,  but  strongly  suspected  of  imposture,  removed  soon  thereafter, 
with  his  supposed  considerable  fortune,  to  the  State  of  lUinois. 

Among  the  elders  of  the  cathedral  congregation  in  the  year  1820, 
were  Harry  Wathen,  Thompson  Beaven,  Roger  Smith,  Charles  Drury, 

Ambrose  Aud,   Lewis  Hayden,   EHsha  Gates,   Cooper,  Charles 

Jarboe,  James  Warren,  Deavers,  Bennet  Smith,  John  Merriman, 

Alexius  Adams,  Walter  Osborne,  John  and  James  McArdle,  Daniel 
Harkins,  John  Stuart,  Patrick  Blacklock,  John  Stevens,  Thomas  Aud, 

Robert  Livers,  Henry  Livers,  George  Ross,  Blandford,  William 

Osborne,  William  McAtee,  Charles  Coomes,   Higdon,  Thomas 

and  David  McGill.  All  of  these  were  farmers  residing  beyond  the 
environs  of  the  town,  and  the  greater  number  of  them  were  certainly 
born  in  Maryland.* 

In  the  town  proper,  at  the  same  date,  in  addition  to  those  whose 
names  have  been  already  given,  there  were  living :  John  Rogers, 
Alexander  Moore,  Bernard  Wheatley,  William  Westcott,  Robert 
Warden,  Peter  Wickham,  James  McGill,  F.  X.  McAtee,  James  Green, 
George  and  John  R.  McAtee,  Thomas  Price,  E.  Baker  Smith,  Joseph 

Price,  Thomas  Glasgow,  Merimee,  Ignatius  Mattingly,  Benedict 

Smith,  Charles  Warren  and  Joseph  Queen,  f 

*  As  late  as  the  year  1836,  more  than  one-half  of  the  names  enumerated 
were  those  of  living  men  to  whom  I  was  myself  indebted  for  helpful  acts  in 
connection  with  the  establishment  of  the  first  Catholic  paper  published  in  the 
State,  T/ie  Catholic  Advocate.  More  particularly  than  of  others  mentioned, 
possibly  from  more  intimate  association,  my  memory  retains  impressions,  cast 
thereon  at  the  time,  of  those  admirable  men  and  Catholic  christians,  Henry 
Wathen,  Charles  Drury,  John  Stuart,  Elisha  Gates,  James  Warren,  Robert  and 
Henry  Livers,  and  Lewis  Hayden.  The  house  of  Elisha  Gates  was  for  many 
years  the  church  station  for  Catholics  residing  in  the  neighborhood.  Three 
daughters  of  Lewis  Hayden,  all  still  living,  are  members  of  religious  com- 
munities. Charles  Drury  was  the  father  of  Sisters  Isabella  and  Martha,  of  the 
Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth.  The  last  named  of  these — God's  blessing  on 
her  honest,  cheery  face! — after  having  served  the  community  for  sixty  years,  is 
still  engaged,  with  energies  unabated,  in  ministering  to  the  sick  of  the  St. 
Joseph's  Infirmary,  Louisville,  an  institution  which  has  been  under  her  charge 
for  the  past  fifteen  years.  Two  grandsons  of  David  McGill,  Samuel  and  David, 
sons  of  the  late  Stephen  McGill,  have  long  been  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Louisville. 

t  One-third  of  these,  possibly,  were  born  in  Kentucky,  and  were  from  one 
or  other  of  its  older  Catholic  settlements.  A  few  of  the  emigrants  among 
them  I  am  constrained  to  notice.  John  Rogers  was  the  architect  and  builder 
of  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph.  He  will  be  noticed  elsewhere.  Alexander 
Moore,  who  was  a  house-builder,  removed  to  Kentucky  after  the  war  of  1812, 
in  which  he  took  part  as  a  soldier,  notably  at  the  defense  of  Baltimore.  The 
letter  of  introduction  brought  by  him  to  Bishop  Flaget,  written  by  Rt.  Rev. 
Leonard  Neale,  afterwards  successor  to  Dr.  Carroll,  thus  refers  to  him:  "I 
have  been  acquainted  with  Mr.  Moore  for  several  years,  have  always  known 
him  to  be  a  regular  practical  Catholic,  and  in  the  public  eye,  a  man  of  invari- 
able integrity  and  honest  repute."  The  family  of  Mr.  Moore  and  that  of  my 
father  were  intimate,  and  his  children  were  my  associates  in  boyhood. 
The  only  two  of  these  known  by  me  to  be  living  are  Lewis  and  Augustus 
Moore,  long   residing   in    McLean   county.     James   Green  first  emigrated   to 


64  BARDSTOWN    SETTLEMENT. 

Patrick  Donohoo,  Simon  and  William  McDonough,  and  William 
and  George  Dougherty  were  Irish  residents  of  the  town.  The  two 
last  named  were  lay  teachers  in  the  college  of  St.  Joseph.  In  addition 
to  those,  there  was  an  entire  colony  of  Irish  settled  from  almost  the 
beginning  of  the  century  on  lower  Cox's  creek,  about  seven  miles 
north  of  Bardstown,  who  were  members  of  the  cathedral  congregation 
and  liberal  benefactors  of  the  Church.  The  Celtic  tongue,  almost 
exclusively,  was  spoken  in  the  families  of  these  colonists.* 

Woodford,  afterwards  Scott  county,  whence  he  removed  to  Bardstown 
about  the  year  1815.  He  was  known  to  Catholics  as  a  consistent  christian, 
and  to  everybody  as  the  proprietor  of  the  most  noted  tavern-stand  in  Bards- 
town. He  removed  to  Louisville  in  1831,  where  he  died  in  1845.  James 
McGill,  a  native  of  IreLand,  came  to  the  IJnited  States  in  early  youth,  and 
settled  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  married  Lavinia  Dougherty,  and  where 
the  elder  of  their  children  were  born.  In  1818,  he  came  to  Kentucky  and 
settled  in  Bardstown.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  natural  abilities,  and  of 
much  and  varied  acquired  knowledge.  So  well  was  he  informed  in  dogmatic 
theology  that  he  was  not  only  able  to  defend  the  principles  of  his  own  faith, 
but  to  expose,  also,  the  inconsistencies  and  absurdities  of  opposing  systems  of 
religion.  His  intercourse  with  the  clergy  of  his  day  was  marked  by  the  most 
obliging  kindness  and  by  a  hospitality  that  was  as  free  as  it  was  bountiful. 
His  children,  now  deceased,  were:  John,  who  became  a  priest,  and  died 
bishop  of  Richmond;  James,  who  died  in  Missouri,  in  1854;  Augustine,  who 
died  of  cholera  in  1833;  Mary,  who,  together  with  her  husband,  Pius  G. 
Thompson,  perished  in  the  Last  Island  calamity  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  August 
lOth,  1856  ;  Joseph  H.,  whose  exemplary  christian  life  was  closed  by  a  happy 
death  March  28th,  1872;  and  Stephen,  who  died  of  yellow  fever  in  Louisiana, 
November  4th,  1855.  Three  of  James  McGill's  children  are  still  living,  viz: 
William  F.,  who  is  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Bardstown;  Sarah  A.,  wife  of 
the  writer,  living  in  Louisville;  and  Susan  E.,  wife  of  Richard  P.  Edelin,  of 
Washington  county.  The  death  of  James  McGill,  Sr.,  took  place  in  Bardstown 
in  1850.  His  widow  died  at  the  home  of  the  writer,  in  Louisville,  August, 
1855.  Bernard  Wheatley  and  his  amiable  wife,  a  thoroughly  lovable  old 
couple,  were  my  father's  nearest  neighbors  when  I  was  a  child.  They  were 
pious,  cheerful  people,  and  particularly  kind  to  little  children.  Captain 
William  Westcott  was  a  man  of  high  respectability  and  worth.  One  of  his 
sisters  became  a  member  of  the  Loretto  Society  of  religious,  under  the  name 
of  Sister  Generose,  and  is  still  living.  Captain  Peter  Wickham,  an  Irish- 
man, if  I  mistake  not,  and  a  retired  sea  captain,  was  a  man  of  considerable 
wealth  and  of  unbounded  generosity.  He  was  a  good  Catholic,  strict  in 
his  principles  and  strict  to  duty,  and  one  of  the  most  polished  men  in  his 
manners  I  have  ever  known.  Some  time  after  his  death,  his  widow  and 
his  elderly  maiden  sister  had  charge  of  the  old  seminary  building  in  Bards- 
town. There  they  lived  in  semi-seclusion,  and  engaged,  for  the  most  part,  in 
the  performance  of  delicate  acts  of  charity;  and  there,  ripe  for  heaven  and 
honored  of  their  entire  acquaintance,  some  time  about  the  year  1850,  they 
passed  away.  What  remained  to  them  of  their  estate  was  left  to  charitable 
objects.  John  R.  McAtee  was  for  many  years  a  teacher  of  mathematics  in 
St.  Joseph's  college.  Two  of  his  sons  are  much  respected  citizens  of  Louis- 
ville. Several  of  Robert  Warden's  sons  removed  to  Cincinnati,  where  one 
of  them  was  afterwards  a  judge  of  one  of  the  courts  of  Hamilton  county. 

*The  principal  families  of  this  colony  were  the  Fahertys,  the  Connellys, 
the  Welshes,  the  Flahertys,  the  Tuells  and  the  Whelans.  The  first  slave 
property  that  came  into  the  colony  is  said  to  have  been  a  negro  boy-child  of 
five  years  of  age,   bought  by  a   Mr.  Tuell  at  a  public  sale  of  an  insolvent 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  65 

It  is  scarcely  to  be  doubted  that  all  of  the  earlier  missionary  priests 
sent  to  the  State,  including  Fathers  Whelan,  de  Rohan,  Badin,  Bar- 
rieres,  Fournier,  Salmon  and  Thayer,  were  in  the  habit  of  paying 
occasional  visits  to  the  Catholic  families  living  within  a  circuit  of  ten 
miles  of  Bardstown.  The  church  stations  of  the  district,  up  to  the 
year  1798,  when  the  first  church  of  St.  Joseph  was  opened  for  divine 
service,  were  certainly  the  houses  of  Edward  Howard,  three  miles 
south  of  the  town;  Thomas  Gwynn,  two  miles  to  the  north;  Clement 
Gardiner,  near  the  present  site  of  the  town  of  Fairfield ;  and,  more 
than  likely,  that  of  Capt.  James  Rapier,  of  the  Poplar  Neck  neigh- 
borhood, and  that  of  Anthony  Sanders,  in  the  town  itself.  The  precise 
date  of  the  erection  of  the  old  church  of  St.  Joseph  cannot  now  be 
ascertained.  Some  claim  that  it  was  built  as  early  as  1795,  but  the 
more  general  opinion  refers  its  erection  to  the  year  1798.  The  deed 
of  conveyance  to  Father  Badin  of  the  lot  upon  which  it  stood,  signed 
by  Dr.  George  Hart,  is  dated  July  12th,  1802;  but  that  deed  specifies 
the  church  building  as  then  its  chief  appendage,  and  that  is  known, 
for  several  years  previous  to  that  date,  to  have  been  used  as  a 
church.* 

debtor's  estate.  In  connection  with  this  negro  boy,  I  remember  to  have  heard 
an  amusing  anecdote  related  by  the  late  Daniel  Dwyer,  Sr.,  at  the  time,  nearly 
a  half  century  ago,  a  leading  wholesale  grocer  of  Louisville.  I  was  his  guest, 
and  seated  at  his  own  table  when  he  related  the  incident:  "The  Irish  settlers 
on  Cox's  creek,"  said  Mr.  Dwyer,  "had  been  my  customers  for  many  years. 
It  pleased  them  to  deal  with  a  countryman  who  could  speak  their  own  mother 
tongue.  One  day  I  was  waited  on  by  one  of  their  number,  Patrick  Tuell  by 
name,  who  bought  of  me  a  pretty  large  bill  of  goods.  His  instructions  were 
that  the  goods  should  be  delivered  to  his  negro  wagoner,  who  would  call  for 
them  on  the  following  morning.  Since  you  must  have  observed  it,  Mr.  Webb, 
I  need  not  tell  you  that  what  is  known  as  the  brogue  of  my  country  is  in  my 
case  ineradicable.  Though  it  is  something  of  which  I  am  not  ashamed,  and 
have  no  right  to  be  ashamed,  I  am  not  a  little  sensitive  to  its  mimicry  by 
those  who  have  it  not.  Well,  on  the  following  morning  after  I  had  closed  my 
business  transaction  with  Mr.  Tuell,  a  negro  fellow,  some  twenty  years  of  age, 
entered  the  store,  and  with  as  honest  a  Tipperary  brogue  as  ever  fell  from 
tongue,  asked  for  his  '  masther's  groceries.'  I  had  but  one  idea,  and  that  was, 
that  the  black  rascal  was  trying  to  imitate  my  own  manner  of  speech.  Picking 
up  an  ax-helve,  I  made  pfter  him,  and  he,  frightened  at  my  demonstrative 
attitude,  backed  out  of  the  store  and  leaped  into  the  wagon  that  was  standing 
in  the  middle  of  the  street.  Turning  to  me  before  he  could  reach  the  saddle- 
horse  of  his  team,  with  a  most  piteous  look,  he  asked,  in  native  Irish,  what  he 
had  done  to  offend  me.  I  was  utterly  confounded,  you  may  be  sure,  and  the 
weapon  I  held  dropped  to  the  pavement  as  from  a  nerveless  hand.  Question- 
ing the  boy,  I  found  that  he  had  been  brought  up  from  childhood  in  his 
master's  family,  where  he  had  not  only  naturally  contracted  the  brogue  which 
I  had  regarded  as  mere  mimicry,  but  had  learned,  with  the  other  children,  to 
understand  and  speak  the  Celtic  of  the  family's  daily  intercommunication." 

"Old  St.  Joseph  was  a  structure  of  logs,  fairly  commodious,  and  it  stood  in 
the  middle  of  the  graveyard  in  which  most  of  the  early  Catholic  settlers  in 
and  near  Bardstown  lie  interred.  All  that  I  remember  of  it  comprised  a  few 
decaying  logs  and  a  pile  of  stones  where  once  arose  the  sacristy  chimney. 
About  the  year  1836  the  graveyard  was  greatly  enlarged  by  the  purchase  of 
additional  grounds. 

5 


66  BARDSTOWN    SETTLEMENT. 

As  early  as  the  year  1806,  the  congregation  attached  to  the  church 
of  St.  Joseph  had  so  largely  increased  as  to  necessitate  further  pro- 
vision of  church  accommodations  in  the  district.  The  remedy  was 
partly  found  the  following  year  in  the  erection  of  St.  Michael's  church, 
Fairfield.  A  litde  more  than  four  years  later,  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Flaget 
having  been  then  but  recently  installed  bishop  of  Bardstown,  caused 
to  be  erected  on  the  Howard  place,  three  miles  south  of  the  nominal 
seat  of  his  authority,  the  church  of  St.  Thomas.  Thus  was  the  parish 
of  St.  Joseph  relieved  of  more  than  a  third  of  its  former  members. 
But  the  influx  of  Catholics  to  the  town  and  neighborhood,  many  from 
Maryland,  and  still  more  from  other  Catholic  settlements  in  the  State, 
continued  at  such  a  rate  as  to  necessitate  the  use  of  private  residences 
in  the  town  for  church  stations.* 

In  another  chapter  will  be  found  an  account  of  the  building  of 
the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  and  the  subsequent  history  of  its  congre- 
gation and  pastorate. 

*  I  am  inclined  to  the  belief  that  the  old  log  church  of  St.  Joseph  was  little 
used,  except,  it  may  be,  as  a  mortuary  chapel,  after  the  year  1812.  After  that 
date,  up  to  the  year  1814  or  1815,  mass  was  celebrated  in  the  town  on  Sundays 
and  holidays,  either  in  the  house  of  Benedict  Smith  or  in  that  of  Anthony 
Sanders.  From  the  latter  date  to  the  consecration  of  the  cathedral  of  St. 
Joseph  in  18I9,  the  church  station  of  the  congregation  was  the  house  of  my 
father,  Nehemiah  Webb.  My  earliest  recollections  refer  to  the  latter  years  of 
this  period.  Unable  to  understand  the  nature  of  the  business  that  had  brought 
so  many  people  to  the  house,  I  could  but  stare  and  wonder  as  group  after  group 
of  them,  after  having  hitched  their  horses  to  the  garden  fence,  filed  into  the 
parlor  and  there  fell  upon  their  knees.  The  room  was  much  too  small  for  the 
crowds  that  came,  and  hence  many  had  to  stand  or  kneel  at  points  where  they 
could  see  neither  priest  nor  altar. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  67 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  CARTWRIGHT's   CREEK    CATHOLIC   SETTLEMENT.  * 

One  of  the  most  continuously  prosperous  Catholic  settlements  of 
Kentucky  was  first  known  by  the  title  above  given,  which  was  also 
borne  by  a  small  watercourse,  a  tributary  of  the  Beech  Fork  of  Salt 
river,  on  either  side  of  which,  stretched  out  for  miles,  the  bordering 
lands  gave  evidence  of  strong  fertility.  This  settlement,  begun  in  1787, 
was  situated  about  twenty  miles  from  Bardstown  and  about  ten 
miles  from  the  point  afterwards  selected  by  Father  Badin  for  his 
residence,  and  known  as  St.  Stephen's.  Up  to  the  year  1792, 
the  entire  district  was  a  part  of  Nelson  county,  but  when  the 
county  of  Washington  was  created  in  the  year  named,  it  passed  to 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  new  organization,  its  very  center  being  occu- 
pied by  the  county-seat,  to  which  had  been  given  the  name  of  Spring- 
field. Long  before  the  advent  of  Catholics  in  any  numbers  in 
Kentucky,  the  farming  lands  on  Cartwright's  creek  had  been  monopo- 
lized by  speculators  and  capitalists  who  were  holding  them  for  sale  and 
settlement.  Among  these  the  most  noteworthy  was  General  Mathew 
Walton,  to  whom,  for  the  most  part,  is  to  be  traced  prior  title  to  lands 
upon  which  the  majority  of  the  emigrants  from  Maryland  afterwards 
lived  and  died.f 

*  Cartwright's  creek,  which  gave  its  name  to  the  settlement,  had  its  own 
name,  doubtless,  from  Samuel  Cartwright,  a  companion  of  James  and  Jacob 
Sandusky,  who  prospected  through  the  district  in  1777,  and  built  on  a  neigh- 
boring stream,  afterwards  known  as  Pleasant  Run,  a  stockade  to  which  they 
gave  the  name  of  Sandusky's  fort. 

t  General  Mathew  Walton  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and  his  title  accrued  to 
him  through  his  services  rendered  in  the  war  of  independence.  He  came 
to  Kentucky  soon  after  the  capitulation  at  Yorktown,  and  he  represented 
Nelson  county,  which  then  embraced  the  territory  now  occupied  by  the 
counties  of  Washington  and  Marion,  in  the  Virginia  convention,  by  which 
was  ratified  the  present  constitution  of  the  United  States.  He  also  repre- 
sented the  same  county  in  the  sessions  of  the  Virginia  legislature  of  1789  and 
1790.  He  represented  the  same  county  in  the  conventions  held  at  Danville 
in  1785  and  1787,  and  in  the  first  constitutional  convention  of  Kentucky,  held 
in  1792.  He  was  its  representative  in  the  first  legislature  after  the  admission 
of  the  State  into  the  Union,  in  1792,  a  member  of  Congress  from  1800  to  1803, 
and  a  presidential  elector  in  1809,  when  James  Madison  became  president  of 
the  United  States.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  proprietor  of  160,000  acres  of 
land  in  Kentucky,  and  was  as  much  noted  for  high  breeding,  gentlemanly 
deportment  and  liberality,  as  he  was  for  his  wealth.     Tradition  speaks  well  of 


68  cartwright's  creek  settlement. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1787,  Thomas  Hill  and  Philip  Miles, 
brothers-in-law,  living  up  to  that  time  near  Leonardstown,  St.  Mary's 
county,  Maryland,  arranged  with  each  other  to  remove  with  their 
famiUes  to  Kentucky.  Their  idea  at  the  time  was  to  settle  on  Pottin- 
ger's  creek,  whither  had  previously  gone  quite  a  number  of  their 
friends  and  neighbors.  Their  proposed  journey  was  begun  in  Febru- 
ary, and  toward  the  end  of  March,  on  the  very  day  they  expected  to 
make  landing  above  the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  their  boat  was  fired  on  by 
Indians  with  fatal  effect.  A  negro  belonging  to  Thomas  Hill  was 
.  killed,  as  were,  also,  all  the  horses  on  the  boat,  and  Hill  himself  was 
seriously  wounded  by  the  passage  of  an  ounce  ball  through  both  of  his 
thighs.  This  happened  at  a  point  then  and  still  known  as  Eighteen 
Mile  Island,  its  distance  above  Louisville  being  just  so  many  miles. 
Happily  for  the  remainder  of  the  emigrants,  the  boat  was  soon  carried 
by  the  current  beyond  gun-shot  range  of  the  lurking  savages,  and 
before  night  its  living  freightage  of  men,  women  and  children  was 
safely  housed  in  Louisville.* 

The  journey  to  Bardstown  was  a  rough  one  for  the  wounded  man ; 
but  he  was  borne  along  by  his  companions,  and  the  party  reached  the 
town  in  safety  after  a  toilsome  march  of  several  days.  The  trail 
followed  by  the  emigrants  on  this  occasion  was  a  new  one.  Only  a 
month  before,  another  party  of  Catholic  emigrants,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Edward  Howard,  had  established  the  route  by  blazing  the 
trees  along  its  course,  f  The  entire  party  remained  in  Bardstown 
about  a  year,  and  Thomas  Hill,  owing  to  the  severity  of  his  wounds, 
for  a  longer  period.  In  March,  1788,  Philip  Miles  and  Harry  Hill, 
the  latter  being  a  grown-up  son  of  Thomas  Hill,  purchased  farms  in 
the  Pottinger's  Creek  neighborhood,  to  which  they  removed  imme- 
diately, and  upon  which  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  | 

his  courage  as  a  soldier,  especially  at  the  battle  of  King's  mountain  during 
the  revolutionary  era.  The  dwelling  house  he  built  for  himself  is  said  to  have 
been  the  first  of  any  pretensions  to  elegance  put  up  on  the  SQil  of  Kentucky. 
Among   the   most   distinguished   of   his  cotemporaries  living  on  Cartvi^right's 

creek  in    1785,  were    Richard    Parker  and  Pirtle,  the    latter    being   the 

father  of  the  late  chancellor  Henry  Pirtle,  of  Louisville. 

*Clement  Hill,  a  seven  year  old  son  of  Thomas  Hill,  was  lying  on  the 
deck  of  the  boat  when  his  father's  slave  was  shot,  as  related  above,  and  he 
was  covered  by  his  body  when  he  fell.  This  episode  in  the  life  of  Clement 
Hill  is  not  unfrequently  referred  to  by  his  grandchildren    at   the  present  day. 

t  Edward  Howard  settled  about  three  miles  south  of  Bardstown,  in  a  nook 
of  country  known  as  Poplar  Neck.  It  was  to  his  son,  Thomas  Howard,  that 
the  Church  in  Kentucky  is  indebted  for  the  bequest  of  the  St.  Thomas  semi- 
nary farm.  It  is  very  generally  believed  that  Father  Whelan,  the  first  priest 
sent  to  Kentucky,  accompanied  Mr.  Howard  on  the  occasion  referred  to  in  the 
text. 

I  Harry  Miles,  a  son  of  Philip  Miles,  lived  for  many  years  on  the  place 
upon  which  his  father  settled  in  1788.  His  second  wife  was  Nancy  McAtee, 
most  likely  a  daughter  of  Henry  McAtee,  of  the  Pottinger's  Creek  settlement. 
The  death  of  this  amiable  lady,  who  survived  her  husband  many  years,  is  but 
of  comparatively  recent  occurrence.       One  of   her  sons,  Edward  Miles,  still 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  69 

Catholic  emigration  to  Kentucky  was  much  accelerated  in  1788; 
hut  few  of  the  emigrants,  either  during  that  or  the  following  years, 
were  content  to  establish  themselves  for  life  on  Pottinger's  creek. 
Nominally,  the  end  of  their  journey  was  Bardstown,  and  there  they 
ordinarily  remained  until  they  had  made  selection  of  lands  for  perma- 
nent residence.  With  rare  exceptions,  a  single  visit  to  "the  settlement 
on  the  creek,"  as  it  was  then  called,  was  enough  to  convince  them  of 
the  undesirableness  of  the  situation.  The  result  was  ordinarily  as 
favorable  to  the  worldly  prospects  of  the  emigrants  themselves  as  it 
was  to  the  diffusion  among  the  non-Catholics  of  the  country  of  less 
prejudiced  views  respecting  their  religion.  In  1791,  the  year  before 
Kentucky  was  admitted  into  the  confederation  of  States,  there  were 
settled  within  its  borders  no  fewer  than  six  distinct  and  large  colonies 
of  Catholics,  five  of  which  were  in  the  single  county  of  Nelson.* 

Among  the  most  noteworthy  of  the  Catholic  emigrants  to  Kentucky 
in  1788,  was  Henry  Cambron,  previously  a  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Montgomery  county,  Maryland.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  aged 
father,  Baptist  Cambron,  and  by  a  number  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters,  t  After  stopping  for  a  few  days  at  Bardstown,  Mr.  Cambron 
proceeded  to  Cartwright's  creek,  where  he  bought  and  settled  upon  a 
farm  adjoining  that  occupied  by  John  Waller,  whose  mill,  built  upon 
his  land,  was  the  only  property  of  the  kind  in  that  part  of  the  country. 
This  mill,  with  the  land  of  which  it  was  an  appendage,  was  afterwards  / 
sold  by  Mr.  Waller  to  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick,  and  upon  the  latter^-- 
stands  to-day  the  church  and  convent  of  St.  Rose.  J 

occupies  the  place  upon  which  his  grandfather  settled,  and  another,  Rev. 
Thomas  Miles,  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  of  the  province  of 
Missouri. 

*  These  were  severally  known  as  The  Pottinger's  Creek  settlement;  The 
Bardstotvn,  or  Poplar  Neck  settlement ;  The  Cartwrighf  s  Creek  settlement ;  The 
Hardin's  Creek  settlement;  Tlie  Rolling  Fork  settlement,  all  in  Nelson  county; 
and  The  Woodford,  afterwards  Scott  County  settlement,  north  and  east  of  the 
Kentucky  river.  There  was  also  a  small  colony  of  Catholics,  composed  princi- 
pally of  the  families  of  the  Durbins  and  Logsdons,  settled  in  Madison  county. 
One  Catholic  family,  too,  that  of  Leonard  Wheatley,  had  already  settled  in 
that  part  of  Nelson  county  which  now  forms  the  county  of  Breckinridge.  It 
is  believed,  too,  by  a  number  of  their  descendants  with  whom  I  have  consulted, 
that  the  first  Catholic  settlers  on  Cox's  creek,  in  Nelson  county,  were  occupy- 
ing their  lands,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  present  town  of  Fairfield,  as  early 
as  the  year  1791.     Others,  however,  refer  the  settlement  to  the  year  1795. 

t  Henry  Cambron's  descendants  are  numerous  in  Kentucky.  They  are  all 
of  the  highest  worldly  respectability,  and  better  still,  they  are  all  faithful  to 
the  ancient  faith  of  their  fathers.  One  of  his  sons,  Charles  C.  Cambron,  died 
in  the  neighborhood  in  which  his  father  settled  as  late  as  1880.  Another  son, 
Ralph  Cambron,  was  still  living  in  1878,  a  much  esteemed  member  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  congregation  in  Union  county. 

X  It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  mill  referred  to  in  the  text  was  built  by  the 
writer's  father,  the  late  Nehemiah  Webb.  It  is  quite  certain  that  his  first 
wife  was  Tr^Iary  Waller,  a  daughter  of  this  same  Washington  county  miller; 
that  the  match  was  bitteily  opposed  by  the  father  from  motives  of  pure 
bigotry;    that  soon  after  her  marriage  the  daughter  became  a  Catholic  and 


7©  cartwright's  creek  settlement.' 

In  the  spring  of  1789,  Thomas  Hill,  now  fully  recovered  from  his 
wounds,  moved  from  Bardstown  to  Cartwright's  creek,  where  he  pur- 
chased and  settled  upon  lands  adjoining  the  farm  of  Mr.  Cambron. 
The  Catholic  faith  of  these  two  worthy  pioneers  is  well  illustrated  by 
the  following  occurrence,  which  remains  till  now  a  tradition  in  the 
families  of  their  descendants : 

They  had  as  yet  put  in  and  gathered  but  a  single  crop  when  the 
two,  being  together  one  day,  began  to  talk  of  the  sad  predicament 
they  and  their  famiUes  were  in,in  respect  to  the  practice  of  their  religion. 
The  nearest  station  at  which  Father  Whelan  was  in  the  habit  of  saying 
mass  was  too  far  away  to  render  it  possible  for  all  to  be  present  on 
these  occasions,  and  their  children  were  growing  up  with  little  oppor- 
tunity of  learning,  in  a  practical  way,  the  extent  and  character  of  their 
religious  obligations.  If  they  could  but  increase  their  numbers,  so 
they  thought,  and  thus  be  enabled  to  put  up  a  church,  Providence 
woiild  assuredly  send  them  a  priest  to  administer  to  their  spiritual 
necessities.  At  length,  one  of  them  said  to  the  other,  "Let  us  go 
upon  the  uplands  to  the  south,  buy  lands,  gather  about  us  the  Cathohcs 
now  coming  into  the  State,  and  build  a  church." 

As  it  was  suggested,  so  it  was  done.  The  lands  were  bought,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  they  were  occupied  by  the  precise  character  of 
emigrants  needed  for  the  realization  of  the  idea  that  had  been  advanced 
and  acted  upon  by  these  patriarchs  of  the  settlement.  But  they  were 
still  destined  to  disappointment.  When  their  hopes  were  brightest, 
news  came  to  them  that  Father  Whelan  had  abandoned  his  mission, 
and  that  there  was  no  telling  when  another  priest  would  be  sent  to 
supply  his  vacant  place.  Bereft  now  of  all  pastoral  care,  as  were 
their  brethren  throughout  the  State,  and  left  to  do  batde  against  the 
enemy  of  their  souls  unsupported  by  the  grace  of  the  sacraments,  they 
could  but  look  upon  their  position  as  pitiable  in  the  extreme.  There 
was  some  relaxation  of  their  wretchedness  six  months  later  upon  the 
appearance  in  the  State  of  Rev.  William  de  Rohan,  mentioned  in  a 
former  chapter;  but  it  was  not  till  the  arrival  of  Father  Badin  and  his 
earlier  companions.  Fathers  Barrieres,  Fournier  and  Salmon,  that  the 
Catholic  settlers  on  Cartwright's  creek  felt  that  the  dawn  of  a  brighter 
day  had  broken  for  them  as  children  of  the  church  of  God.  From 
one  cause  or  another,  however,  the  erection  of  a  church  in  the  neigh- 
borhood was  long  delayed.  It  was  not  until  1799  that  it  was  finished 
and  blessed  by  Father  Badin,  assisted  by  Father  Fournier,  and  had 
given  to  it  the  title  of  the  church  of  St.  Ann. 

In  connection  with  the  Catholic  settlement  on  Cartwright's  creek, 
the  annexed  letters  in  reply  to  inquiries  made  of  the  writers,  both 

lived  and  died  one ;  and  that,  though  the  father  was  esteemed  honorable,  and 
was,  in  point  of  fact,  a  wealthy  man  for  the  times,  the  daughter  never  after- 
wards experienced  at  his  hands  either  affection  or  kindness.  Leo  Webb,  the 
youngest  and  only  living  issue  of  this  marriage,  is  now  a  resident  of  McClean 
county,  Kentucky. 


Catholicity  in  kentuckv,  yt 

written  In  1878,  will  not  be  found  devoid  of  interest.  The  hands 
that  penned  these  letters,  it  must  be  premised,  to-day  lie  crossed  over 
bosoms  that  feel  not  the  clods  that  cover  them.  The  first  is  from  the 
late  Alexander  Hamilton,  who  was  born  in  Maryland  and  brought  to 
Kentucky  by  his  father  when  he  was  a  child  of  eight  years,  and 
whose  death  took  place  in  1879,  in  the  90th  year  of  his  age.  The 
other  is  from  the  late  Charles  C.  Cambron,  who  died  in  1880,  aged 
90  years.     Mr.  Hamilton's  communication  reads: 

"  My  father  emigrated  to  Kentucky  from  Maryland  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  1797.  He  settled  in  this  (Washington)  county,  about  six 
miles  north  of  the  town  of  Springfield,  on  the  road  leading  from  that 
place  to  Bardstown.  He  brought  with  him  a  family  of  eight  children. 
At  that  time  the  only  officiating  priests  in  the  State  were  Fathers 
Badin  and  Fournier.  The  first  named  was  stationed  on  Pottinger's 
creek,  and  the  other  on  the  Rolling  Fork.  There  was  a  small  church 
at  the  time  on  Pottinger's  creek,  and  a  little  chapel  attached  to  Father 
Fournier's  house  on  the  RoUing  Fork.  Father  Fournier  died  in  1803, 
and  Father  Badin  was  left  the  only  priest  in  the  State.* 

"St.  Ann's  church  was  built,  about  five  miles  west  of  Springfield, 
in  the  year  1798.     It  was  attended  from  Pottinger's  creek  by  Father 
Badin.     Sometime  in  the  year  1806,  Fathers  Wilson  and  Tuite,  of  the 
order  of  St.  Dominic,  came  to  Kentucky  and  stopped  for  awhile  near 
Bardstown,  in   Nelson  county.     From  there,  in   1807,  they  came  to 
Cartwright's  creek  and  took   up  their  residence  with  Henry  Boone,  | 
where   they  kept   church   for   several  months.     They    were   shortly' 
afterwards  joined  by  Father  Edward   Fenwick,  afterwards  bishop  of. 
Cincinnati,  and  by  a  Mr.  Young,  now  Father  Dominic  Young,  of  thai 
Dominican  order.     That  fall  they  purchased  a  farm  and  residence,/ 
the  present  site  of  the  convent  of  St.  Rose,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
they  began  the  construction  of   the   church  of  St.   Rose.f     Almost 
immediately  after  they  came  to  the  neighborhood,  the  charge  of  the 
church  of  St.    Ann  was  transferred  to  them  by  Fathers  Badin  and 
Nerinckx,  who  had  previously  been  in  the  habit  of  serving  the  con- 
gregation  at   stated   intervals.     After   the   church   of  St.    Rose  was 
finished,  that  of  S     Ann  was  abandoned.  J     Father  Nerinckx  was  the 
last  pastor." 

*  This  is  a  mistake.  Father  de  Rohan  was  still  living  in  the  Pottinger's 
Creek  settlement,  but  without  faculties  in  other  than  extraordinary  cases.  As 
late  as  the  year  1823,  he  was  teaching  school  in  or  near  the  village  of  New 
Hope,  in  Nelson  county.  Becoming  incapable,  shortly  afterwards,  of  earning 
as  much  as  would  supply  him  with  the  simplest  necessaries  of  life,  he  was 
removed,  by  direction  of  Bishop  Flaget,  to  the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  where 
he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

t  The  venerable  writer's  statements  of  facts  are  accurate;  not  so  his  dates. 
The  reader  is  referred  to  the  chapter  on  "The  Dominicans  in  Kentucky  "  for 
more  reliable  information  on  this  point. 

JNot  finally  till  the  year  1817.  It  was  used  occasionally  after  the  com- 
pletion of  the  church  of  St.  Rose,  most  likely  for  the  accommodation  of 
Catholic  families  living  in  its  immediate  vicinity.     It  was  pulled  down  finally 


72  cartwright's  creek  settlement. 

The  letter  of  Mr.  Cambron  reads  as  follows:  ^'^ Dear  Sir — My 
father's  name  was  Henry  Cambron;  that  of  my  mother  before  her 
marriage,  Margaret  Harbin.  They  removed  to  Kentucky  from  St. 
Mary's  county,  Maryland,  in  1790  or  1791.*  I  was  myself  born  in 
Kentucky  on  the  5th  day  of  November,  1791.  My  parents  were 
then  living  on  Cartwright's  creek,  near  by  the  farm  afterwards  bought 
by  Father  Fenwick  for  a  Dominican  convent.  I  helped  to  build 
the  old  St.  Rose  church  in  1808.  I  was  married  on  the  17th  day 
of  January,  18 17,  by  priest  Miles  (Rev.  R.  P.  Miles,  afterwards 
first  bishop  of  Nashville).  I  will  here  name  a  few  of  the  old 
Catholic  setders  on  Cartwright's  creek.  The  first  named,  and  the 
oldest  among  them,  was  my  grandfather :  Baptist  Cambron,  Thomas 
Hill,  Thomas  Osborne,  Joseph  Carrico,  Acquilla  Blandford,  Thomas 
Yates,  WiUiam  Montgomery,  James  Austin,  James  Raney,  Thomas 
Hamilton,  James  Carrico,  Henry  Boone  and  Basil  Montgomery. 

"  Before  the  completion  of  the  church  of  St.  Ann,  mass  was  com- 
monly celebrated  for  the  Catholic  people  of  the  settlement  at  the 
house  of  Thomas  Hill,  which  came  in  time  to  be  known  as  the  Cart- 
wright's creek  church  station,  f     Yours  respectfully, 

"Charles  C.  Cambron." 

The  arrival  in  the  State  of  the  Dominican  fathers.  Revs.  Edward 
Fenwick,  Thomas  Wilson,  William  Raymond  Tuite  and  R.  Angier, 
marked  an  era  of  hopeful  possibilities  for  CathoHcity  in  Kentucky, 
which  we  of  the  present  day  have  happily  seen  realized.  They  were 
the  first  to  develop  a  source  of  Catholic  missionary  enterprise  west  of 
the  Alleghany  mountains.  While  doing  their  whole  duty  in  the 
present,  they  had  thought  also  for  the  future,  and  sought  to  provide 
for  its  needs  by  establishing  a  school  in  which  the  divine  science 
should  be  of  perpetual  inculcation. 

Thomas  Hill  is  to  be  regarded  as  the  leading  spirit  among  the 
early  Catholic  colonists  on  Cartwright's  creek.  He  was  by  birth  an 
Englishman.  His  father,  of  the  same  name,  is  supposed  to  have 
been  of  an  old  English  Catholic  family.  About  the  middle  of  the 
last  century,  Thomas  Hill,  the  younger,  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  and  setded  in  St.  Mary's  county,  Maryland,  where,  about  the 
year  1754,  he  intermarried  with  Rebecca  Miles,  a  sister  of  Philip 
Miles,  who  afterwards  accompanied  him  to  Kentucky.  |     They  had  a 

in  the  year  1819.  The  grave-yard,  by  which  it  was  surrounded,  where  rest  in 
undistinguishable  graves  many  of  the  early  Catholic  settlers  of  the  district,  is 
still  sufficiently  marked  to  indicate  its  former  use. 

*This  is  evidently  a  mistake. 

t  Rev.  Walter  H.  Hill,  S.  J.,  of  the  Province  of  Missouri,  whose  father  was 
Clement  Hill,  a  son  of  Thomas  Hill,  mentioned  in  the  text,  writes  me  con- 
cerning this  station  as  follows:  "I  learned  from  Father  Badin  himself  that 
my  father  was  in  the  habit  of  conducting  him,  sometimes  from  St.  Stephen's, 
and  sometimes  from  Bardstown,  to  my  grandfather's  house,  in  order  to  afford 
the  people  opportunities  to  attend  to  their  religious  duties." 

X  When  Thomas  Hill  came  to  the  United  States,  he  was  accompanied  by 
his  only  brother,  Henry  Hill,  who  soon  became   dissatisfied  and  returned  to 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  73 

family  of  seven  children,  three  sons  and  four  daughters.  Two  of  the 
former,  Harry  Hill,  of  the  Pottinger's  creek  settlement,  and  Clement 
Hill,  of  the  settlement  near  the  present  town  of  Lebanon,  were  after- 
wards well  known  in  Kentucky.  The  latter,  Clement,  who  was  born 
in  Maryland,  March  22,  1776,  was  the  youngest  of  their  children. 
Though  he  was  past  middle  life  when  he  came  to  Kentucky,  Thomas 
Hill  was  still  strong  and  active ;  and,  above  all,  he  was  earnest  in  his 
desire  to  provide  for  his  children  every  facility  of  culture  that  was 
within  the  compass  of  his  means.  Especially  did  he  labor  to  found 
them  securely  in  the  Catholic  faith  and  to  present  them  reasonable 
motives  for  its  constant  and  systematic  practice.  The  death  of  this 
veteran  among  the  faithful  of  the  settlement,  took  place  in  1820,  at 
the  age  of  97  years,  and  his  name  is  to  the  present  day  held  in  bene- 
diction in  the  homes  of  his  descendants  scattered  all  over  the  western 
country. 

The  history  of  the  Cartwright's  Creek  settlement  would  be 
incomplete  without  reference  being  made  to  Clement  Hill,  youngest 
son  of  Thomas  Hill,  who,  as  will  be  remembered,  shared  with  his 
father  the  dangerous  passage  of  the  Ohio  river  when  the"  boat  upon 
which  the  family  had  embarked  for  Louisville  was  attacked  by 
Indians.  Clement  Hill  remained  with  his  father  until  after  his 
majority,  when  he  took  to  wife  Mary  Hamilton,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Hamilton,  whose  brother,  Leonard  Hamilton,  was  the  maternal  grand- 
father of  the  late  Most  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding,  bishop  of  Louisville  and 
archbishop  of  Baltimore.*  The  marriage  service  was  performed  by 
Father  Badin  in  1798.  In  the  year  1803,  Clement  Hill  removed  to 
a  farm  lying  within  two  miles  of  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 
Lebanon,  where  he  lived  to  the  date  of  his  death,  December  13, 
i832.t 

England.  The  only  information  concerning  him  that  was  afterwards  received 
by  his  brother  was  in  the  nature  of  a  report  that  he  had  gone  to  sea  sgpn  after 
his  return  to  his  native  country.  It  is  supposed,  however,  by  at  least  some  of 
the  descendants  of  Thomas  Hill,  now  living  in  Kentucky,  that  he  eventually 
found  his  way  back  to  Maryland  and  settled  in  the  county  of  Prince  George. 
This  belief  is  founded  on  the  identity  of  family  names  with  the  Hills  of  that 
county ;  on  the  fact  that  both  families  are  Catholic ;  and  on  a  reputed  agree- 
ment in  features.  Thomas  Hill's  only  sister,  Dolly  Hill,  did  not  emigrate  to 
the  United  States. 

*The  late  Alexander  Hamilton,  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken,  was  a 
son  of  the  Thomas  Hamilton  referred  to  in  the  text.  He  was  named  after  a 
famous  English  progenitor  of  the  family,  as  was  also  the  still  more  famous 
American  politician  and  financier,  Alexander  Hamilton,  who  was  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  under  the  first  administration  of  the  Government,  and  who  was 
killed  in  a  duel  by  Aaron  Burr.  The  Secretary's  father  was  of  the  same 
Catholic  stock  ;  but,  as  runs  a  tradition  in  the  family,  he  lost  his  faith  while 
residing  in  the  West  Indies. 

t  The  wife  of  Clement  Hill  bore  to  him  seventeen  children.  To  each  of 
these  reference  is  here  made.  Cynthia,  married  to  Henry  Calhoun,  who  left 
many  descendants.  Maria,  married  to  Josiah  Turner,  who  died  leaving  chil- 
dren, grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren ;  one  of  her  sons,  Rev.  J.  P. 
Turner,  is  a  Dominican  priest,  and  one  of  her  daughters  became  a  Lorettine 


74  cartwright's  creek  settlement. 

Though  it  is  no  part  of  the  author's  design,  in  the  compilation  of 
this  historical  record,  to  make  more  than  simple  reference  to  indi- 
viduals still  Hving,  he  feels  himself  impelled,  from  motives  arising  out 
of  friendship  and  long  intimacy,  to  speak  more  fully  than  he  has  yet 
done  of  two  of  Clement  Hill's  sons.  One  of  these,  bearing  his 
father's  name,  is  a  well  known  lawyer  of  Marion  county.  Clement  S. 
Hill  was  educated  at  St.  Mary's  College,  when  that  institution  was 
still  controlled  by  its  founder.  Rev.  William  Byrne.  He  afterwards 
prosecuted  his  law  studies  in  the  office  of  the  late  Benjamin  Chapeze, 
of  Bardstown,  a  lawyer  of  great  ability,  and  a  man  of  singular  worth 
and  purity  of  character.*  Entering  in  due  time  upon  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  it  was  not  long  before  he  was  looked  upon  as  a  rising 
member  of  the  bar.  Possessed  of  an  analytic  mind,  and  rarely  gifted 
as  a  speaker,  he  soon  secured  a  lucrative  practice  and  full  recog- 
nition of  his  legal  acquirements  at  the  hands  of  the  leading  lawyers  of 
the  State.  In  the  years  1852-3,  he  served  one  term  as  representative 
of  his  district  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

Walter  Henry  Hill,  another  son  of  Clement  Hill,  and  better  known 
to  Catholics,  probably,  than  any  other  member  of  the  family,  has  long 
been  an  associate  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  of  the  Province  of  Missouri. 
His  collegiate  studies  were  prosecuted  under  what  many  persons 
would  call  discouraging  difficulties.     I  am  inclined  to  the  belief  that 

nun.  Thomas,  who  died  in  infancy.  Thomas,  second  of  the  name,  who  became 
a  lawyer  and  died  in  Louisville,  after  having  received  the  sacraments  from  the 
hands  of  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell,  in  October,  1829;  a  son  of  his,  of  the  same 
name,  is  at  present  a  citizen  of  Lincoln  county.  Ann  E.,  who  became  a 
Dominican  nun,  and  whose  death  occurred  at  the  house  of  the  order  in  Ohio, 
April  I,  1840.  Pamela,  married  to  James  Adams;  one  of  her  sons  became  a 
priest,  and  she  has  many  descendants.  Richard  H.,  who  removed  to  Texas, 
where,  at  this  date,  1879,  he  is  still  living;  he  has  descendants  to  the  third 
generation.  Mary,  married  to  John  J.  Mattingly,  still  living  at  Florissant, 
Missouri;  she  has  a  large  family  of  children  and  grandchildren;  one  of  her 
daughters  is  a  member  of  the  Loretto  Sisterhood.  Clement  S.,  a  lawyer  of 
great  ability,  residing  in  Marion  county;  he  has  several  children  and  grand- 
children. Lloyd  E.,  a  resident  of  Lebanon,  who  has  a  large  family  of 
children  and  grandchildren;  one  of  his  daughters  is  a  member  of  the  Loretto 
Society.  William  A.,  who  died  leaving  a  family  of  children.  Elizabeth, 
married  to  Benjamin  Cooper,  who  left  a  family  of  children  at  her  death. 
Rebecca,  married  to  Joseph  Hooker,  of  Lincoln  county;  she  died  leaving  a 
family  of  children.  Walter  Henry,  who  became  a  priest  in  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  St.  Louis  University.  Robert  G., 
who  became  a  physician  and  died  several  years  ago,  leaving  a  numerous 
progeny.  James  A.,  also  a  physician,  who  died  without  children,  Bennet 
Franklin,  who  still  lives  on  the  paternal  homestead;  he  has  a  large  family,  and 
one  of  his  daughters  is  a  member  of  the  Loretto  Society.  With  the  exception, 
possibly,  of  those  of  Leonard  Mattingly,  of  the  Hardin's  Creek  Catholic  settle- 
ment, the  living  descendants  of  Clement  Hill  are  in  excess  of  those  of  any 
other  of  the  early  Catholic  emigrants  to  the  State. 

*  Mr.  Chapeze  was  not  a  Catholic;  but  his  amiable  wife,  whom  I  remember 
well,  was  a  most  pious  one.  There  was  a  large  family  of  children,  all  of 
whom  were  reared  in  their  mother's  faith.  Mr.  Chapeze  was  himself  received 
into  the  Church  a  short  time  before  his  death. 


CATHOLiCITV  IN  KENtUCKY.  75 

these  very  difficulties  were  providential,  and  that  their  recurrence 
secured  to  the  service  of  religion  a  faithful  minister,  and  to  many  a 
•  bewildered  soul  a  competent  director  and  guide.  He  was  anxious  to 
learn,  but  no  other  resource  had  he  upon  which  to  draw  for  the  costs 
of  his  education  than  his  capacity  to  labor.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, he  proposed  to  the  President  of  St.  Mary's  College,  then 
under  the  control  of  the  Jesuit  fathers,  to  exchange  the  labor 
of  his  hands,  to  be  exerted  on  the  college  farm,  for  the  intellec- 
tual culture  he  coveted,  and  which  was  otherwise  beyond  his  reach. 
His  request  was  promptly  acceded  to,  and  he  at  once  entered  upon 
his  mixed  term  of  labor  and  study.  This  happened  in  1839,  when  he 
was  not  yet  17  years  of  age.  No  less  studious  than  he  was  indus- 
trious, in  due  time  he  was  admitted  to  his  first  and  second  degrees. 
After  graduation,  he  was  retained  in  the  college  as  a  teacher  until 
1846,  when  the  Jesuit  fathers  left  Kentucky  for  New  York,  where 
they  afterwards  remained.  With  the  idea  of  entering  upon  a  course 
of  medical  studies  under  the  direction  of  the  late  Dr.  Moses  L. 
Linton,  formerly  of  Springfield,  Kentucky,  but  then  a  leading  professor 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  St.  Louis,  the  young 
man  repaired  to  the  city  named,  saw  his  old  friend,  now  in  the  zenith 
of  his  fame,  was  received  by  him  kindly,  and  was  given  by  him 
opportunity  to  carry  out  his  design.  He  had  scarcely  begun  his 
studies  when  he  felt  that  he  had  made  a  mistake.  His  next  step  was 
to  acknowledge  the  blunder  he  had  committed,  and  to  seek  the 
advice  of  his  preceptor.  Happily  for  him.  Dr.  Linton  was  a  no  less 
conscientious  Catholic  than  he  was  a  skillful  physician.  He  saw, 
or  thought  he  saw,  that  the  young  man's  true  vocation  was  the 
sacred  ministry,  and  seeing  this,  he  advised  him  to  study  for  the 
priesthood.* 

■*  If  I  could  but  find  words  wherein  to  shape  my  thoughts  of  the  late  Dr. 
M.  L.  Linton,  it  would  please  me  well  to  present  him  to  my  readers  as  the 
entire  man,  form  and  features,  mind  and  manners,  affections  and  principles,  is 
piciured  in  my  memory  and  in  my  heart.  I  would  like  to  be  able  to  per- 
petuate, if  that  might  be,  the  memory  of  this  true  man  and  true  Catholic 
in  the  State  in  which  he  was  born,  and  among  the  children  and  grandchildren 
of  those  who  were  his  patients  forty  years  ago  in  the  district  of  country 
watered  by  Cartwright's  creek,  I  knew  him  well  when  he  was  a  young  man, 
and  when,  if  I  mistake  not,  he  was  also  a  young  convert  to  the  Catholic  faith. 
I  knew  him  better  when,  in  the  city  of  his  later  and  last  residence,  he  was 
equally  honored  for  his  skill  and  conscientiousness  as  a  physician  and  teacher 
of  his  art,  and  for  his  devotion  to  his  religion  and  his  sterling  qualities  as  a 
man.  He  was  one  of  the  comparatively  few  that  are  to  be  met  with  in  this 
world  of  crookedness  and  sham  and  so-called  policy,  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
speaking  their  thoughts  after  having  shaped  them  to  the  measure  of  truth  and 
christian  charity.  No  man  was  then  bolder  in  his  denunciation  of  wrong- 
doing and  wrong-thinking,  or  more  commendatory  of  what  is  just  before  God 
and  men.  I  never  heard  him  lecture,  but  I  can  well  believe,  from  the  speci- 
mens of  his  writings  that  have  come  under  my  notice,  that  he  had  a  happy 
faculty  of  imparting  knowledge  of  his  art  in  the  hearing  of  his  students.  In 
the  year  18^9,  when  circumstances  led  to  my  acceptance  of  the  editorship  of 
The  Catholic  Guardian^  published   in   Louisville  by  authority  of  the  late   Most 


76  cartwright's  creek  settlement. 

He  hesitated  just  so  long  as  was  requisite  to  bring  the  matter  before 
God  in  prayer  while  he  performed  the  exercises  of  a  spiritual  retreat. 
At  its  close,  he  entered  the  novitiate  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  at 
Florissant. 

Father  Hill's  ordination  to  the  priesthood  took  place  August  24, 
i86t.  He  has  since  occupied  many  important  positions  in  the  houses 
of  the  Society  in  the  West.  He  pubhshed  in  1873,  a  valuable  Treatise 
on  Moral  Philosophy,  a  book  that  has  already  run  through  several 
editions.  In  1878,  he  published  his  Ethics,  or  Moral  Philosophy,  a 
much  more  elaborate  work,  and  a  most  valuable  contribution  to  the 
higher  literature  of  the  country.  In  the  pulpit,  Father  Hill  is 
singularly  unpretentious.  His  manner  is  easy,  to  be  sure,  but  it  is  the 
ease  of  nature  rather  than  of  art.  Learned  above  most  men,  his 
vocabulary  for  use  in  preaching  would  seem  to  include  only  the 
simplest  terms  known  to  the  language.  His  felicitousness  as  a 
speaker,  and  there  are  few  better  able  to  attract  and  rivet  attention,  is 
as  much  owing,  possibly,  to  the  fact  mentioned  as  it  is  to  his  mastery 
of  the  art  of  logic* 

The  Edelins,  the  Clarksons  and  the  Worlands,  of  Cartwright's 
Creek  Catholic  settlement,  between  which  families  there  was  kinship 
by  marriage,  deserve  special  mention  in  these  annals  from  the  fact 
that  they  were  the  progenitors  of  men  and  women  who  devoted,  and 
are  now  devoting,  their  lives  to  the  service  of  God,  either  as  priests  or 
as  members  of  religious  communities.  The  surname  Edelin  is  sup- 
posed to  be  unaffiliated  with  any  form  of  personal  nomenclature  that 
has  its  derivation  from  sources  not  distinctly  English.  It  is  generally 
believed  by  those  who  own  the  patronymic,  that  when  Christianity  was 
first  preached  to  the  Britons  by  missionaries  sent  from  Rome,  these 
had  for  their  hearers  and  after  converts  men  to  whom  the  name  was 
as  familiar  as  were  the  voices  of  their  children.  It  is  supposed,  too, 
and  this  supposition  has  the  support  of  coincidence,  there  having  been 
Edelins  in  Maryland  time  out  of  mind  and  without  record  of  their 
coming,  that  one  or  more  of  the  name  answered  at  roll-call  on  that 
memorable  March  27th,  1634,  when  Leonard  Calvert  and  his  pilgrim 

Rev.  M,  J.  Spalding,  then  bishop  of  the  See,  I  was  indebted  to  him  for  a  series 
of  papers,  to  which  publication  was  given,  on  The  Incongruities,  Contradic- 
tions and  Absurdities  that  are  to  be  found  in  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  of  the 
Anglican  Church,  and  in  the  Presbyterian  Confession  of  F.dth.  Dr.  Linton's 
style,  as  showh  in  these  articles,  is  epigrammatic  and  forcible ;  he  abounds  in 
wit,  and  his  logic  is  invincible.  In  St.  Louis,  as  in  Springfield  in  our  own 
State,  Dr.  Linton  was  as  much  respected  by  non-Catholics  as  he  was  beloved 
by  his  own  co-religionists.  Such  a  man  should  have  a  more  enduring  monu- 
ment than  any  I  can  raise  to  his  memory ;  but  I  do  what  is  possible  to  me  in 
in  this  direction,  by  giving  to  his  name  honorable  association  in  my  narrative 
with  those  of  hundreds  of  others  who  were  like  him  in  their  love  of  truth  and 
in  the  stability  of  their  Catholic  faith. 

■■■•"I  cannot  but  fear  that  Father  Hill  will  deprecate  what  I  have  here 
written  concerning  him.  Should  that  be  the  case,  let  him  lay  the  blame  upon 
our  ancient  friendship. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY,  77 

associates  took  rejoicing  possession  of  their  Canaan  in  the  wilds  of 
Maryland.* 

In  the  year  1795,  three  of  the  name  came  to  Kentucky,  who  bore 
to  each  other  the  relation  of  cousin.  One  of  them,  and  most  likely 
the  elder  of  the  three,  Joseph  Edelin,  settled  on  Pottinger's  creek, 
near  the  then  recently  constructed  church  of  Holy  Cross,  f  The 
other  two,  Samuel  and  Robert  Edelin,  settled  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Springfield.  Of  the  last  named,  litde  that  is  reliable  has  come  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  writer.  He  is  inclined  to  the  belief,  however, 
that  he  died  early,  and  that  several  of  his  children  were  reared  by 
Protestant  relatives  and  friends,  and  thus  lost  their  faith. | 

Samuel  Edelin,  whose  wife  was  Molly  Smith,  was  the  father  of 
nine  children,  four  sons  and  five  daughters.  Of  these,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  speak  of  but  two,  viz:  Theresa,  afterwards  Sister 
Magdalen,  a  Dominican  nun ;  and  Charles  Fennel,  whose  wife  was 
Ann  Worland,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Margaret  Worland,  the  last 
named  of  whom  was  regarded  as  an  exemplar  of  piety  and  prudence 
and  practical  religion  for  all  the  matrons  of  the  setdement.  Sister 
Magdalen,  or  Mother  Magdalen,  as  she  was  ordinarily  addressed  for 
the  greater  part  of  her  long  life  as  a  religious,  was  a  woman  of  rare 
administrative  talents,  and  to  her,  possibly,  more  than  to  any  other 
of  her  associates,  is  to  be  ascribed  the  sterling  reputation  that  attaches 
in  our  day  to  the  Sisterhood  of  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna  as  a  teaching 
community.  II 

Charles  Fennell  and  Ann  Edelin  were  the  parents  of  James  and 
Richard  P.  Edelin,  both  living.  The  first  named,  Rev.  James 
Edelin,  is  a  well  known  priest  of  the  Order  of  Preachers,  and  the 
second,  R.  P.  Edelin,  is  living  near  Springfield.  He  is  a  brother-in- 
law  of  the  writer,  his  wife  being  Susan  McGill,-  youngest  daughter  of 
the  late  James  McGill,  Sr. ,  of  Bardstown,  and  a  sister  of  the  late  Rt. 
Rev.  John  McGill,  of  the  diocese  of  Richmond. 

*0f  course  I  can  neither  know  nor  be  supposed  to  know  in  hoW  far  either 
hypothesis  stated  in  the  text  is  reasonably  held. 

fThis  Joseph  Edelin  was  my  maternal  grandfather, 

X  Instances  such  as  the  one  here  referred  to  have  been  common,  alas !  in  all 
the  old  congregations  of  the  State.  The  Hamilton  brothers,  so  well  known  in 
business  circles  in  Louisville  a  few  years  ago,  and  all  of  them  amiable  and 
much  respected  citizens,  would  have  been  Catholics,  undoubtedly,  had  they 
been  reared  in  their  father's  faith.  As  notable  an  instance  of  defection, 
accidental  it  is  to  be  presumed,  is  to  be  found  in  the  case  of  a  great-grand- 
daughter of  Thomas  Gwynn,  of  Nelson  county,  than  whom  the  early  Church 
of  Kentucky  was  represented  by  a  no  more  worthy  or  consistent  member. 
This  young  lady,  married  as  a  non-Catholic,  is  the  daughter-in-law  of  a  leading 
non-Catholic  officer  in  the  army  of  the  United  States. 

II I  first  saw  Mother  Magdalen  in  1837,  twenty-eight  years  before  the  date  of 
her  death.  She  reminded  me  at  the  time,  in  some  respects,  of  the  late  Rev. 
Mother  Catharine  Spalding,  of  the  Sisterhood  of  Charity  of  Nazareth.  The 
frame  was  larger,  the  face  more  angular,  and  she  was  decidedly  more  abrupt 
in  both  manner  and  speech.  Hard  as  had  ever  been  Mother  Catharine's 
experiences   in   building  up,  out  of  nothing,  as  it  were,  the  great  conventual 


78  cartwright's  creek  settlement. 

Knotley  Clarkson,  another  of  the  early  emigrants  from  Maryland 
to  the  settlement  on  Cartwright's  creek,  had  for  wife  Lucy,  a  sister  of 
Samuel  Edelin,  who  bore  to  him  three  sons,  Henry,  Edward  and 
Lloyd,  and  two  daughters.  Henry  Clarkson  took  to  wife  Elizabeth 
Worland,  of  whom  was  born  James  and  Sidney  Clarkson,  both  of 
whom  became  Dominican  priests.* 

Of  the  surname  Smith,  there  were  several  fathers  of  families  settled 
-at  a^  early  day  on  Cartwright's  creek.  Among  these  were  Samuel, 
Benjamin,  William,  Richard  and  Giles  Smith.  They  were  all  Catho- 
lics, and  the  writer  has  no  knowledge  of  the  degree  of  their  relation- 
ship, if  any.  Of  but  two  of  them  has  he  any  information  that  would 
be  now  considered  of  interest.  In  an  old  prayer-book,  that  had 
evidently  been  the  property  of  the  father  or  mother  of  Benjamin 
Smith,  he  reads  this  announcement :  "B.  S.  left  me  to  go  back  to 
Kentucky  this  2nd  day  of  April,  1793."  Benjamin  Smith's  wife  was 
Christiancy  Blandford.  Among  the  children  of  Giles  Smith  were 
Daniel  Smith,  afterwards  a  leading  Catholic  citizen  of  Louisville ;  Dr. 
John  Smith,  a  physician  of  prominence,  of  Washington  county ;  and 
Levi  Smith,  than  whom  few  men  were  better  known  in  his  native 
county,  t 

and  educational  establishment  with  which  her  name  was  connected  from  the 
beginning,  I  judged  that  those  ot  Mother  Magdalen  had  been  still  more 
exacting  and  more  wearyful.  They  were  alike  in  their  gravity  and  in  that 
indefinable  something  that  makes  one  feel  that  he  is  in  the  presence  of  person- 
ified purity  and  goodness  and  truth..  Mother  Magdalen  died  at  the  convent 
of  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna,  near  Springfield,  June  2ist,  1865. 

»Rev.  James  Clarkson,  O.  P.,  died  of  cholera  in  the  year  1833.  His 
brother,  Rev.  Sidney  Clarkson,  is  still  living,  a  greatly  beloved  and  most  useful 
member  of  his  order.  Edward  Clarkson,  son  of  Knotley,  married  a  Miss 
Buckman  ;  one  of  his  sons  is  still  living.  Lloyd  Clarkson,  third  son  of  Knot- 
ley,  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Hoskins  Hamilton,  and  he  had  for  second 
wife,  Elizabeth  Duncan.  The  daughters  of  Knotley  Clarkson  married,  respect- 
ively,    Constantine  and  John  Sutcliffe,   of  Nelson  county.      Washington 

Worland,  a  brother,  if  I  mistake  not,  of  Harry  Worland,  mentioned  in  the 
text,  first  settled  in  Woodford  county,  but  soon  afterwards  removed  to  the 
settlement  on  Cartwright's  creek.  He  was  best  known  for  his  exact  corres- 
pondence with  the  precepts  of  his  faith.  Another  of  the  same  family  name, 
James  Worland,  was  prominent  as  a  member  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Ann. 

t  More  than  thirty  years  ago  I  was  a  guest  for  the  night  of  Levi  Smith. 
Death  had  then  but  recently  invaded  his  household  and  taken  from  him  his 
second  wife,  a  niece  of  the  late  Rt.  Rev.  I.  A.  Reynolds,  whom  I  had  known 
from  her  childhood  as  Ann  Horrell,  a  most  interesting  and  amiable  young  lady 
of  my  native  town.  The  occasion  was  one  of  interest  to  me  by  reason  of  an 
incident  that  I  propose  to  relate.  At  an  early  hour  of  the  evening  Mr.  Smith 
invited  me  into  the  room  adjoining  the  one  in  which  we  were  sitting,  where  the 
members  of  the  family  were  assembled  for  night  prayers.  The  greater  number 
of  these  were  my  entertainer's  colored  slaves.  Having  prostrated  ourselves  on 
our  knees,  I  was  surprised  to  hear  the  prayers  given  out,  not  by  the  master  of 
the  house,  but  by  one  of  his  female  slaves.  The  voice  of  the  woman,  who 
appeared  to  be  about  forty  years  old,  was  so  pathetic  and  well  balanced,  so  true 
in  its  enunciation  of  the  words  of  the  petitions,  and  so  evidently  a  reflex  of  the 
emotions  of  a  heart  that  had  at  the  time  no  place  in  it  for  anything  beyond  the 
act  in  which  she  was  engaged,  that  I  caught  myself  wondering   where  she 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  79 

Daniel,  son  of  Giles  Smith,  was  already  an  old  citizen  of  Louis- 
ville in  1832.  He  was  then  one  of  the  trustees  of  St.  Louis  church 
in  that  city.  His  first  wife  was  Catherine  Miles,  a  sister  of  the  late 
Rt.  Rev.  R.  P.  Miles,  bishop  of  Nashville.  He  afterwards  inter- 
married with  Henrietta  Palmer,  a  sister  of  the  late  Dr.  R.  C.  Palmer, 
of  Washington  county,  who  long  survived  her  husband,  her  death 
having  taken  place  this  present  year.* 

James  Rudd  removed  with  his  family  to  the  neighborhood  of 
Springfield  from  Prince  George  county,  Maryland,  in  the  year  1796. 
His  children,  eight  in  number,  were  named,  William,  Charles,  Henry 
B.,  John,  Richard,  James,  Margaret,  and  Christopher.  James  Rudd 
died  in  the  year  1816,  and  his  wife,  Susannah  Brooke  Rudd,  in  1822. f 

The  patronymic  Montgomery  was  held  by  quite  a  number  of  fami- 
lies settled  on  Cartwright's  creek  before  the  beginning  of  the  present 

could  have  acquired  gifts  and  graces  which,  under  like  circumstances,  I  have 
not  unfrequently  seen  disregarded  by  better  educated  people  of  the  white  race. 
Without  hurry,  and  with  proper  modulation  and  emphasis,  she  uttered  the 
petitions  set  down  in  the  formularies,  and,  with  equal  truth  to  their  sentiment, 
she  was  answered  by  the  rest.  When  we  arose  from  our  knees  that  night,  I 
felt  that  I  would  like  to  ask  that  christian  woman's  blessing.  Compare 
this  with  another  meeting  for  family  prayers  at  which  I  was  present  a 
year  or  two  later.  The  head  of  the  family  in  this  case,  a  good  and  pious  man, 
though  an  unreflecting  one,  occupied  the  position  that  had  been  taken  by  the 
negress  in  the  other.  The  prayers  were  the  same,  but  oh!  how  differently  were 
they  recited.  Where  the  feelings  of  the  heart,  in  the  one  case,  found  their 
faithful  expression  in  the  tone  of  the  voice,  and  in  the  whole  manner  of  the 
petitioner,  there  was  nothing  to  be  observed  in  the  other  beyond  a  monotonous 
outpouring  of  words,  tame  and  spiritless,  except  when  the  stream  was  inter- 
rupted by  such  expressions  as  the  following,  given  parenthetically:  "We  fly 
to  thy  patronage — "  ("Nancy,  that  boy  is  asleep  again!  ")  "Give  us  this  day 
our  daily  bread,  and — "  ("  Willie,  kneel  up  straight!")  "Suffered  under 
Pontius  Pilate — "  ("Jane,  why  don't  you  hush  that  child?")  How  is  it 
possible  for  anyone  to  pray  aright  who  is  compelled  to  listen  to  such  a 
travesty  of  a  solemn  act  as  is  exemplified  in  this  case?  A  daughter  of  Levi 
Smith  is  married  to  Charles  C.  McGill,  a  son  of  Wm.  F.  McGill,  of  Bardstown. 

*  Four  daughters  of  Daniel  and  Henrietta  Smith  were,  and  are,  well  known 
in  society  and  in  the  church  in  Louisville,  viz:  Mrs.  Isaac  Caldwell,  Mrs,  L. 
M.  Flournoy,  Mrs.  E.  D.  Standiford,  and  Mrs.  Warren  Green.  Mrs.  Caldwell 
and  Mrs.  Green  died  in  1882. 

tOf  James  Rudd's  children,  it  will  be  necessary  to  speak  of  but  three. 
Richard  Rudd  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  a  bachelor  lawyer 
of  much  prominence,  practicing  in  Bardstown  when  I  was  a  boy.  He  was 
much  esteemed  for  his  probity  and  for  the  blamelessness  of  his  life.  He  died 
more  than  forty  years  ago.  The  late  Captain  James  Rudd,  of  Louisville,  was 
his  father's  sixth  son.  Of  him  I  will  have  to  speak  in  another  chapter.  The 
late  Dr.  Christopher  Rudd,  of  Springfield,  was  as  well  known  and  as  much 
respected  as  any  man  in  the  county.  Having  studied  medicine  and  established 
himself  as  a  physician  in  Springfield,  he  took  to  wife  Nannie  Palmer,  a  sister 
of  Dr.  R.  C.  Palmer,  of  Washington  county.  He  was  a  skillful  practitioner 
and  a  deservedly  popular  man.  One  of  his  daughters,  Louisa  Rudd,  became 
the  wife  of  the  late  Hamilton  Smith,  proprietor  of  the  Cannelton  [Indiana] 
cotton  mills,  and  one  of  her  sons,  Ballard  Smith,  was  but  lately,  if  he  is  not  now, 
managing  editor  of  The  World  newspaper,  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Dr. 
Christopher  Rudd  died  in  1840. 


cartwright's  creek  settlement. 

century.  Charles  Montgomery,  whose  wife  was  an  Elder,  was  the 
father  of  the  Dominican  priests,  Stephen  and  Samuel  Montgomery, 
ordained  by  Bishop  Flaget  in  the  year  1816.  Basil  Montgomery  was 
the  father  of  Rev.  Charles  P.  Montgomery,  of  the  same  order.  In 
addition  to  these,  there  were  the  families  of  James,  John,  Bernard  and 
Jeremiah  Montgomery,  most  of  whom  have  descendants  still  living  in 
the  county  of  Washington. 

There  were  nearly  as  many  families  named  Jarboe  among  those 
who  came  to  the  settlement  from  Maryland  in  an  early  day.  John 
Jarboe  and  his  wife,  Dolly  Hill,  were  the  parents  of  the  venerable 
and  Very  Rev.  J.  T.  Jarboe,  O.  P.,  still  living,  who  is  known  so  favor- 
ably to  the  clergy  of  the  entire  country.  Others  of  the  name  among 
the  settlers  were:     Henry,  Stephen,   Benjamin,   and  Arnold  Jarboe. 

The  Rineys  were  as  numerous,  numbering  the  families  of  Jonathan, 
Zachariah,  Jesse,  James,  John,  Basil  and  Clement  Riney. 

The  Osbornes  numbered  five  famihes,  viz:  Those  of  Thomas, 
William,  Walter,  Joseph  and  Basil  Osborne;  the  Blacklocks  three, 
those  of  Joseph,  William  and  Nathaniel  Blacklock;  the  Carricos 
three,  those  of  Joseph,  Cornelius  and  Nathaniel  Carrico;  the 
Howards  three,  those  of  Richard,  Charles  and  James  Howard;  the 
,  Fenwicks  three,  those  of  Thomas,  Cornelius  and  Henry  Fenwick  ;  the 
Buckmans  three,  those  of  Joseph,  Harry  and  William  Buckman. 

There  were  two  heads  of  families  of  the  name  of  Adams.  Eli  and 
James  Adams;  two  of  the  name  of  Blandford,  Charles  T.  and  Ignatius 
Blandford;  two  of  the  name  of  Spink,  Ignatius  and  Raphael  Spink; 
two  of  the  name  of  Janes,  John  and  Austin  Janes;  two  of  the  name 
of  Wheatly,  Edward  and  James  Wheatly;  two  of  the  name  of 
Offutt,  Z.  B.  and  Augustine  Offutt;  two  of  the  name  of  Neeley, 
James  and  David  Neeley;  three  of  the  name  of  Hayden,  William, 
Wilfred  and  Bennet  Hayden;  two  of  the  name  of  O'Neil,  Jonas  and 
Thomas  O'Neil;  three  of  the  name  of  Thompson,  Gabriel,  George 

and  J.  B.  Thompson;  two  of  the  name  of  Knott,  Joseph  and  

Knott;  and  two  of  the  name  of  Johnson,  John  and  Simeon  Johnson. 

In  addition  to  these,  there  were  the  families  of  Bennet  Bean, 
Walter  Bell,  Mathew  J.  Boyle,  Thomas  Clements,  Thomas  Craycroft, 
John  and  Zachariah  Edelin,  Hugh  Fitzpatrick,  Wilfred  Field,  Mc- 
Kenzie  Gettings,  Clement  Gallihan,  William  Gau  (a  teacher),  Walter 
Hamilton,  Peter  Higdon,  William  Jenkins,  John  Kelly,  Charles 
Kennett,  Zachariah  Lanham,  Thomas  Mudd,  Jacob  McAdams,  Joseph 
Mattingly,  John  S.  Miles,  Peter  Powell,  Patrick  Payne,  Joseph 
Pierceall,    Hezekiah   Roby,    Richard    Ryan,    Abram    Rhodes,    Basil 

Speaks,    Sweeney,    Nicholas    Sansbury,    John    Simms,    Josiah 

Turner  (father  of  Rev.  J.  P.  Turner,  O.  P.),  Kenrick  Williams,  Joseph 
McDaniel,  John  Willett  and  William  White.* 

*It  is  not  unlikely  that  a  few  of  the  names  given  above  were  those  of  men 
born  in  Kentucky.  They  were  all  recognized,  however,  as  patriarchs  01  the 
settlement,  and  as  having  been  among  the  elders  of  the  congregation  of  St. 
Rose,  which,  after  the  year  1808,  was  identical  with  that  of  St.  Ann. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  8l 

A  lady  friend  of  the  writer,  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early 
emigrants  to  the  settlement  on  Cartwright's  creek,  thus  describes,  as 
the  story  was  told  her  by  an  ancient  dame  of  her  kindred,  the  manner 
of  life  of  the  women  of  the  Catholic  settlements  at  the  beginning  of 
the  present  century: 

"Five  miles  to  church  was  considered  exceptionally  convenient. 
All,  or  nearly  all,  walked;  the  women  as  well  as  the  men  plodding 
along  the  road  with  shoeless  feet.  Some  of  the  former,  however, 
carried  in  their  reticules  pairs  of  coarse  cloch  slippers,  fashioned  by 
themselves,  to  be  put  on  when  they  came  in  sight  of  the  church. 
Their  tiring-room  was  ordinarily  in  the  shadow  of  a  clump  of  trees  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  chapel,  where  their  simple  toilets  were  made,  and 
whence,  with  their  cotton  bonnets  pulled  closely  over  their  faces,  they 
marched  demurely  to  the  church.  Under  other  circumstances,  the 
natural  curiosity  of  the  sex  would  have  indicated  itself  by  furtive 
glances  directed  toward  their  neighbors;  but  here  and  now,  every 
sentiment  that  had  not  reference  to  the  Great  King  whose  earthly 
tabernacle  they  were  approaching,  was  smothered  in  their  hearts,  and 
neither  turning  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left,  they  entered  the  chapel 
with  bowed  heads  and  silently  took  their  places. 

"Service  over,  and  beyond  the  precincts  of  the  church,  absorbed 
recollection  in  the  minds  of  these  unsophisticated  beauties  gave  place 
to  the  mingled  feelings  that  ordinarily  prompt  human  action.  They 
were  still  modest  and  sedate,  to  be  sure,  but  the  "return  from 
church  "  was  always  for  them  a  pleasant  time.  Then  it  was  that  the 
family  groups  found  themselves  minus  the  young  men  of  their  own 
households  and  plus  those  of  their  neighbors.  Not  unfrequently  on 
such  occasions,  and  under  the  eyes  of  observant  and  well-pleased 
parents,  words  were  spoken  that  bound  young  hearts  together  for  life. 

"The  chief  employment  of  the  women  in  those  days  was  spinning 
and  weaving.  When  the  flax  was  mature  in  the  field,  it  was,  as  a 
general  thing,  the  task  of  the  young  girls  to  '  pull '  and  '  spread  it  to 
rot.'  The  process  of  'breaking'  was  the  only  one  in  connection 
with  the  manipulation  of  the  flax  fiber  that  was  considered  too 
laborious  for  the  hands  of  women.  Separated  by  this  process  from  the 
stalk  of  which  it  had  been  the  covering,  it  was  again  taken  in  hand 
by  the  girls  of  the  family,  assisted,  it  may  be,  by  their  younger 
brothers,  by  whom  it  was  '  swingled'  and  'hackled'  and  made  ready 
for  the  spinning  wheel.  The  spinning  and  weaving  was  equally  the 
work  of  the  mothers  and  elder  daughters,  but  it  rarely  happened  that 
the  latter  were  intrusted  with  work  in  either  line  that  required  delicacy 
of  manipulation.  The  elders  were  always  regarded  as  the  experts, 
and  when  it  was  a  question  of  'wedding  raiment,'  it  was  considered 
their  exclusive  privilege  not  only  to  spin  the  yarn  that  was  destined  to 
enter  into  the  finished  fabric,  but  to  weave  it  as  well,  and  to  dictate  in 
everything  relating  to  its  after  make-up.  A  curious  mode  had  our 
great-grandmothers  of  testing  the  fineness  of  the  thread  they  were 
spinning.     When  a  hank,  comprising  fifteen  hundred  distinct  threads, 

6 


82  cartwright's  creek  settlement. 

could  be  run  through  an  ordinary  finger-ring,  the  yarn  was  con- 
sidered fine  enough  to  answer  for  shirt  fronts  and  wedding  dresses. 
It  was  a  rare  circumstance,  indeed,  to  find  a  young  girl  of  the 
period  clad  in  other  than  coarse,  unbleached  cotton;  but  I  have 
litde  doubt  that  such  an  one,  thus  dressed,  appeared  just  as  charming 
in  the  eyes  of  her  friends,  including  her  male  admirers,  as  does  the 
belle  of  our  own  day,  clad  in  silks,  in  those  of  her  more  fastidious 
devotees. 

' '  The  amusements  of  our  grand  and  great-grandmothers  were  not 
unmixed  with  an  element  of  thrift.  'Apple  peelings,'  'quilting 
frolics'  and  'corn-shuckings'  were  in  those  times  terms  that  severally 
meant  'a  good  time  generally.'  On  these  occasions  fathers  and 
mothers  accompanied  their  sons  and  daughters  to  the  place  of  enter- 
tainment, and  if  the  nominal  object  of  the  meeting  happened  to  be  the 
peeling  of  apples  or  the  husking  of  corn,  all  hands  were  expected  to 
take  part  in  the  work.  Ordinarily  a  couple  of  hours  were  given  to 
labor,  and  double  the  number  to  the  dance  that  followed. 

"I  do  not  know  whence  our  progenitors  of  the  times  acquired  the 
taste  they  had  for  dancing;  but  it  is  quite  certain  that  it  was  the 
a.musement  par  excellence  in  which  they  were  in  the  habit  of  engaging. 
In  vain  did  Father  Badin  and  the  other  early  missionaries  of  the  State 
inveigh  against  the  custom  as  nonsensical  and  fraught  with  danger  to 
sound  morals.  They  could  not  suppress  it;  and  they  wisely  under- 
took to  surround  it  with  safeguards.  These  were  the  presence  of 
parents  at  all  parties  of  the  kind,  and  the  diminution  of  the  hours 
that  were  commonly  devoted  to  the  pastime.  The  young  women  of 
1800,  if  reliance  is  to  be  placed  upon  the  statements  made  to  me  by 
certain  elderly  ladies  known  to  me  in  my  own  girlhood,  were  very 
generally  expert  dancers.  It  is  to  be  doubted,  however,  if  their  style 
of  dancing  was  not  more  energetic  than  graceful. 

"The  use  of  coffee  was  so  little  known  in  Kentucky  at  the  time  of 
which  I  am  writing,  that  many  persons,  born  in  the  State,  grew  up  to 
be  men  and  women  before  they  ever  saw  a  specimen  of  the  berry  or 
tasted  of  its  infused  principle.  All,  however,  had  knowledge  of  the 
taste  of  tea,  a  small  store  of  which  was  regarded  as  a  necessity  by  all 
the  elderly  women  of  the  settlements.  I  remember  being  told  when 
a  child,  by  a  great-aunt  of  mine,  that  she  had  known  many  young 
women  who  had  never  seen  the  reflection  of  their  faces  in  a  looking- 
glass.  Tutania  tea-pots  or  plates,  rubbed  to  the  point  of  reflection, 
served  them  for  mirrors. 

"In  the  year  1800,  and  for  two  decades  thereafter,  wives  and 
daughters  in  the  Catholic  settlements  of  Nelson  and  Washington 
counties  had  no  other  resource  for  pin-money  than  the  labor  of  their 
own  hands  expended  in  certain  privileged  industries,  over  the  financial 
results  of  which  neither  husbands  nor  fathers  were  supposed  to  have 
any  control  whatever.  Among  the  most  important  of  these  industries 
were  the  preservation  of  fruits  by  sun-drying  and  the  spinning  of 
shoe-thread.     Twice  a  year  the  accumulations  of  these  products  were 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  83 

intrusted  to  local  traders  and  shipped  off,  ordinarily  by  flat-boat  con- 
veyances, down  the  Beech  and  Rolling  Forks  of  Salt  river,  and  from 
the  mouths  of  these  through  the  larger  streams  to  the  city  of  New 
Orleans,  where  a  ready  market  awaited  them  at  remunerative  prices. 
Thus  it  was  that  the  matrons  of  the  settlements  were  enabled,  inde- 
pendently of  the  purses  of  their  husbands,  to  purchase  many  small 
comforts  for  themselves,  and  bits  of  finery  with  which  to  trig  out 
their  daughters. 

"  I  will  now  tell  you  of  a  wedding  in  the  olden  time,  the  account 
of  which  came  to  me  from  my  grand-aunt  at  an  epoch  in  my  own  life 
when  such  recitals  are  supposed  to  be  of  uncommon  interest.  The 
bride  was  the  daughter  of  one  George  Brown,  a  respectable  member 
of  one  of  Father  Badin's  congregations  in  Washington  county.  She 
had  been  'promised'  to  a  young  man  who  had  come  from  Maryland 
with  her  father,  but  who  had  stopped  short  of  Washington  county  by 
a  hundred  miles  or  more.  He  had  been  told  that  he  might  come  and 
claim  his  wife  whenever  he  could  give  assurance  of  his  ability  to  pro- 
vide for  her.  Two  years  had  passed  since  the  engagement,  and 
neither  had  heard  a  word  from  the  other.  How  could  they  ?  There 
were  no  postoffices  in  the  country,  and  the  expectant  bridegroom, 
poor  fellow,  was  too  busy  fixing  up  things  for  the  time  when  he  would 
be  able  to  demand  his  wife  in  accordance  with  the  terms  to  which  he 
was  pledged,  to  think  of  making  her  a  visit  of  mere  ceremony. 
He  came  at  length,  however,  mounted  on  a  serviceable  horse,  but 
without  an  attendant.  With  no  greater  delay  than  the  time  needed 
by  the  bride's  mother  to  prepare  the  wedding-feast,  the  twain  were 
made  one  by  Father  Badin,  and  the  next  morning  found  them 
mounted  for  their  journey  to  their  future  home.  The  father's  gift  to 
his  daughter  was  a  horse,  properly  caparisoned,  and  that  of  the  mother 
was  forty  yards  of  linen.  From  the  pommel  of  the  young  wife's 
saddle  swung  a  canvass  bag  containing  her  somewhat  extravagant 
store  of  extra  clothing,  and  loosely  flung  across  that  of  her  husband, 
appeared  her  mother's  gift,  the  treasured  bolt  of  linen.  For  the 
reason  that  the  wedded  pair,  on  this  occasion,  were  enabled  to  make 
their  journey  homeward  on  separate  horses,  this  was  considered  by 
their  neighbors  a  wedding  in  high  life. 

"The  extent  and  character  of  the  bride's  trousseau,  as  described 
by  one  who  was  in  her  confidence,  should  be  a  study  for  those  who 
are  contemplating  matrimony  in  our  own  day.  Permit  me  to  figure  it 
out  for  your  readers :  Two  suits  of  underwear  of  home-made  Hnen ; 
a  wedding  dress  of  cotton,  with  blue  and  white  stripes ;  a  yellow  and 
white  dress,  'second  best,'  of  the  same  material ;  another  of  linen,  of 
butternut  color,  to  serve  as  a  traveling  suit;  a  blue-striped  cotton 
sunbonnet;  home-knit  gloves  of  linen  thread  colored  yellow,  and 
white  cotton  slippers.  The  parents'  parting  gifts  to  their  daughter 
should  not  be  forgotten :  From  her  father  she  received  a  tea-pot  of 
britannia  metal  of  the  capacity  of  about  a  pint,  and  from  her  mother 
a  blue  calico  cape  that  ha,d  been  brought  from  Maryland. 


84  cartwright's  creek  settlement. 

"Among  the  'women  of  mark'  of  the  Cartwright  and  Hardin's 
Creeks  settlements,  the  most  notable,  possibly,  was  Mrs.  Margaret 
Thompson,  otherwise  known  as  '  Dr.  Peggy,'  whose  husband,  John 
Thompson,  would  appear  to  have  derived  from  his  connection  with 
her  all  the  reputation  he  ever  had  in  the  neighborhood  in  which  he 
lived.  Dr.  Peggy  was  an  expert  accoucheuse,  and  her  services  were 
in  periodical  request  by  half  the  married  women  in  the  two  settlements. 
She  was  a  wonderful  gossip,  but  by  no  means  a  mischievous  one. 
There  was  nothing  that  transpired  within  a  circuit  of  ten  miles  of  her 
nominal  home  that  she  did  not  know  all  about,  and  she  had  to  go  no 
further  than  the  threshold  of  a  sick-room  to  find  listeners  to  her 
recitals.  She  was  a  faithful,  pious  soul,  and  it  is  to  be  said  of  her  that 
she  never  allowed  an  infant  to  die  on  her  hands  without  first  making 
of  it  a  christian  by  the  administration  of  lay  baptism.  I  have  a 
number  of  anecdotes  of  Dr.  Peggy  Thompson,  but  as  these  would 
be  found  more  interesting  to  a  conclave  of  old-lady  tea-drinkers  than 
to  the  general  public,  I  will  not  burden  your  history  with  any  one  of 
them." 

Among  the  names  hitherto  given  of  emigrants  to  the  neighborhood 
of  Cartwright's  Creek,  will  be  found  that  of  John  Janes,  who  is  said  to 
have  been  an  Englishman  by  birth.  A  great-granddaughter  of  his,  a 
resident  now  of  Marion  county,  writes  me  this  concering  him  and  a 
member  of  his  family  whose  death  took  place  as  late  as  the  year  1845  • 

"My  great-grandfather  came  to  Kentucky  in  1798.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  children,  the  latter  being  mostly  grown 
at  the  time.  It  was  his  idea  to  make  the  falls  of  the  Ohio  his  future 
home,  but  after  a  short  stay  in  Louisville,  he  concluded  that  he  had 
better  seek  further  for  an  abiding  place.  Eventually  he  secured  lands 
a  few  miles  removed  from  the  church  of  St.  Ann,  and  about  equally 
distant  from  St.  Stephen's,  the  residence  of  Father  Badin.  Mr.  Janes 
was  not  a  Catholic  then,  but  his  wife  and  children  were,  and  in  the 
course  of  time  the  family  came  to  be  recognized  as  important  factors 
in  whatever  was  of  local  popular  enterprise  respecting  the  welfare  of 
the  Church.  Father  Badin  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  Mr.  Janes',  and 
sometimes  said  mass  there  for  the  benefit  of  the  neighborhood.  On 
one  of  these  occasions  took  place  an  incident  that  ought  not  to  be 
omitted  from  your  historical  sketch  of  St.  Ann's  church  and  its  first 
pastor : 

"Julia  Janes,  her  father's  youngest  "daughter,  was  as  remarkable 
for  her  industry  as  she  was  for  her  piety.  Her  mind  was  comprehen- 
sive, and  she  was  quick  to  execute  what  she  had  decided  on  as  being 
the  right  thing  to  do.  Having  celebrated  mass  one  morning,  and 
afterwards  partaken  of  breakfast  with  the  family.  Father  Badin  was 
invited  by  Miss  Julia  to  enter  the  best  room  in  the  house  in  order  to 
look  upon  a  piece  of  her  handiwork,  in  which,  as  the  priest  soon 
discovered,  she  took  no  little  pride.  Spread  out  on  the  floor  of  the 
room  was  a  veritable  carpet.  Such  articles  of  home  garniture  and 
comfort  were  uncommon  enough  in  those  days  'to  attract  any  one's 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  85 

attention  when  seen,  and  there  was  just  so  much  show  of  surprise  on 
the  priest's  face  when  his  eyes  fell  upon  it  as  to  induce  the  young  girl 
to  ask  :  '  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Father  Badin  ?  Is  it  not  handsome  ? ' 
'It  is  both  handsome  and  comfortable  looking,  Jooly,'  replied  the 
priest.  'I  Hke  it  so  well,  my  child,'  he  immediately  added,  'that  I 
would  not  object  to  having  one  like  it  for  my  own  room.  It  would 
certainly  make  it  more  comfortable  in  the  cold  nights  of  winter.' 
Nothing  more  was  said  at  the  time,  and  the  priest  began  to  say  his 
office,  pacing  the  carpeted  floor  during  its  recitation. 

"Returning  afterwards  to  the  family  room,  he  was  met  and  thus 
accosted  by  his  clever  and  sprightly  young  friend :  'While  you  were 
saying  your  office.  Father,  I  was  studying  out  a  plan  to  get  you  a 
carpet  without  money.  I  have  got  it  all  here,'  she  added,  tapping  her 
forehead  with  her  finger,  'and  if  you  will  but  follow  my  directions,  I 
will  engage  that  you  shall  have  a  carpet  for  your  room  before  winter 
sets  in,  and  without  the  cost  of  a  sixpence.' 

-'  '  Do  you  say  so?'  exclaimed  the  priest,  with  a  grave  smile  on 
his  face;  'and  pray,  young  miss,  how  are  we  to  go  about  this  grand 
undertaking?' 

"  '  Easy  enough,'  replied  the  girl,  '  and  with  no  longer  delay  for  a 
beginning  than  next  Sunday  a  week,  when  you  are  going  to  keep 
church  at  St.  Ann's.  When  you  will  have  finished  your  sermon,  you 
will  just  say  to  the  women  of  the  congregation  that  you  want  a  carpet 
for  your  room.  You  will  tell  them  what  I  know  to  be  a  fact,  that  the 
flooring  puncheons  of  the  room  have  so  shrunken  as  to  leave  gaps 
between,  through  which  the  winds  of  winter  sweep  so  continously  as  to 
render  you  uncomfortable,  whether  waking  or  sleeping.  You  will  tell 
them  further  that  you  want  each  of  thirty  among  them,  mothers  and 
daughters,  to  bring  with  them  the  next  time  they  come  to  church  two 
pounds  of  rag  carpeting,  cut  into  strips  and  wound  into  balls.  You 
will  then  tell  the  other  women  of  the  congregation — there  are  more 
than  sixty  of  them,  all  told,  you  know — that  you  want  them  to  furnish 
you,  in  the  aggregate,  with  thirty  cuts  of  tow  thread,  reeled  off  into 
hanks.  I  will  weave  the  carpet  and  see  that  it  is  put  down  properly. 
That's  my  plan.  Father  Badin.'  she  added  gleefully.  'What  do  you 
think  of  it?' 

"  'It's  an  admirable  plan,  Jooly;  an  admirable  plan,  indeed!' 
replied  the  priest;  'I  could  wish  that  others  might  plan  as  well  in 
matters  of  much  more  importance.' 

"The  announcement  as  suggested  was  made  in  due  form,  and  very 
soon  thereafter,  for  the  first  time  during  his  missionary  career  in 
Kentucky,  Father  Badin's  room  at  St.  Stephen's  was  provided  with  a 
carpet.  But  this  was  not  the  end  of  the  matter.  The  very  next  visit 
paid  by  the  priest  to  the  Janes  family,  his  young  friend  observed  that 
he  seemed  out  of  sorts.  'What  troubles  you.  Father  Badin?'  she 
asked ;   '  are  you  not  well  ?' 

"  'Well  enough  in  body,'  he  replied,  'but  not  a  little  troubled  in 
mind,  Jooly.     I  fear  that  I  have  been  thinking  more  of  myself  than  of 


86  cartwright's  creek  settlement. 

our  dear  Lord  in  the  Sacrament  of  His  love.  The  home  in  which  He 
abides  for  the  love  of  us  is  bleak  and  bare.  He,  the  Master  of  all,  is 
meanly  lodged,  and  I,  His  poor  servant,  am  provided  with  comforts. 
Jooly,  my  child,  you  must  take  up  the  carpet  you  put  down  in  my  room 
and  transfer  it  to  the  sanctuary  floor  at  St.  Ann's.' 

"While  the  priest  was  speaking,  Julia  Janes  could  scarcely  restrain 
her  tears ;  but  when  he  had  concluded,  she  promptly  opposed  the 
arrangement. 

"  'No,  Father,'  said  she,  'your  carpet  is  not  half  good  enough 
for  the  sanctuary.  We  will  do  better  than  that  for  our  dear  Lord! 
Just  listen  to  me.  You  will  repeat  your  call  upon  the  women  of  the 
congregation;  but,  instead  of  rags,  you  will  tell  them  to  fetch  woolen 
yarns.  They  will  do  it.  Father,  never  fear ;  and  when  the  yarns  and 
thread  come  in,  I  will  take  the  lot  and  weave  it  into  such  a  carpet  as 
was  never  turned  out  of  loom  in  all  Kentucky  ! ' 

"Looking  at  the  girl  in  astonished  admiration,  Father  Badin 
exclaimed :  '  God  bless  the  child !  She  shames  me  as  much  by  her 
practical  good  sense  as  she  does  by  her  christian  confidence!  Ah, 
Jooly,'  he  added,  '  the  labor  that  is  undergone  for  God  is  never  vainly 
expended.  Remember  that,  my  child,  and  let  your  heart  rejoice  that 
you  are  able  and  wiUing  to  do  something  for  Him  who  has  endowed 
you  so  richly.' 

"The  second  appeal  was  made  as  Julia  Janes  had  suggested,  and 
the  result  was  even  more  gratifying  than  on  the  former  occasion.  The 
women  of  the  congregation,  recognizing  the  fact  that  their  handiwork 
was  to  be  put  to  a  sacred  use,  not  only  selected  the  best  of  their 
fleeces,  but  they  sought  to  give  to  the  finished  yarn  every  requisite  of 
smoothness,  strength  and  durability.  Warp  and  woof  having  come 
into  the  hands  of  Julia  Janes  at  length,  that  tasteful  young  woman 
searched  the  woods  for  vegetable  dyes  with  which  to  give  to  them 
tone  and  color,  and,  a  little  while  later,  she  cut  from  her  loom  a  carpet 
that  was  long  regarded  as  a  wonder  of  textile  art. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  the  incident  related  below  will  enhance 
respect  for  the  memory  of  Father  Badin,  or  have  a  contrary  effect. 
You  have  not  now  to  learn  that  he  displayed  at  times  toward  his 
penitents  a  spirit  of  severity  that  would  be  characterized  in  our  day  as 
downright  tyranny.  Father  Badin  was  an  excellent  judge  of  character, 
and  it  may  be  that,  in  the  case  to  be  related,  he  saw  that  there  was 
little  hope  of  reformation  through  recourse  to  measures  less  marked  by 
severity.  The  facts  related  are  of  such  authenticity  as  to  warrant  me 
in  vouching  for  their  truth  : 

"Once  on  a  time,  Father  Badin  had  an  appointment  to  keep 
church  at  the  house  of  a  lady  of  distinction,  residing  at  no  great 
distance  from  my  grandfather's  place.  She  had  acquired  the  title, 
possibly,  from  the  fact  that  she  had  a  larger  house  than  any  one  of 
her  neighbors,  and  possibly  from  the  circumstance  that  she  was  the 
happy  possessor  of  certain  articles  of  table  garniture,  fashioned  out 
of  sterling  silver,  that  had  been  brought  by  an  ancestor  from  England, 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  87 

and  were  kept  by  her,  not  so  much  for  use  as  for  tokens  of  ancestral 
respectability.  She  had  brought  with  her  to  Kentucky  her  ancient 
Catholic  faith,  which  was  well;  but  she  had  also  brought  with  her  an 
uncommon  stock  of  worldly  pride,  which  was  bad. 

"  Now  it  was  known  by  Catholic  colonists  in  Kentucky,  far  and 
wide,  that  Father  Badin  had  peculiar  notions  respecting  the  whole- 
someness  and  unwholesomeness  of  certain  articles  of  diet.  For 
instance,  he  was  a  veritable  Israelite  in  respect  to  the  use  of  swine's 
flesh;  "and  he  never  would  partake  of  poultry  unless  it  had  been 
killed  previous  to  the  day  upon  which  it  was  served.  On  the  occasion 
referred  to,  my  lady  had  invited  a  number  of  her  neighbors,  my 
grand-aunt,  Julia  Janes,  among  the  number,  to  meet  the  priest  at 
dinner,  which  was  fixed  for  an  early  hour  in  order  to  give  penitents 
opportunities  of  going  to  confession  during  the  afternoon  and  even- 
ing. When  dinner  was  announced,  Father  Badin  asked  a  blessing 
on  the  company  and  on  the  food  that  had  been  set  before  them ;  and 
then  plunged  his  fork  into  a  fowl  that  had  been  placed  near  his  plate. 
He  was  seen  to  recoil  with  something  of  disgust  in  his  looks.  Laying 
down  his  knife  and  fork,  he  abruptly  asked,  '  When  was  this  fowl 
killed?'  '  Last  night,' answered  his  hostess,  boldly.  Turning  to  the 
colored  girl  in  waiting,  he  put  to  her  the  same  question,  to  which  she 
answered  as  had  her  mistress,  '  Last  night.  Father. '  Looking  straight 
into  the  face  of  his  hostess,  the  priest  exclaimed:  '  The  mistress  tells 
an  untruth,  and  the  maid  swears  to  it.'*  Blushing  scarlet,  the  mistress 
of  the  house  managed  to  say :  '  Indeed,  Father,  I  ordered  the  fowls 
to  be  killed  last  night,  but  the  servants  were  kept  busy  till  a  late  hour, 
and  they  deferred  the  job  till  morning.  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to 
make  out  your  dinner  on  roast  lamb.'  '  Yes,'  returned  the  priest,  '  I 
can  readily  dine  on  roast  lamb,  and  I  will;  but  you,  for  having  told  an 
untruth  before  all  these  people,  will  have  to  say  this  evening,  before 
you  come  to  confession,  mind  you,  twelve  pairs  of  beads;  and  unless 
you  do  so,  I  will  not  grant  you  absolution.' 

' '  The  witnesses  to  this  public  rebuke  were  far  from  satisfied  that  it 
had  been  wisely  rendered;  and  Julia  Janes  went  so  far  as  to  give  the 
priest  afterwards  a  piece  of  her  mind  in  opposition  to  its  propriety. 
With  a  manner  that  was  half  serious  and  half  comical,  he  turned  to 
her  and  said:  '  Go  your  ways,  Jooly!  I  did  it  for  her  soul's  sake.  I 
wished  to  humiliate  her,  lest  she  should  be  lost !  A  priest  is  God's 
surgeon,  and  he  must  cut  to  cure.' 

"When  the  last  of  the  penitents,  after  having  gone  to  confession, 
was  mounting  his  horse  to  return  home,  the  poor  woman  was  still  to  be 
seen  traversing  the  orchard  and  saying  her  beads." 

*One  can  readily  imagine  how  perplexing  the  housewives  of  the  time  often 
found  these  notions  of  sanitary  propriety  on  the  part  of  Father  Badin.  To 
use  the  expression  of  an  old  lady  of  my  acquaintance,  at  the  house  of  whose 
father  the  missionary  occasionally  visited,  "  Mother  was  often  put  to  her  wit's 
end  to  find  something  he  would  eat." 


88  SCOTT   COUNTY    SETTLEMENT. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   SCOTT   COUNTY   CATHOLIC   SETTLEMENT. 

Hitherto  the  writer  has  had  encouragement  in  the  performance  of 
his  assumed  task  of  historical  research  in  the  richness  of  the  deposits 
that  have  been  laid  open  to  his  sight.  Here  and  now,  he  has  to 
acknowledge  that  there  is  little  presented  to  his  vision  that  is  for 
edification.  The  Scott  county  Catholic  settlement  of  Kentucky, 
so-called,  is  an  anomaly  in  the  Catholic  religious  history  of  the  State. 
Judged  by  the  standard  that  is  ordinarily  received  by  reasoning  men,  it 
should  have  led  all  others,  not  only  in  numbers  and  influence,  and  in 
the  adherence  of  its  members  to  the  faith  in  which  they  had  been 
reared,  but  also  in  its  display  of  practical  religion.  Alas!  that  it  should 
have  to  be  said  of  it,  no  earnest  Catholic  can  follow  its  history,  up  to 
the  very  day  of  the  transfer  of  its  territory  in  1853  to  the  authority  of 
the  bishop  of  the  then  newly  created  See  of  Covington,  and  not  feel 
humiliated.  Situated  in  a  beautiful  and  fertile  district  of  country, 
with  a  Catholic  people  who,  so  to  speak,  had  but  to  stir  the  surface 
of  the  ground  in  order  to  secure  a  hundredfold  the  measure  of  their 
seed-time  plantings,  waxing  rich  by  yearly  accumulations  of  property, 
and  hence  better  able  to  do  something  for  God  and  the  christian 
education  of  their  children,  we  find  its  Catholic  standard  of  well-being 
and  propriety  at  no  time  in  the  ascendency,  and  at  last  so  lowered 
as  to  bring  shame  and  reproach  on  the  diocese  itself. 

To  what  cause  or  causes  are  to  be  attributed  results  so  humiliating, 
and  so  evidently  indicative  of  God's  displeasure— whether  to  the 
preference  given  by  the  first  settlers  to  their  personal  and  merely  tem- 
poral interests  when  they  refused  to  follow  their  fellow  emigrants  from 
Maryland  to  a  less  favorable  situation  in  a  worldly  point  of  view,  but 
where  they  had  been  promised  the  ministrations  of  a  priest;  to 
worldly  pride  that  has  too  often  its  root  in  the  love  of  riches,  or  to  the 
evil  influence  of  pastors  who  were  at  times  weak  and  vacillating,  and 
at  others  themselves  the  provokers  of  scandals— it  is  not  for  the  writer 
to  say.  He  can  but  give  place  in  his  history  of  the  settlement  to  the 
record  as  he  finds  it,  leaving  to  others  more  competent  in  analysis  to 
draw  from  it,  if  little  for  edification,  something  at  least  by  which  to 
show  that  there  are  in  this  world  things  more  valuable  than  riches ; 
that  pride  is  dishonorable  to  the  christian,  and  that  the  service  of  a  true 
and  competent  pastor  of  souls  is  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  God  can 
bestow  upon  a  people. 


CATHOI.ICllV    IN     KENIUCKV.  89 

The  earlier  of  the  Catholic  settlers  in  Woodford,  afberwards  Scott 
county,  are  supposed  to  have  come  to  the  State  in  the  years  1786  and 
1787.  It  is  said  that  the  first  colony  of  these  was  made  up  of  men 
of  some  means,  who  were  also  wide-awake  farmers.  Their  destina- 
tion, when  they  started  on  the  journey  from  Maryland,  was  Pottinger's 
creek,  whither  had  gone,  a  year  or  two  before,  quite  a  number  of  their 
farmer  neighbors,  who  were  at  the  time  expecting  the  arrival  of  a 
priest  to  be  sent  to  them  by  Dr.  Carroll.  They  left  the  flatboat  which 
had  conveyed  them  down  the  Ohio  river  and  thus  far  on.  their 
journey,  at  the  landing  known  as  Limestone,  now  Maysville.  Their 
road  from  that  point  took  them  directly  across  the  beautiful,  fertile 
and  then  virgin  soil  that  lay  east  of  the  Kentucky  river.  They 
stopped  to  admire,  and  their  admiration  was  soon  followed  by  the 
determination  to  seek  no  further  for  an  abiding  place.  The  fair  land 
that  lay  stretched  out  before  them,  offered  them  every  worldly  advan- 
tange  they  could  hope  for  through  more  extended  journeying. 

It  is  not  likely  that  the  settlement  in  Woodford,  or  Scott  county, 
numbered  over  twenty-five  families  in  the  year  1793,  when  it  was  first 
visited  by  the  missionary  priests.  Fathers  Badm  and  Barrieres.  The 
names  borne  by  the  greater  part  of  these  have  been  kindly  furnished 
the  writer,  together  with  personal  points  respecting  a  few  of  them,  and 
these  are  hereto  appended : 

The  first  of  the  colonists  are  supposed  to  have  been  James  Leak, 
Thomas  Courtney  Jenkins,  James,  Ignatius  and  John  B.  Gough,  Robert 
and  James  Combs,  Jeremiah  and  George  W.  Tarleton,  Thomas  and 
Bernard  Worland,  Bennet  and  Henry  S.  Greenwell,  and  Mrs.  Ann 
James.* 

In  the  year  1808,  James  Leak,  T.  C.  Jenkins,  James  Gough  and 
Thomas  Worland,  applied  by  letter  to  Bishop  John  Carroll  for  instruc- 
tions in  regard  to  a  proposed  sale  of  the  church  property  in  Scott,  and 
the  investment  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  in  more  desirable  realty  for 
church  purposes.  From  a  copy  of  Dr.  Carroll's  answer  to  this  letter, 
the  writer  is  permitted  to  quote:  "The  property  must  be  vested  in 
three  persons,  in  trust  for  the  congregation,  and  these  should  be  Rev. 
Mr.  Badin,  Rev.  Mr.  Angier  (the  pastor)  and  one  layman,  to  be 
selected  by  the  clergymen  named." 

Mrs.  Ann  James  would  seem  to  have  been  a  widow  when  she 
came  to  Kentucky,  and  it  is  said  that  mass  was  celebrated  in  her 
house  by  Father  Badin  before  the  little  chapel  of  St.  Francis  was 
erected  in  the  year  1794  or  1795.  It  is  quite  certain  that  she  was  an 
intelligent  and  pious  woman,  and  that  the  early  missionaries  of  the 
State  were  at  all  times  joyfully  welcomed  under  her  roof.  Her 
daughter,   Theresa  James,    became   the  wife  of   James   Twyman,    a 

*The  wife  of  Thomas  C.  Jenkins  was  a  Miss  Elizabeth  Tarleton.  John  B. 
Gough  died  in  1869,  aged  102  years.  James  Leak,  who  is  said  to  have  settled 
on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  White  Sulphur,  died  in  Missouri.  Bennet 
Greenwell  died  in  1838,  aged  67;  James  Gough,  Sr.,  in  1826,  aged  78,  and 
Jeremiah  Tarleton  in  the  same  year,  aged  91  years. 


90  SCOTT   COUNTY   SETTLEMENT. 

survivor  of  the  battle  of  Blue  Licks,  then  a  leading  lawyer  practicing 
in  the  courts  of  Eastern  Kentucky,  and  afterwards  a  convert  of 
Father  Badin,  and  a  judge  of  the  courts  of  the  district.  The  ancient 
homestead  of  the  James  and  Twyman  families  is  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  Stephen  Theodore  Twyman,  a  son  of  Judge  Twyman. 

From  1793  to  1810,  in  addition  to  the  families  named  above,  there 
were  attached  to  the  settlement  in  Scott  quite  a  number  of  others  and 
of  unmarried  Catholics,  the  names  of  whom,  as  far  as  could  be 
ascertained,  were:  John  B.  Gough,  Jr.,  who  died  in  1828,  at  the 
age  of  53  years;  Henrv  Clarvoe,  who  died  in  1808,  aged  33  years; 
Walter  Bearing,  who  died  in  1841,  aged  60;  Fielding  Jones,  who  died 
in  1844,  aged  66;  Junius  Combs,  who  died  in  1852,  aged  80;  S. 
Todd,  who  died  in  the  80th  year  of  his  age;  Keene  O'Hara,  after- 
wards of   Frankfort,  one  of  the  most  noted  instructors  and  classical 

scholars  of  his  day  in  Kentucky ;  Jamison ;  Solomon  H.  Moon ; 

John  Manning;  James  Green;  John  McManus;  Bernard  and  James 

Dougherty;    Abner    Richardson;     Patrick    McDonough;    Mrs.    

Gardiner ;  Robert  Lee,  and  Mrs.  Martha  Ruth  Powell. 

The  two  last  named,  both  of  whom  were  converts,  intermarried 
about  the  year  1807,  as  is  supposed.  The  conversion  of  Mrs.  Powell 
was  brought  about  so  curiously  that  an  account  of  it  is  not  likely  to 
be  found  otherwise  than  interesting.  Her  family  consisted  of  four 
children,  three  girls  and  one  boy;  she  was  the  owner,  besides,  of  a 
number  of  slaves.  Among  these  latter  was  a  negress  who  was  dying 
of  consumption,  and  who  was  anxious  to  be  baptized.  Mrs.  Powell 
was  a  Baptist,  but  she  felt  that  the  poor  invalid  was  in  no  condition  to 
be  introduced  into  her  church  through  the  administration  of  the 
ordinance  by  the  formula  of  immersion.  She  was  greatly  troubled,  as 
was  the  invalid  herself,  and  neither  knew  what  to  do.  Going  into  her 
room  one  morning,  Mrs.  Powell  found  the  negress  very  much  excited 
over  a  dream  that  had  come  to  her  in  her  sleep.  She  dreamed  she 
had  been  approached  by  a  man  singularly  dressed  and  of  a  most 
affable  countenance,  who  proffered  to  make  a  christian  of  her  without 
requiring  her  to  submit  to  the  formulary  of  immersion.  By  some 
means,  not  wholly  unaccountable  to  those  who  have  knowledge  of 
certain  peculiarities  that  are  inherent  in  female  character,  the  story  of 
the  negress'  singular  dream  was  soon  known  to  the  entire  neighbor- 
hood. Upon  hearing  it,  a  Mrs.  Gardiner,  a  pious  Catholic  of  the 
village,  thought  it  worth  her  while  to  carry  it  to  Rev.  Edward  Fen- 
wick,  who  happened  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  at  the  time,  and  this 
zealous  servitor  of  the  Great  Master  was  not  prepared  to  say  that  it 
might  not  be  in  the  direct  line  of  his  duty  to  heed  even  so  intangible 
a  call  as  a  dream  formulated  out  of  the  disturbed  mind  of  a  dying 
negress.  He  called  upon  Mrs.  Powell,  by  whom  he  was  received 
kindly,  and  having  stated  his  wish  to  be  permitted  to  see  her  dying 
dependent,  he  was  introduced  by  that  lady  to  her  presence.  Upon 
seeing  her  visitor,  the  negress  exclaimed  in  great  excitement:  "You 
are  the  man  I  saw  in  my  dream,  and  I  want  you  to  baptize  me !  " 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  9I 

Her  wish  was  gratified,  and  she  died  as  die  the  elect  of  God.  Mrs. 
Powell  was  so  affected  by  the  coincidence  that  she  soon  afterwards 
sought  for  herself  and  her  entire  family  instruction  in  Catholic 
doctrine  and  admission  to  the  Church.* 

It  would  appear  from  Dr.  Spalding's  account  of  the  visit  made  by 
Fathers  Barrieres  and  Badin  to  the  settlement  on  that  memorable  first 
Sunday  of  advent,  1793,  that  the  missionaries  found  the  people 
already  "contemplating  the  erection  of  a  church."  It  will  be  remem- 
bered, too,  that  the  same  writer  states  in  his  Sketches,  that  the  order 
of  missionary  duty  arranged  between  the  two  at  the  time  Avas  to  the 
effect  that  while  Father  Badin  was  to  make  his  nominal  residence  in 
Scott  county,  that  of  his  co-laborer  was  to  be  with  the  main  body  of 
Catholic  emigrants  in  the  county  of  Nelson.  This  arrangement  was 
followed  out,  and,  says  Dr.  Spalding,  "Father  Badin  remained  in 
Scott  county  for  almost  eighteen  months."  It  is  reasonably  certain 
that  the  church  of  St.  Francis,  said  to  have  been  built  of  boards, 
thirty  by  thirty  feet,  was  put  up  as  early  as  the  year  1795.  This  little 
chapel  stood  on  a  knoll,  near  the  residence  of  Thomas  Courtney 
Jenkins.  As  has  already  been  seen,  negotiations  were  entered  upon 
in  1808  for  other  property  upon  which  to  build  a  larger  church,  and 
we  find  that,  in  18 15,  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  acres  of  land  were 
bought  for  the  use  of  the  congregation,  the  deed  for  which  is  executed 
in  favor  of  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget.  The  present  church  of 
St.  Pius  was  built  in  the  year  1820,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev. 
Samuel  H.  Montgomery,  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic,  and  its  entire 
cost  is  stated  at  $3,600. f 

*The  late  Rev.  E.  W.  Powell,  whose  death  took  place  in  Breckinridge 
county  in  1840,  was  the  only  son  of  Mrs.  Martha  Ruth  Powell.  "  His  last 
conscious  words,"  says  a  clerical  friend,  "  were  these:  I  am  in  the  hands  of 
an  all-wise  and  all-merciful  God  !  May  his  will  be  done  !  "  Father  Powell's 
body  rests  beneath  the  floor  of  the  church  of  St.  Romuald,  in  Hardinsburg. 

Later  lists — from  1820  to  1827 — of  heads  of  families  and  individual  Cath- 
olics attached  to  the  church  of  St.  Pius,  in  Scott  county,  give  the  following 
additional  names:  Michael  Algair,  Walter  Bowles,  Joseph  Bell,  John  Burke, 
James  Bell,  Wilfred  Cissell,  Ann  Carter,  Thomas  Dolan,  Paul  Dufriend,  John 
Dooley,  Cornelius  Donnelly,  John  Durham,  James  Elliott,  Cornelius  Fenwick, 
Henry  Green,  John  Gross,  Andrew  A.  Harper,  John  Howard,  John  A.  Holton, 
George  Hall,  Austin  Jenkins,  B.  Lynch,  William  Little,  Patrick  McGowan, 
Richard    McAtee,    Jansen    Musgrove,     David    Mulholland,    Dennis    Morgan, 

William    Mudd,  Joseph  P.   Newton,  Florence  O'Driscoll,  Miss  Palmers, 

William  Pulliam,  David  Palis,  Christopher  Reid,  Samuel  Riddle,  James  Tarle- 
ton,  Anderson  Taylor,  Thomas  Thompson  and  James  West. 

tin  early  days  in  Kentucky,  as  is  well  known,  tobacco  was  made  to  assume, 
in  the  settlement  of  debt,  the  characteristic  of  a  legal  tender.  In  the  congre- 
gation of  St.  Pius,  among  whom  there  was  little  tobacco  raised  at  the  time 
referred  to  in  the  text,  another  commodity  would  seem  to  have  entered  into 
competition  with  the  currency  of  the  country  in  the  dischargement  of  pecuniary 
obligations.  The  records  of  the  church  of  St.  Pius  reveal  the  following 
singular  agreement :  "  We,  the  undersigned,  agree  to  advance  whatever  money 
and  pork  may  be  needed  to  pay  workmen — the  same  to  be  returned  to  us  in 
rent  of    pews — each  of   us  to  pay  one-tenth  in   money  and  the  remainder  in 


92  SCOTT   COUNTY    SETTLEMENT. 

Up  to  the  year  1806,  it  is  doubtful  if  another  priest  tnan  Father 
Badin  had  been  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  Catholic  people  of  Scott 
county.  After  that  time,  it  is  supposed  that  the  congregation  was 
frequently  served  by  the  Dominican  Fathers,  Fenwick  and  Angier, 
and  at  times,  too,  by  Rev,  Father  O'Flynn,  an  Irish  Franciscan  of 
great  piety  and  worth,  but  of  a  frail  physical  organism,  who  came 
to  Kentucky  in  1808  and  remained  till  18 16,  when  ill  health  compelled 
his  return  to  Europe.  In  1808,  the  congregation  was  temporarily 
transferred  to  the  Dominican  fathers  of  St.  Rose,  by  whom  it  was 
cared  for  until  1823. 

That  there  was  at  an  early  day  an  element  of  turbulence  in  the 
congregation  of  St.  Francis,  afterwards  St.  Pius,  is  primarily  proved 
by  a  single  sentence  embodied  in  a  letter  addressed  to  Rev.  G.  I. 
Chabrat  by  Father  Badin,  in  1823.  The  latter  was  then  in  France, 
and  the  former  had  been  sent  to  Scott  county  by  his  bishop  with  the 
hope  of  healing  a  formidable  dissension  in  the  congregation  that  had 
already  driven  from  it  its  last  Dominican  pastor.  Says  the  writer  of 
the  letter,  alluding  to  the  congregation  of  St.  Pius:  "No  one  con- 
gregation in  Kentucky  has  given  more  exercise  to  my  weakness  " — 
by  which  term  he  meant,  no  doubt,  his  patience. 

Father  Robert  Angier,  O.  S.  D.,  took  charge  of  the  congregation 
in  1808.  His  mission  included  small  settlements  and  isolated  Catholic 
families  in  the  counties  of  Fayette,  Woodford,  Bourbon,  Franklin, 
Gallatin  and  Madison.*  His  connection  with  the  mission  is  supposed 
to  have  ended  in  the  year  181 7,  when  he  was  observed  to  be  suffering 
from  serious  mental  disorder,  brought  about,  it  is  not  unlikely,  by  his 
efforts  to  control  the  troublesome  elements  in  his  congregation.  He 
was  at  once  taken  back  to  St.  Rose's,  whence  he  was  afterwards  sent 
to  one  of  the  houses  of  the  order  in  England. 

Father  Angier's  successor  v.'as  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Montgomery,  O. 
S.  D.,  ordained  the  previous  year.  Up  to  the  year  1822,  Father 
Montgomery's  pastorate  was  considered  at  least  moderately  efficacious 
of  good  results.  He  had  a  trying  mission,  however,  and  being  young 
and  inexperienced,  and  possibly  a  little  impulsive,  if  not  imprudent, 
in  the  manner  of  his  control  over  the  disturbing  spirits  of  his  congre- 

pork.'"  It  will  be  interesting  to  learn  that  the  price  put  upon  the  commodity 
named,  was  just  one-fourth  of  its  present  commercial  worth  in  the  great 
provision  marts  of  the  West. 

*The  most  important  of  these  minor  settlements  were  those  of  Madison 
county  and  the  town  of  Lexington,  in  Fayette  county.  The  former,  which 
was  sixteen  miles  above  Boonesboro,  was  made  up  of  a  half  dozen  families, 
viz:  Christopher  Durbin,  with  his  family  of  six  sons  and  six  daughters,  most 
of  whom  were  fully  grown  at  the  beginning  of  this  century ;  Elisha  Logsden, 
with  six  sons  and  seven  daughters;  Joshua  Brown,  Edward  Logsden,  Clement 

Howard  and Spink.     With  here  and  there  an  exception,  the  early  Catholic 

settlers  of  Madison  county  afterwards  found  homes  in  one  or  another  of  the 
other  Catholic  settlements  of  the  State.  The  venerable  Father  E.  J.  Durbin, 
who  was  born  in  Madison  county  in  the  year  1800,  and  who,  when  a  youth, 
was  a  penitent  of  Father  Angier,  speaks  of  him  with  unstinted  praise. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY,  93 

gation,  he  found  himself  in  the  year  named  involved  in  difficulties 
with  a  considerable  minority  of  his  people,  that  threatened  not 
only  to  destroy  his  usefulness  as  a  pastor,  but  to  disintegrate  the  con- 
gregation itself.  The  malcontents,  numbering  thirty-seven  persons, 
some  of  whom  were  men  of  social  standing  and  influence,  believed, 
or  pretended  to  believe,  that  the  grievances  of  which  they  complained 
were  due  to  unjustifiable  acts  on  the  part  of  the  pastor,  and  the  latter, 
with  the  majority  of  his  congregation  standing  in  his  defense,  was  as 
earnest  in  declaring  that  he  had  been  traduced  and  unjustly  arraigned. 
Petitions  were  sent  to  his  superior  and  to  Bishop  Flaget,  calling  for 
his  removal,  and  even  hand-bills  were  struck  off  and  distributed 
broadcast  by  the  disaffected,  rehearsing  the  story  of  their  grievances. 
Father  Thomas  Wilson,  the  pastor's  superior,  was  too  wise  a  man  not 
to  see  his  own  direct  line  of  duty.  He  recalled  Father  Montgomery, 
and  notified  Bishop  Flaget  of  his  action;  and  the  latter,  hoping  to  heal 
the  dissension  that  had  now  grown  scandalous,  sent  to  St.  Pius 
another  pastor  in  the  person  of  his  compatriot  and  friend.  Rev.  G.  I. 
Chabrat.  While  the  change  was  acceptable  to  many,  it  was  distasteful 
to  more,  and  there  was  little  abatement  of  the  troubles. 

It  was  not  until  the  Jubilee  promulgated  in  1825,  and  preached 
in  Kentucky  the  year  following,  and  the  after  appointment  of  Rev. 
Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Philadelphia  and 
Archbishop  of  Baltimore,  as  their  temporary  pastor,  that  the  Catho- 
lic people  of  Scott  county  were  brought  into  charitable  relations  with 
each  other.* 

*  I  have  in  my  possession  three  letters,  all  bearing  upon  the  disturbances 
mentioned  in  the  text,  and  all  written  in  the  month  of  June,  1823.  The  first 
of  these  is  addressed  by  Father  Chabrat  to  Rev.  W.  T.  Willett,  O.  S.  D., 
who  had  been  previously  sent  by  his  superiors  to  assist  Father  Montgomery  in 
the  care  of  his  outlying  missions.  In  this  letter  the  new  pastor  of  St.  Pius 
animadverts  severely  against  his  predecessor  in  office;  but  beyond  saying  that 
he  had  been  guilty  of  conduct  unbecoming  a  priest,  he  says  nothing  from  which 
can  be  drawn  the  least  knowledge  of  the  causes  that  led  to  his  displacement. 
The  second  letter  is  in  answer  to  Father  Chabrat's  communication,  and  it 
embodies  a  strong  defence  of  the  writer's  late  colleague  on  the  mission,  and  of 
his  priestly  integrity.  Father  Willett  says,  in  effect,  that  the  former  pastor's  lead- 
ing accuser  was  angered  against  him  for  the  reason  that  the  priest  had  been 
obliged  to  labor  for  the  frustration  of  an  attempt  that  had  been  made  by  him 
to  secure  to  himself  certain  property  to  which  the  church  of  St.  Pius  had  title. 
The  third  of  these  letters  is  addressed  to  Rev.  G.  I.  Chabrat,  and  bears  the 
signature  of  the  then  leading  Catholic  convert  of  the  State,  the  late  Judge 
James  Twyman.  The  Judge  appeals  to  the  new  pastor  to  be  prudent  in  every- 
thing he  may  be  called  upon  to  say  or  do  touching  the  disturbances  in  the  con- 
gregation. "  I  fear,"  he  writes,  "that  our  troubles  are  by  no  means  near  their 
end,  and  that  there  are  some  amongst  us  who  are  rife  for  mischief  and  rebel- 
lion." He  cautions  him  to  use  circumspection  when  speaking  on  the  subject, 
and  not  to  incur  suspicion  of  partisanship,  by  giving  too  free  expression  to  his 
own  views.  From  the  fact  that  the  disturbances  were  in  no  wise  allayed 
while  Father  Chabrat  had  charge  of  the  congregation,  it  is  to  be  inferred  that 
the  future  Coadjutor  Bishop  of  the  See  of  Bardstown  was  not  sufficiently  appre- 
ciative ol  Judge  Twyman's  wise  counsels. 


94  SCOTT   COUNTY    SETTLEMENT, 

Father  Chabrat  was  recalled  in  1824,  and  a  young  priest,  six  years 
ordained,    was   sent   to  supply   his   place.      For   reasons  that   have 
appeared  satisfactory  to  the  writer,  the  name  of  this  greatly  erring 
ecclesiastic  will  not  appear  in  his  pages.     He  fell  as  fell  the  angels,  not 
to  outward  seeming  while  he  officiated  at  the  altar  of  the  church  of 
St.  Pius ;  but  here  he  was  confronted  by  the  occasion  of  his  great  dis- 
aster, and  here  its  effects  were  most  seriously  felt  in  the  disaffection  of 
weak  and  wavering  souls.     The  length  of  his  stay  at  St.  Pius'  is  uncer- 
tain, but,  more  than  likely,  it  was  of  short  duration.     So  long  as  his 
pastorate  lasted,  there  was  no  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  the  congre- 
gation, and  none  was  heard  as  having  come  from  his  superiors.     It  was 
otherwise  a  little  later,  and  after  his  bishop  had  charged  him  with  the 
care  of  another  mission,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  State.     Sud- 
denly, and  most  unexpectedly,  word  came  to  his  Ordinary  that  he  had 
abandoned  his  mission  and  the  Church  together,  and  had  taken  to  him- 
self a  wife.     So  extraordinary  a  circumstance  was  well  calculated  to 
fill  Catholic  minds  with  horror;  and  there  were  many  who  refused 
credence  to  the  story  when  it  first  reached  their  ears.     It  was  true, 
alas !     In  an  evil  hour  he  had  listened  to  the  voice  of  the  tempter,  cast 
his  vows  to  the  winds,  crushed  the  hopes  of  his  friends,  and  abandoned 
his  (jod.     Shortly  afterwards  he  was  publicly  excommunicated— the 
first  and  last  time  the  awful  ceremonial  was  witnessed  in  the  diocese — 
from  the  high  altar  of  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown.* 

*I  was  present  on  this  occasion,  and  occupied  a  place  in  my  father's  pew, 
immediately  in  front  of  the  sanctuary.     I  was  under  twelve  years  of  age  at  the 
time,  but  I  can  say  that,  from  that  day  to  this,  the  scene  I  witnessed,  in  all  its  ter- 
rible significance,  has  remained  firmly  impressed  in  my  memory.     It  had  become 
publicly  known  that  something  extraordinary  was  to  take  place  in  the  cathedral 
on  that  day,  and  the  building  was  filled  by  a  dense  and  expectant  crowd,  many 
of  whom  were  non-Catholics.     In  the  sanctuary  appeared  Bishops  Flaget  and 
David,  accompanied  by  a  numerous  retinue  of  priests  and  seminarians.    While  the 
dread  formulary  was  being  read  by  the  late  Rev.  I.  A.  Reynolds,  afterwards 
raised  to  the  See  of  Charleston,  the  attitude  of  the  venerable  Bishop  of  Bards- 
town  was  itself  a  study.     His  face  was  stern,  but  very  sad.     As  it  has  since 
appeared  to  me,  it  was  as  if  another  Abraham,  at  the  voice  of  God,  was  on 
the  point  of  sacrificing  the  beloved  of  his  heart.     As  was  their  head,  so  were 
the  ecclesiastics  by  whom  he  was  surrounded.     One  could  discern  the  sorrow 
that  was  in  their  hearts  by  its  pictured  impress  on  their   faces.     The  stillness 
that  pervaded  the  church  was  so  profound  that  the  reader's  voice,  rendered 
tremulous  and  deeply  pathetic  by  his  own  emotion,  was  audible  in  every  part 
of  the  sacred   edifice.     The  saddest  of  obsequies  could  not  have  been   more 
impressive,   nor  more  significant,  indeed,  of  death   and  the  grave.     In   very 
truth,  then  and  there  were  consigned  to  a  grave  of  dishonor  the  name  and  fame 
of  one  who  had  been  called  by  God  to  a  high  estate,  and  who,  in  a  moment  of 
rebellious  passion,  had  turned  away  from  his  loving  spiritual  mother  and  gone 
into  outward  darkness,  there  to  be  the  companion  of  despair. 

Little  is  known  of  the  after  life  of  this  unhappy  man  and  priest,  and  the 
best  that  can  be  said  of  him  is  this:  He  never  attempted  to  justify  his  action  by 
impugning  Catholic  faith  and  practice  in  any  particular ;  and  he  died,  as  is 
generally  believed,  heartily  repenting  his  great  sin  and  the  scandal  he  had 
occasioned. 


THOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  95 

The  Jubilee  preached  in  Scott  county  in  1826,  by  Bishop  Flaget  and 
Fathers  F.  P.  Kenrick  and  I.  A.  Reynolds,  was  considered  at  the 
time  a  gratifying  token  of  restored  peace  in  the  congregation.  During 
its  continuance  two  hundred  and  fifty  was  the  registered  number  of 
communions  at  the  church  of  St.  Pius.  That  nothing  might  be  left 
undone  by  him  to  give  permanency  to  the  work  of  reconstruction, 
Bishop  Flaget,  much  as  his  services  were  needed  in  the  diocesan 
seminary,  was  induced,  a  few  months  later,  to  send  Dr.  Kenrick  to  St. 
Pius  as  temporary  pastor.  Father  Kenrick  was  at  the  time  a  young 
priest,  but  his  zeal  was  as  earnest  and  as  judiciously  directed,  and  his 
perception  of  duty  and  propriety  was  as  clear,  as  when,  in  later  years, 
he  was  esteemed  a  fitting  subject  for  the  honors  and  responsibilities  of 
the  archiepiscopacy.  What  he  did  and  what  he  strove  to  do  for  his 
congregation  all  over  the  district  will  never  be  known,  but  it  will 
appear  to  his  credit  on  the  scrolls  of  God  at  the  last  day. 

Father  Kenrick's  connection  with  the  mission  of  Scott  and  other 
counties  east  of  the  Kentucky  river  ended  with  the  summer  of  1827, 
when  Rev.  George  A.  M.  Elder,  up  to  that  time  President  of  St. 
Joseph's  College,  was  named  pastor  of  St.  Pius.  A  fragment  of  a 
letter  addressed  to  the  incoming  pastor  by  Dr.  Kenrick,  which  has 
happily  fallen  into  the  writer's  hands,  will  give  the  reader  some  idea 
of  the  extent  and  difficulties  of  the  mission,  and  also  of  the  earnest- 
ness which  was  so  characteristic  of  the  writer.  The  initiatory  pages 
of  this  letter,  all  that  have  been  preserved,  read  as  follows: 

"St.  Pius,  Scott  County,  August  14,  1827. 
' '  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir : 

"In  delivering  over  to  your  pastoral  care  the  congregations  which, 
for  the  last  six  months,  I  have  visited,  I  deem  it  proper  to  detail  in 
writing  the  different  points  which  I  have  visited,  that  you  may  have  no 
difficulty  in  ascertaining  locahties  in  the  extensive  district  which  is  to 
be  the  theater  of  your  zeal.  To  the  south  of  Frankfort,  five  miles  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  reside  two  Catholic  families,  viz :  the  Odriens 
and  the  Carlisles.  I  celebrated  mass  at  the  house  of  the  latter,  which 
I  think  it  expedient  occasionally  to  do,  that  the  younger  part  of  the 
family,  who  can  scarcely  be  deemed  Catholics,  may  be  informed  of 
our  principles,  and  that  the  others  may  receive  the  sacraments,  their 
distance  preventing  their  frequent  approach  thereto.  A  widow  lady 
named  Ellis  lives  four  miles  from  Mrs.  Carlisle's,  on  South  Benson 
(creek),  who  is  attached  to  our  religion,  and  who  endeavors  to  instruct 
in  it  her  four  children.  I  feel  interest  in  procuring  her  opportunities 
to  approach  the  sacraments,  for  the  reason  that  her  husband,  on  his 
death-bed,  was  admitted  by  me  into  the  Church  at  Gethsemani  over  a 
year  gone  by,  and  because  she  appears  anxious  to  become  a  member 
herself.  The  only  opportunity  she  can  have  will  be  when  you  keep 
church  at  Mrs.  CarUsle's,  or  at  Mrs.  Dearing's,  near  whose  place  her 
brother-in-law  lives,  and  the  means  to  acquaint  her  of  your  expected 
visit  will  be  to  send  a  line  by  Mr.  Wheat,  the  son-in-law  of  old  Mr. 
Howard. 


g6  SCOTT    COUNTY    SETTLEMENT. 

"In  Frankfort,  Mrs.  Barton  professes  the  Catholic  religion.  She 
embraced  it  in  an  English  nunnery,  but  she  has  not  as  yet  practiced 
it.  Mr.  Byrne,  an  Irish  carpenter,  and  his  family,  are  also  Catholics. 
I  have  preached  in  the  town,  and  I  think  it  expedient  that  you  shall 
do  so  two  or  three  times  a  year;  and,  when  accommodations  can 
be  procured,  it  will  be  well  to  give  the  few  Catholics  living  in  the  town 
and  neighborhood  the  opportunity  of  hearing  mass.  Kean  O'Hara, 
of  Woodford  county,  means  to  settle  in  Frankfort  next  January,  and 
to  make  every  arrangement  for  that  purpose.  Two  miles  below 
Frankfort,  on  the  river,  resides  the  West  family.  Mr.  West  is  not  a 
Catholic,  but  his  daughters  were  at  one  time  fervent  communicants. 
Since  their  pious  mother's  death,  they  have  in  some  manner  abandoned 
the  practice  of  their  religion.  However,  they  manifest  some  dis- 
position to  embrace  it  once  more,  and  as  they  were  converts,  and 
cousins  of  our  worthy  seminarian,  Mr.  Powell  (the  late  Rev.  E.  W. 
Powell),  they  deserve  our  attention  and  sympathy.  The  fathei  is 
a  pohte  gentleman,  and  will  welcome  a  priestly  guest. 

"Four  miles  east  of  Frankfort  resides  Mr.  Cornelius  Fenwick,  an 
aged  and  pious  Catholic.  His  home  has  been  for  many  years  the 
church-station  for  the  neighborhood,  though  no  Catholic  family  lives 
nearer  to  it  at  the  present  time  than  one  and  a  half  miles.  I  think  it 
fitting  to  keep  church  there  in  journeying  to  and  from  Bardstown. 
The  old  gentleman,  by  reason  of  his  infirmities,  cannot  otherwise 
receive  the  sacraments,  and  his  sons,  who  neglect  their  reUgion,  may 
be  induced  thereby  to  practice  it. 

"At  the  Forks  of  Elkhorn  resides  Mrs.  Holton,  and  several 
nominal  Catholics  live  in  the  neighborhood.  They  now  manifest  a 
desire  to  attend  to  their  religion,  which  most  of  them  had  seemed  to 
abandon.  I  shall  keep  church  there  next  Monday,  and  I  think  it 
would  be  well  to  continue  the  practice,  say  four  times  a  year,  for  the 
convenience  of  the  aged  and  the  excitement  of  the  neglectful. 

"There  are  no  vestments  or  church  utensils  at  any  of  these  places 
save  -at  Mr.  Fenwick's,  which  is  supplied  with  two  suits.  One  of 
these  might  be  left  at  Mrs.  Helton's. 

"Five  miles  from  Frankfort,  on  the  Versailles  road,  lives  Mr. 
Walter  Bearing,  whose  family  is  CathoHc.  They  are  converts,  of 
exemplary  piety,  and  merit  the  particular  attention  of  the  clergy.  It 
would  be  expedient  to  keep  church  there  at  least  four  times  a  year ; 
otherwise  they  cannot  conveniently  receive  the  sacraments.  _  They 
are  provided  with  vestments  and  altar-stone,  but  not  with  missal  or 
chalice.  In  theii  neighborhood  resides  a  Catholic  family  by  the  name 
of  Morgan. 

"On  Flat  creek,  in  Franklin  county,  at  a  distance  of  about 
seventeen  miles  from  St.  Pius',  Uve  six  or  seven  famiUes  of  Catholic 
origin,  few  of  whom  attend  to  the  practice  of  any  religious  duty. 
Other  families  of  like  character  are  living  a  few  miles  removed  from 
this  point.  If  church  were  occasionally  kept  at  Mr.  Dennis  O'Nan's, 
the  lingering  spirit  of  faith  might  thereby  be  revived  in  some  who,  even 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  97 

there,  sigh  for  the  consolations  of  reHgion.  James  O'Nan,  Jr.,  and 
his  wife  are  strongly  attached  to  their  religion.  There  are  no  vest- 
ments or  church  utensils,  you  will  remember,  and.  in  order  that  the 
people  may  know  when  you  will  keep  church  at  Mr.  O' Nan's,  it  will 
be  necessary  for  you  to  leave  a  notice  with  Mr.  Fenwick.  When  I 
last  visited  this  people,  I  heard  near  upon  fifty  confessions.  The 
O'Nans  are  related  to  one  of  the  Sisters  of  Nazareth.  Mrs.  Fenwick, 
or  Mr.  Jameson,  of  Scott  county,  will  give  you  directions  as  to  your 
way  to  the  neighborhood. 

'  *  As  you  return  from  Flat  creek,  about  eight  miles  from  home,  you 
will  be  able  to  visit  two  families  of  the  name  of  Newton.  I  intend  to 
keep  church  at  Joseph  Newton's  next  week,  and  I  think  it  advisable 
that  you  should  favor  the  families  named  in  the  same  way,  at  least 
occasionally.  The  distance  to  church  renders  it  impracticable  for  the 
younger  members  to  hear  mass  otherwise, 

' '  In  Georgetown,  I  have  kept  church  at  Mr.  Algair's,  for  the 
benefit  of  a  few  CathoHcs  who  live  in  the  town,  and  especially 
for  that  of  a  Mrs.  Nord,  who  lives  in  the  vicinity.  Her  daughter, 
nevertheless,  lately  married  out  of  the  Church. 

' '  Of  the  four  Sundays  of  the  month,  three  I  give  to  Scott  county ; 
and  also  all  the  great  festivals.  Lexington  has  the  first  Sunday  of 
each  month,  unless  some  great  festival  occurs.  In  Scott  I  hear 
confessions  on  Saturdays  and  Sundays,  on  the  eves  of  festivals,  on  the 
festivals  themselves,  and  whenever  else  penitents  apply.  I  go  to 
Lexington  on  Saturday  evening,  and  I  leave  the  place  after  mass  on 
Monday  morning — hearing  confessions  until  lo  o'clock  on  Sunday, 
then  celebrating,  afterwards  preaching,  and,  at  3  o'clock  p.  m., 
teaching  and  explaining  the  catechism.  In  Scott,  I  teach  the  children 
from  9  to  10  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning,  and,  on  each  church 
Sunday,  I  instruct  the  servants  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

"Madison  county  might  be  visited  four  times  a  year.  The 
first  congregation  is  on  Little  Otter  creek,  twenty-one  miles  from 
Lexington,  on  the  Richmond  road.  You  take  the  road  corresponding 
to  the  Main  street  of  Lexington,  and  continue  on  to  Clay's  upper 
ferry,  observing  that,  about  five  miles  from  town,  where  the  road 
forks,  you  take  the  one  to  the  right.  Two  and  a  half  miles  further 
on,  after  having  crossed  the  river,  the  road  again  forks,  and  you  will 
take  the  one  to  the  left,  which  you  will  continue  until  it  leads  you  to 
the  humble  habitation  of  Edward  Logsdon,  the  progenitor  of  more 
than  two  hundred  descendants.  You  will  here  find  vestments  which, 
for  their  poor  material  are  worthy  of  the  Apostolic  age.  I  take 
every  requisite  with  me,  even  the  wine  for  celebrating,  since  it  is 
often  impossible  to  secure  them  in  the  neighborhoods  visited. 

' '  From  Otter  creek  you  will  be  guided  to  Drowning  creek,  sixteen 
miles  distant,  where  you  will  be  plainly  and  heartily  welcomed  by  a 
famous  controvertist,  Mr.  Philip  Durbin,  whose  humble  mansion, 
consisting  of  one  apartment,  will  accommodate  the  priest  and  his  own 
numerous  family.     I  have  kept  church  in  this  lowly  dwelling  twic©; 

7 


98  SCOTT   COUNTY    SETTLEMENT. 

twice  in  the  church  of  St.  Christopher,  four  miles  distant  and  near 
Muddy  creek.  Five  or  six  Catholic  families  are  in  this  neighborhood, 
and  there  are  no  church  utensils. 

' '  Ten  miles  thence,  at  Station  Camp,  in  Estill  county,  lives  Mrs. 
Wagers.  Here  you  will  be  comfortably  accommodated  and  have  a 
numerous  auditory.  Seven  or  eight  Catholic  families  reside  in  the 
county. 

' '  From  Station  Camp,  twenty-one  miles  distant,  is  Silver-creek 
Station,  in  Madison  county,  the  last  you  will  have  to  visit.  You 
might  so  manage  as  to  stop  in  Richmond  and  give  them  a  sermon. 
Col.  Smith,  the  brother-in-law  of  Cassius  Clay,  will  welcome  the 
ex-president  of  St.  Joseph's  college.*  In  Richmond,  Mrs.  Woods 
professes  the  CathoUc  religion,  and  Mrs.  Anderson,  near  the  town, 

still  calls  herself  a  Catholic.     Her  sister,  Mrs   M ,  of  Richmond, 

has  abandoned  her  faith,  and  has  submitted  herself  to  the  '  plunging 
law.'  Her  husband,  too,  is  said  to  have  forsaken  his  religion;  but  he 
applied  to  me  when  I  preached  there,  and  expressed  a  wish  to 
converse  with  me.  If  you  would  call  on  him,  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  he,  and  his  wife,  possibly,  will  return  to  duty. 

' '  I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  Silver-creek  congregation,  as 
your  reverence  already  knows  its  value. 

"To  these  visits,  and  those  to  Harrodsburg  and  Danville,  I  will 
add  the  propriety  of  an  annual  visit  to  other  scattered  Catholics.  In 
Owensville,  Bath  county,  resides  an  ardent  Catholic  lady,  Mrs.  Coyle, 
and  some  few  famiHes  in  the  vicinity.  She  would  receive  you  as  a 
heavenly  spirit  descending  to  diffuse  the  blessings  of  Deity.  You 
could  acquaint  her  previously  by  letter,  and  you  could  go  thither  from 
Lexington,  by  Winchester  and  Mount  Sterling ;  or  from  Station  Camp, 
by  Irvin,  Mount  Sterling,  etc.  The  distance  from  Station  Camp  is 
above  seventy  miles. 

"Thence,  you  might  direct  your  course  by  Flemingsburg  to 
Washington,  in  Mason  county,  where  you  will  find  the  amiable  family 
of  the  O'Neils.  As  they  are  in  reduced  circumstances,  and  almost 
all  females,  I  put  up  at  a  public  tavern  while  there,  and  paid  all 
expenses.  The  desire  of  fostering  the  inclination  which  they  still  have 
for  the  faith  of  the  departed  generous  head  of  this  family,  and  the 
wish  to  inspire  the  O' Doughertys,  the  Mitchells  and  others  with  a  like 
inclination  to  the  faith  of  their  fathers,  made  me  willingly  assume  the 
costs  and  fatigues  of  this  troublesome  route.  Whenever  you  propose 
to  visit  them,  it  will  be  well  to  give  previous  notice  by  letter  addressed 
to  the  unmarried  O' Dougherty,  whose  name,  I  think,  is  Thomas.  His 
cousin,  who  resides  in  Scott  county,  will  inform  you. 

"In  Maysville  reside  Mr.  Chambers  and  Mr.  Thompson,  who 
were  baptized  in  the  Catholic  church,  and  retain,  I  am  informed,  some 

*  Cassius  Clay,  an  advanced  emancipationist  before  the  late  civil  war,  and 
since  and  now  well  known  in  Kentucky  as  a  politician  of  liberal  ideas,  was  my 
fellow-pupil  at  St.  Joseph's  college  previous  to  the  date  ot  Dr.  Kenrick's  letter 
in  which  reference  is  made  to  his  name. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


99 


regard  for  religion.  It  may  be  well  for  you  to  preach  there,  and  also 
in  Washington,  and  to  apprise  Mr.  O' Dougherty  of  your  intention,  in 
order  that  he  may  be  able  to  call  attention  to  it.  In  Washington, 
though  I  said  mass  in  the  house  of  Mr.  O'Dougherty,  so  unaccustomed 
were  they  to  Catholic  practices,  that  I  heard  no  confessions. 

"On  your  return  from  Washington,  a  family  of  the  name  of 
Brewer  will  gladly  receive  the  favor  of  a  visit.  The  gentleman  is  not 
a  Catholic ;  at  least  he  does  not  profess  or  practice  our  religion,  though 
he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Mr.  Angier  previous  to  his  marriage.     His 

family  are  Catholics,   the  wife  being  the  daughter  of ."     [Here 

ends  all  that  has  been  preserved  of  this  admirable  letter.]* 

Father  George  A.  M.  Elder's  pastorship  in  Scott  county  continued 
for  three  years,  and  there  is  no  record  that  it  was  not  acceptable  and 
beneficial  to  the  Catholic  people  with  whose  spiritual  guardianship  he 
had  been  charged.  If  there  were  still  in  the  congregation  men  who 
were  disposed  to  make  trouble,  these  must  have  felt  themselves  awed 
by  the  pathos  of  his  pulpit  appeals,  or  had  their  malignity  melted 
away  under  the  influence  of  his  exhausdess  amiability.  In  1830,  he 
was  succeeded  in  the  pastorship  by  the  late  Rev.  Edward  McMahon, 
a  man  of  most  sterling  quahties,  and  a  priest  of  more  than  ordinary 
zeal  and  discretion,  f 

*When  the  future  archbishop  of  Baltimore  wrote  the  communication,  of 
which  the  above  is  a  happily  preserved  fragment,  he  had  no  thought  that  any 
part  of  it  would  fall  under  others'  eyes  than  those  of  his  clerical  colaborer,  the 
late  Rev.  George  A.  M.  Elder.  But  great  as  was  his  after  fame,  acquired  as  a 
theologian  and  writer,  and  as  a  successful  administrator  of  ecclesiastical  affairs 
in  two  of  the  most  important  of  the  Sees  of  the  United  States,  never  did  he 
give  more  convincing  proofs  of  his  worth  as  a  man,  and  the  truly  apostolic 
character  of  his  ministry  than  when  he  wrote  and  dispatched  this  letter  to  his 
friend.  In  it  is  exemplified  the  spirit  that  should  animate  the  "embassador 
for  Christ."  He  was  earnest  in  the  service  of  his  Lord  and  Master,  and  he  had 
charity  unfeigned  for  those  of  the  household  of  faith  whose  helplessness  he  pitied 
and  sought  to  relieve.  Elsewhere  will  be  found  a  short  sketch  of  the  life  of 
Dr.  Kenrick,  and  especially  of  his  career  as  a  priest  in  Kentucky.  I  would 
here  but  allude  to  the  fact  that  I  was  of  the  number  of  those  to  whom  he  gave 
lessons  in  christian  doctrine  nearly  sixty  years  ago ;  that  it  was  under  his 
direction  I  made  my  first  communion,  and  that  if  I  have  since  been  animated 
by  a  spirit  of  perverseness,  or  of  apathy  in  the  service  of  God,  it  has  been 
in  defiance  of  his  teachings. 

1 1  iiave  in  vain  sought  for  material  for  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Father 
Edward  McMahon.  Beyond  my  own  personal  knowledge  of  him,  acquired  at 
St.  Joseph's  college,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  professors  for  several  years, 
and  afterwards  president,  and  the  not  unfrequent  occasions"upon  which  I  heard 
him  preach  in  the  former  cathedral  of  the  diocese,  I  had  primarily  little  upon 
which  to  build  even  a  commonplace  biographical  notice  of  one  who  was  so 
much  worthy  of  honor  while  living,  and  no  less  worthy  of  remembrance  since 
he  has  passed  away.  It  is  my  impression  that  he  was  already  grown  when  he 
entered  the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  under  Father  John  B.  David,  and  that  his 
ordination  took  place  about  the  year  1823.  I  am  inclined  to  think,  too,  that 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  college  of  St.  Joseph  both  before  and  after 
the  year  named,  and  that  his  first  mission  was  to  Scott  county.  He  was  after- 
wards transferred  to  Lexington,  and,  a  few  years  later,  again  to  St.  Joseph's 


lOO  SCOTT    COUNTY    SETTLEMENT. 

In  the  year  1836,  a  young  clergyman,  educated  and  trained  in  the 
diocesan  seminary,  and  then  but  recently  ordained,  was  charged  by 
his  ordinary  with  the  mission  of  Scott  county,  of  whom  the  writer 
finds  it  most  painful  to  speak.  His  first  thought  was  to  pass  over  his 
name  and  to  leave  a  hiatus  of  a  dozen  years  in  the  history  of  the 
mission  which  he  helped  to  demoralize.  This  idea  of  his  was  opposed, 
however,  by  a  number  of  his  most  trusted  clerical  advisers.  They 
seemed  to  think  that  the  sad  story  of  his  degradation,  however  painful 
it  was  to  relate,  and  however  shocking  it  would  certainly  prove  to  every 
sensitive  Catholic  mind,  was  still  a  matter  of  history  and  a  part  of  a 
record  that  should  be  in  no  wise  mutilated.  Besides,  said  they,  the 
law  of  compensation  applies  to  this  case,  as  it  does  to  every  other  that 
is  burdened  with  shame  for  the  faithful  followers  of  Christ.  Young 
clerics  will  learn  from  it  to  trust  less  to  their  own  strength,  and  much 
more  to  the  assistance  of  God,  to  enable  them  to  resist  the  approaches 
of  evil,  whether  from  inward  impulse  or  social  blandishment,  and  they 
will  pray  the  more  earnestly  to  be  delivered  from  the  malediction  that 
is  threatened  by  Divine  Justice  against  the  provokers  of  scandals. 
Not  less  than  with  the  young  and  inexperienced  of  the  priesthood,  com- 
pensation  will  come  to  the  laity  through  your  recital  of  an  episode  in 
the  history  of  the  Church  of  Kentucky  that  will  show  them  the  folly  of 
adhering  any  longer  to  a  standard  of  social  ethics  out  of  which  has 
grown,  in  the  case  you  represent  and  many  others,  the  most  deplorable 
of  consequences.  Neither  will  the  Church,  nor  the  priesthood,  nor 
Catholics  of  any  grade  be  at  all  prejudiced  in  the  general  public  mind 
by  the  acknowledgment  on  the  part  of  any  Catholic  writer  that  here 
and  there  men  in  holy  orders  have  disgraced  themselves  and 
dishonored  religion  by  acts  that  were  degrading  to  their  ministry.  So 
long  as  a  statement  of  this  kind  covers  but  the  simple  facts,  without 
any  admixture  of  uncharitableness  on  the  part  of  the  writer,  it  is  not 
only  admissible  in  any  record  of  Catholic  history,  but  its  omission 
would  invalidate  the  writer's  title  to  fidelity  as  a  historian. 

With  the  explanation  given,  the  writer  hereby  submits  the  pages 
written  by  him  five  years  ago  in  reference  to  a  priest  to  whom  he  was 
at  one  time  much  attached  : 

Young  Father  J.  H.  D was  a  man  of  fine  presence,  of  more 

than  ordinary  talents,  and  of  excellent  acquirements.      He  was,  no 

college.  His  connection  with  the  diocese  ceased  in  1850,  when  he  paid  a  short 
visit  to  his  native  Ireland,  and  on  his  return  was  named  pastor  of  the  cathedral 
church  of  St.  Paul,  Pittsburg.  Whatever  was  the  position  to  which  he  was 
named,  whether  ia  our  own  diocese  or  that  of  his  after  adoption,  its  duties 
were  performed  by  him  with  zeal  and  fidelity,  and  also  with  tact  and  discretion. 
In  Lexington  and  Pittsburg,  where  he  was  best  known  as  a  pastor,  his  praise, 
even  to  this  day,  is  on  the  tongues  of  all  who  knew  him.  Rev.  Abraham 
McMahon,  a  brother  of  his,  also  educated  and  raised  to  the  priesthood  in 
Kentucky,  but  in  no  wise  as  talented  or  efficient,  succeeded  him  in  ihe  pastor- 
ship of  the  congregation  at  Lexington,  and,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  of  that  of 
Scott  county,  also.     Both  have  been  dead  for  a  number  of  years. 


« 
CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  lOl 

doubt,  told  by  his  superiors,  before  entering  upon  the  duties  of  the 
mission  to  which  he  was  accredited,  that  it  was  a  difficult  one  to 
manage,  and  that  his  own  line  of  duty  would  be  found  precisely  that 
which  had  led  to  success  elsewhere,  the  example  of  a  zealous,  prudent, 
prayerful  and  mortified  life.     No  one  having  any  knowledge  of  Father 

D ,  doubts  now  that  he  entered  upon  his  pastorship  with  the  single 

idea  of  fulfilling,  in  the  fear  of  God,  every  duty  pertaining  to  his 
sacred  office.  In  point  of  fact,  his  work  was  satisfactorily  performed 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  priest  in  the  diocese 
who  was  esteemed  more  efficient,  or  less  likely  to  become,  as  he  after- 
wards did,  a  spectacle  of  shame  in  the  sight  of  Catholics,  and  of 
scorn  and  ridicule  in  the  eyes  of  the  enemies  of  the  Church. 

Unfortunately  for  this  most  misfortunate  of  priests,  he  possessed 
social  characteristics  that  made  him  welcome  in  every  grade  of  Caiholic 
and  non-Catholic  society.  He  was  courted  and  made  much  of  wher- 
ever he  went,  and  those  who  know  what  was  meant,  forty  and  odd 
years  ago,  by  the  term  Kentucky  hospitality^  will  have  no  difficulty  in 
understanding  the  constant  temptations  to  excess  to  which  he  was 
exposed.  That  he  should  have  fallen,  and  fallen  repeatedly,  will  not 
be  a  subject  of  wonder  with  those  who  have  witnessed  in  their  fellows 
the  pernicious  effects  of  over-indulgence  in  drink.  From  one  low 
estate  he  descended  to  another  still  lower,  till  at  length  the  very  men 
who  had  contributed  to  his  fall  by  their  unguarded  panderings  to  his 
one  weakness,  were  obliged  to  ask  for  his  removal.  Deprived  of  his 
faculties  at  length,  degraded  in  his  own  eyes,  and  looked  upon  with 
scornful  pity  by  those  whom  he  had  so  inadequately  served,  he  drifted 
away,  God  knows  whither.* 

It  would  seem  needless  to  ask  what  were  the  effects  of  his  fall  upon 
a  congregation  that  had  previously  been  torn  by  dissensions.  Men  are 
prone  to  lapses  of  practical  religion  when  they  see  that  those  who  have 
been  sent  to  them  as  guides  are  themselves  leading  lives  of  sin;  and, 
with  total  suspension  of  religious  duty,  comes,  not  unfrequently,  first, 
indifference  to  the  soul's  needs,  and  then  practical  infideUty.  There 
are  numbers  of  persons  in  Scott  county,  now  known  either  as  Protest- 

»  My  thoughts  often  recur  to  Father  D ,  not  as  I  saw  him  last,   when 

the  visible  effects  of  the  vice  that  had  mastered  his  faculties  were  prominent  in 
his  features  and  his  general  appearance,  but  as  I  remember  him,  keen-eyed  and 
bright  and  hopeful,  when  he  left  Bardstown  for  the  seat  of  his  mission.  I 
never  dreamed  then  that  he  carried  with  him,  in  the  geniality  of  his  nature,' the 
germ  of  his  own  fall.  As  the  assistant  of  a  prudent  and  competent  rector, 
there  is  no  telling  the  exaltation  he  might  have  reached  in  the  ranks  of  the 
clergy  of  the  United  States.  Left  to  himself  and  his  own  devices  for  the  pro- 
tection of  his  virtue,  and  being  surrounded  by  the  very  element  of  society  that 
is  the  least  careful  of  its  own  or  another's  reputation,  he  naturally  fell  to  a  cor- 
responding depth  of  degradation.  Though  I  have  inquired  about  him  often, 
and  as  often  searched  for  his  name  in  the  lists  of  the  clergy  of  the  country  that 
are  of  annual  publication,  I  have  had  but  my  pains  for  my  reward.  Not  one 
word  concerning  him  has  reached  my  ears  since  he  left  the  diocese,  now  nearly 
forty  years  ago. 


I02  ROLLING    FORK   SETTLEMENT. 

ants  or  indifferentists  in  religion,  whose  parents,  grandparents  and 
great-grandparents  found  sepulture  in  the  grave  yard  attached  to  the 
church  of  St.  Pius.* 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   SETTLEMENT    ON    THE    ROLLING    FORK. 

The  Catholic  settlement  designated  as  that  of  the  Rolling  Fork, 
dates  from  the  year  1788.  It  is  not  unlikely,  however,  that  a  few  of 
the  emigrants  were  on  the  spot  a  year  or  two  earlier.  It  would  appear 
to  be  the  general  opinion  of  such  as  have  had  opportunities  of  research, 
that  Clement  and  Ignatius  Buckman  and  Basil  and  John  Raley,  or 
Raleigh,  preceded  all  others  of  the  Catholic  settlers  in  the  district. f 
In  1788,  Robert  Abell,  a  man  of  no  inconsiderable  note  in  the  early 
annals  of  the  State,  emigrated  with  his  family  to  Kentucky  and  settled 
on  lands  bordering  on  the  Rolling  Fork.  His  father,  Samuel  Abell,  a 
Protestant,  had  been  high  sheriff  of  St.  Mary's  county,  Maryland,  at 
a  time  when  a  Catholic  could  not  hold  office  without  first  taking  the 
test-oath,  as  it  was  called,  which  was  equivalent  to  the  renunciation  of 
his  faith.     His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ellen  O'Brien,  was  a 

*  I  am  told  that  through  the  indefatigable  labors  of  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Toebbe, 
late  Bishop  of  the  See  of  Covington,  and  of  the  painstaking  priests  whom  he 
had  commissioned  to  exercise  their  ministry  of  reconciliation  in  the  parishes  of 
Scott  county,  the  devastation  of  the  past  is  gradually  becoming  obliterated. 

tOne  account  received  by  me  is  to  the  effect  that  the  emigrants  whose 
names  are  given  in  the  text  were  members  of  the  Maryland  "Colonization 
League,"  and  that  they  belonged  to  the  first  colony  sent  out  underits  auspices. 
Ignatius  Buckman,  mentioned  above,  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  I  have  been 
furnished  with  the  following  account  of  the  tragedy:  "About  day-light  one 
morning,  Buckman  left  his  cabin  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  his  stock.  He  had 
been  gone  but  a  few  minutes  when  the  sharp  report  of  a  rifle,  followed  almost 
immediately  by  three  more  shots  in  quick  succession,  alarmed  the  family  greatly. 
Hastily  closing  and  fastening  the  door,  and  placing  above  it  a  medal  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  snatched  from  her  own  neck,  the  distressed  wife  and  mother 
threw  herself  upon  her  knees  in  the  midst  of  her  children,  and  prayed  to  be 
delivered  from  the  danger  she  had  already  apprehended.  Venturing  at  length 
to  peep  out  through  a  loop-hole  Jeft  in  one  of  the  sides  of  the  house,  she  saw 
four  stalwart  Indians  striding  rapidly  away,  followed  by  two  others  mounted  on 
the  only  horses  owned  by  the  family.  Close  behind  the  stable  door  was  found 
the  body  of  the  husband  and  father,  pierced  by  four  bullets  and  his  scalp 
gone.  The  body  was  buried  where  was  afterwards  laid  off  the  Holy  Mary's 
cemetery." 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  I03 

fervent  Catholic,  however,  and  though  she  was  permitted  by  her  hus- 
band to  bring  up  her  daughters  in  the  knowledge  and  practice  of  her 
own  religion,  she  was  allowed  no  such  control  in  shaping  the  faith  of 
her  sons.  When  Samuel  Abell's  oldest  son,  Philip,  had  grown  to  man- 
hood, he  was  taken  to  Leonardstown  by  his  father  to  have  him  sworn 
in  as  deputy  sheriff.  When  the  oath  was  read  to  him,  he  declared 
he  could  not  take  it,  and  would  not;  that  it  "would  choke"  him  to  do 
so.  The  father  was  greatly  displeased,  and  he  tried  hard  to  shake  the 
young  man's  constancy.  Finding  that  impossible,  he  let  him  have  his 
own  way.  On  his  death-bed  Samuel  Abell  became  himself  a  Catholic. 
The  facts,  as  here  stated,  are  to  be  found  on  pages  13-14  of  Rev.  J. 
L.  Spalding's  Life  of  Archbishop  Spalding.  By  courtesy  of  a  friend, 
the  writer  is  enabled  to  lay  before  his  readers  an  incident  that  closely 
followed  the  one  that  was  enacted  in  the  colonial  court-room  in  Leon- 
ardstown as  above  related.     Says  this  authority  : 

"  Samuel  Abell  and  his  wife,  considering  their  anomalous  position 
in  respect  to  religion,  are  said  to  have  got  along  with  fewer  jars  than 
ordinarily  come  to  married  people  much  more  favorably  situated.  It 
was  the  habit  of  the  father  of  the  family  upon  entering  the  room  in 
which  his  wife  was  sitting,  to  draw  up  a  chair  beside  her  own  and  tell 
her  the  news  of  the  day.  On  that  upon  which  their  son  had  declined 
the  proffered  oath  of  office^  he  came  into  the  presence  of  his  wife  with 
a  look  on  his  face  that  betokened  more  of  anger  than  conjugal  confi- 
dence. Having  taken  a  turn  or  two  of  the  room  in  silence,  he  brought 
a  chair  to  a  stand  as  far  distant  from  his  wife  as  the  opposite  corner  of 
the  fire-place,  to  which  domestic  usage  had  given  her  prescription. 
Noisily  banging  it  down  on  the  floor,  he  cried — • 

"  *  Ellen  Abell,  you  have  deceived  me  !  In  defiance  of  my  known 
will,  you  have  made  Phil  a  Catholic.  He  has  to-day  brought  disgrace 
upon  me,  and  shown  his  contempt  for  the  law  and  the  religion  of 
the  State,  by  refusing  to  take  the  oath  of  office.  It  is  to  you, 
deceiving  and  deceitful  woman  that  you  are,  that  I  am  indebted  for 
the  shame  that  has  this  day  come  upon  me !' " 

"  '  Samuel  Abell,'  returned  the  wife,  her  eyes  raining  tears  as  she 
spoke,  but  with  a  look  of  extreme  thankfulness  on  her  face,  *  I  have 
never  deceived  you !  Not  once  since  you  took  me  for  a  wife  have  I 
disobeyed  you !  If  Phil  has  learned  to  respect  the  religion  of  his 
mother,  it  is  .0  God's  grace,  and  not  to  that  mother's  instructions  that 
both  son  and  mother  are  indebted  for  a  result  that  I  had  indeed  hoped 
for  and  prayed  for  from  the  hour  of  his  birth,  but  which  seemed  so  far 
distant  to  my  despairing  heart.'  Falling  upon  her  knees,  she  raised  her 
eyes  and  hands  to  heaven  and  exclaimed :  '  I  thank  Thee,  oh  my  God, 
that  Thou  hast  remembered  me  in  mercy !  From  a  full  heart  I  give 
Thee  thanks  that  Thou  has  led  the  son  Thou  gavest  me  to  render  obe- 
dience to  Thy  law  rather  than  to  that  which  Thy  erring  creatures  have 
set  up  in  the  land! '  Convinced  that  his  wife  had  spoken  but  the  truth, 
and  awed  by  an  exhibition  of  faith  that  was  inexplicable  to  him  at  the 
time,  the  husband  said  no  more ;  neither  did  he  ever  afterwards  indi- 


104 


ROLLING   PORK   SETTLEMENT, 


cate  by  his  manner  that  there  was  anything  between  them  out  of  which 
strife  could  be  evoked." 

Robert  Abell  was  a  man  of  sterling  qualities  of  heart  and  mind, 
agreeable  in  disposition  and  manners,  and  popular  with  all  classes  of 
society.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife,  whom  he  married  in  Maryland, 
and  where  several  of  their  children  were  born,  was  Margaret  Mills. 
She  is  said  to  have  been  a  woman  of  a  determined  will,  and  not  a 
Uttle  exacting  of  service,  as  well  from  her  children  as  from  her 
dependents. 

In  1799,  Robert  Abell  was  elected,  together  with  Felix  Grundy,  as 
a  representative  from  Washington  county  to  the  constitutional  conven- 
tion that  framed  the  organic  law  of  the  State  until  it  was  modified  and 
changed  by  the  convention  of  1849.  He  had  previously  represented 
Nelson  county  in  the  State  legislature  of  1792,  the  first  meeting  of  that 
body  after  the  admission  of  Kentucky  into  the  union  of  States,  and 
the  county  of  Washington  in  1795.  Dr.  Spalding  relates  in  his  very 
interesting  "Sketches  of  Kentucky,"  the  following  anecdote  in  con- 
nection with  the  constitutional  convention  of  1799,  of  which  FeUx 
Grundy  and  Robert  Abell  were  members  : 

"Robert  Abell  was  the  only  Catholic  in  that  body.  It  had  been 
agreed  that  each  member  of  the  convention  should  be  at  liberty  to 
present  such  clauses  as  he  thought  worthy  of  insertion  in  the  organic 
law  they  had  met  to  perfect,  and  that,  after  debate  on  the  clauses 
proffered,  those  should  be  accepted  which  would  be  found  carried  by 
the  votes  of  a  majority  of  the  delegates.  Robert  Abell's  roommates 
were  the  late  distinguished  lawyer  and  statesman,  Felix  Grundy,  and 
a  lesser  legal  light  who  had  abandoned  the  Presbyterian  pulpit  for  the 
forum  of  the  courts  of  civil  law.  The  last  named  party  one  day 
called  the  attention  of  his  companions  to  a  provision  it  was  his  desire 
to  have  embodied  in  the  constitution.  This  provision  ran  about  as 
follows  :  "  It  is  further  provided  that  no  Papist,  or  Roman  Catholic, 
shall  hold  office  of  profit  or  trust  in  the  Commonwealth.'  .  Seizing  his 
pen,  Felix  Grundy  immediately  Indited  the  following:  'It  is  also 
provided  that  no  broken-down  Presbyterian  preacher  shall  be  eligible 
to  any  office  in  this  Commonwealth.'  Having  read  the  clause,  he 
assured  the  quondam  minister  that  he  would  lay  it  before  the  conven- 
tion and  advocate  its  adoption  the  moment  the  provision  he  had 
shown  them  should  be  presented  to  that  body.  This  incident  was 
related  to  a  son  of  Robert  Abell  by  FeHx  Grundy  himself."* 

*  Intellectually  considered,  Felix  Grundy  was  one  of  the  foremost  men  of 
his  day  in  the  whole  country.  He  had  the  reputation,  too,  of  being  at  all 
times  an  honest  and  fearless  advocate  of  the  right.  He  came  with  his  father  to 
Kentucky  when  a  boy,  was  educated  in  the  Bairdstown  (Bardstown)  academy, 
studied  law,  and  was  only  twenty-two  years  old  when  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  first  Kentucky  legislature.  He  afterwards  served  in  the  State  constitu- 
tional convention,  and  was,  for  several  terms,  the  representative  from  Washing- 
ton county  in  the  State  legislature.  Later,  he  filled  the  offices  of  judge  of  the 
supreme  court  and  chief  justice.     Removing  to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  he  there 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  10$ 

The  extracts  that  follow,  all  referring  to  Robert  Abell  and  his 
family,  are  taken  from  an  interesting,  gossipy  letter,  written  by  a  lady 
friend  who  has  had  exceptional  opportunities  of  learning  matters  of 
interest  in  connection  with  the  old  Catholic  families  of  Marion 
county : 

"Robert  Abell's  wife,  Margaret,  had  many  excellent  traits  of 
character.  She  was  energetic  in  purpose  as  well  as  in  action,  and  she 
permitted  no  one  to  interfere  with  her  plans,  whatever  was  their 
character.  To  the  core  of  her  heart  she  was  a  Catholic,  but  it  is  not 
to  be  denied  that  she  was  at  times  lacking  in  christian  forbearance. 
Especially  was  that  the  case  in  reference  to  her  own  children.  For 
them  her  will  was  law,  and  she  brooked  no  disputation  of  that  fact. 
Her  firmness,  it  is  said,  gave  to  the  Church  of  Kentucky  one  of  its 
brightest  ornaments,  in  the  person  of  the  late  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell; 
but  it  also  lost  to  the  Church  two  of  her  other  children.  Robert  and 
Margaret  Mills  Abell  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  seven  sons  and 
three  daughters.  These  were  named:  Samuel,  Jesse,  James,  Robert, 
Ignatius,  Benjamin,  John,  Mary,  Ellen  and  Janet.  Robert  Abell 
went  on  a  visit  to  Maryland  in  1802,  where  he  was  taken  sick  and 
died.  Upon  his  wife  the  news  of  his  unexpected  death  produced  a 
singular  effect.  She  never  lifted  up  her  head  afterwards.  Her  grief 
was  sincere,  and  it  was  thus  she  indicated  it:  She  took  off  her  shoes 
and  stockings,  and  she  never  resumed  them  again.  She  donned  a 
coarse  cotton  gown,  and  she  lived  thenceforth  the  life  of  a  penitent.* 
In  the  Calvary  cemetery  a  monument  is  to  be  seen  on  which  is 
inscribed:  ''■Sacred  to  the  Memory  of  Robert  and  Margaret  Abell.'' 
The  filial  piety  of  the  late  Father  Robert  A.  Abell  induced  him  to 
erect  this  monument.  But  neither  of  his  parents  rest  beneath  its  base. 
The  father's  remains  have  long  since  assimilated  with  the  soil  of  his 
native  Maryland,  and  those  of  the  mother  are  awaiting  the  resurrec- 
tion in  the  old  graveyard  of  St.  Thomas,  in  Nelson  county." 

It  is  not  the  writer's  purpose  to  speak  here  of  more  than  two  of 
Robert  Abell's  children,  briefly  of  the  one,  since  his  knowledge  con- 
cerning him  is  limited,  and  extendedly  of  the  other,  who  was  his 
friend  from  boyhood,  and  for  the  reason  that  the  preservation  of  the 
well-earned  fame  of  such  as  he  has  been  one  of  his  leading  motives 
for  the  attempt  he  is  making  to  write  a  history  of  the  Church  of  his 
native  State. 

became  a  successful  practitioner  in  the  courts  of  the  State.  Again  entering 
the  field  of  politics,  he  served  a  term  in  the  legislature  of  Tennessee, 
represented  his  district  in  the  federal  congress  from  181 1  to  1814,  and  in  1829 
he  was  elected  to  the  senate  ol  the  United  States.  This  position  he  held  for 
nine  years,  when,  in  1838,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Van  Buren  Attorney 
General  of  the  United  States.  He  died  in  Nashville,  December  19th,  1840, 
being  at  the  time  in  the  70th  year  of  his  age. 

*  My  correspondent,  I  think,  mistakes  the  occasion  of  these  manifestations 
of  grief  on  the  part  of  the  widow  of  Robert  Abell,  It  is  more  than  likely 
they  were  caused  by  the  apostacy  of  one  or  more  of  her  children. 


Io6  ROLLING    FORK   SETTLEMENT. 

Jesse  Abell,  second  son  of  Robert  and  Margaret  Abell,  was  held 
in  his  Ufe  time  in  marked  popular  esteem  for  his  vigorous  intelligence 
and  his  moral  worth.  He  was  specially  known  and  admired  for  his 
strong  native  sense  and  his  ability  to  comprehend  and  explain  matters 
relating  to  either  politics  or  religion.  He  is  said  to  have  rivaled  his 
reverend  and  eloquent  brother  as  a  talker,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  some 
that,  with  equal  opportunities  for  culture  and  display,  he  would  have 
surpassed  him.  That  he  was  a  popular  man  is  evinced  by  the  fact  that 
he  represented  Washington  county  in  the  sessions  of  the  legislature  of 
183 1-2,  and  Marion  county  in  that  of  1842.  Jesse  Abell  was  married 
in  the  year  1803  to  Susannah  Wimsett,  Rev.  Michael  J.  C.  Fournier 
officiating,* 

Robert  A.,  son  of  Robert  and  Margaret  Abell,  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington, now  Marion  county,  in  the  year  1792.  He  was  but  ten  years 
of  age  when  his  father  died,  and  whatever  knowledge  he  had  of  letters, 
up  to  that  time  and  a  year  or  two  later,  was  doubdess  acquired  through 
his  mother's  instructions.  He  was  afterwards  sent  to  a  country  school 
in  the  neighborhood,  but  only  during  the  winter  months,  when  there 
was  little  work  to  be  done  on  the  farm  that  was  not  considered  too 
heavy  for  his  physical  strength.  An  incident  that  took  place  in  the 
spring  of  the  year  1807  is  said  to  have  been  the  occasion  of  his  being 
sent  to  the  best  school  then  in  Kentucky,  and,  incidentally,  to  his  after 
connection  with  the  ministry  of  the  Catholic  church.  The  account  of 
this  comes  to  the  writer  in  the  shape  of  a  letter  from  an  altogether 
respectable  source,  and  this  communication  is  here  quoted  in  its  entir- 
ety for  the  reason  that  it  contains  all  that  is  to  be  now  learned  of  the 
boyhood  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  that  Kentucky  has  hith- 
erto furnished  to  the  ministry  of  the  church. 

"  Robert  was  a  thoughtful,  observant  boy,  and  he  early  acquired  a 
taste  for  analysis.  He  was  fond  of  reading,  and  he  greedily  devoured 
everything  that  came  in  his  way  in  the  shape  of  books.  It  is  not  likely, 
to  be  sure,  that  the  entire  literary  pabulum  of  the  settlement  exceeded 
at  that  time  a  hundred  volumes,  but  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  boy, 
before  he  had  attained  his  fourteenth  year,  had  digested  the  contents 
of  every  one  of  these  upon  which  he  could  lay  his  hands. 

"At  the  time  referred  to,  society  in  Kentucky  was  burdened  with 
few  drones.  All  were  workers — men,  women  and  children.  To  these 
latter,  to  be  sure,  tasks  were  assigned  that  were  not  beyond  their 
strength.  A  boy  of  twelve  years,  for  instance,  was  not  unfrequently 
found  to  be  just  as  available  at  the  plow  as  a  youth  of  twenty.  The 
widow  Abell  was  just  as  exacting  of  service  at  the  hands  of  her  children 
as  she  was  at  the  hands  of  her  colored  slaves.  Had  she  understood 
the  extent  of  her  son's  capabilities  she  might  have  acted  otherwise  in 

*  One  of  Jesse  Abell's  daughters  intermarried  with  the  late  Edward  Parsons, 
a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Lebanon,  and  afterwards  of  Louisville,  where 
several  of  their  children  now  reside.  One  of  his  grandsons  is  Rev.  J.  J.  Abell 
of  the  diocese  of  Louisville. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  10? 

his  regard,  and  spared  him  the  time  for  mental  improvement  under  the 
tuition  of  competent  educators  in  her  own  native  State.  As  it  was, 
when  the  neighborhood  school  was  closed  in  the  spring  of  1807,  she 
found  for  him  labor  on  the  farm,  the  tangible  results  of  which  she  had 
no  difficulty  in  appreciating. 

' '  But  weeks  before  the  close  of  the  school  the  elders  among  its 
pupils  had  arranged  for  a  debate  to  come  off  in  the  school-house  at  an 
appointed  future  day  that  should  be  indicative  to  their  parents  and 
friends,  as  well  of  their  advancement  in  learning  as  of  their  native  talent. 
Robert  Abell  would  have  been  highly  delighted  had  his  own  name 
appeared  in  the  list  of  prospective  debaters,  but  for  some  reason,  pos- 
sibly for  lack  of  self-assertion  on  his  part,  he  was  set  aside  for  much 
weaker  disputative  material.  The  question  to  be  debated — there  is  no 
record  of  what  it  was — had  taken  a  strong  hold  on  the  boy's  mind. 
He  studied  it  as  thoroughly  as  he  could,  determining,  if  he  might  vol- 
unteer a  speech  an  the  occasion,  to  show  the  neighborhood  what  stuff 
he  was  made  of 

"The  afternoon  fixed  upon  for  the  debate  arrived  at  length,  but  it 
proved  to  be  an  unpropitious  one  for  the  poor  boy  and  his  high-wrought 
anticipations.  The  careful  mother  of  the  family  had  found  that  the 
meal-bin  was  empty,  and  that  in  order  to  refill  it  in  time  for  the  mor- 
row's baking  it  was  a  matter  of  necessity  that  some  one  should  be 
started  off  at  once  with  a  grist  to  the  mill  on  the  Fork.  Singularly 
enough,  so  thought  Robert,  her  choice  of  a  messenger  fell  upon  him. 
He  made  no  complaint,  for  he  had  been  early  taught  to  defer  his  own 
will  to  that  of  his  parents;  but  there  was  a  gulp  in  his  throat  as  he  pre- 
pared to  obey  his  mother's  mandate. 

"Basil  Hayden's  mill  was  not  far  away,  and  the  boy  suddenly 
bethought  him  that  he  might  be  able  to  execute  his  commission  and 
return  in  time  for  the  debate  at  the  school-house.  Without  waiting  to 
change  his  clothes,  which  consisted  of  two  dirt-begrimed  garments  and 
a  suspender,  he  hurried  off,  and,  to  use  his  own  expression  in  after 
years,  '  better  time  was  never  compassed  by  equine  creature  so  weighted 
down  than  was  made  that  day  by  the  horse  I  was  bestriding.'  Disap- 
pointment awaited  him  at  the  mill.  Other  customers  were  there  before 
him,  and  he  had  to  abide  his  turn.  Before  he  could  be  accommodated 
the  afternoon  was  more  than  half  spent,  and  he  was  forced  to  recognize 
the  futility  of  his  former  hopes.  On  his  return  road  at  last,  he  was 
unable  to  overcome  the  temptation  with  which  he  was  seized  to  turn 
his  horse's  head  in  the  direction  of  the  school-house  and  there  learn,  at 
least,  how  the  debate  had  terminated.  Nearing  the  rude  structure,  his 
ears  were  greeted  by  sounds  of  boyish  declamation,  followed  by  clap- 
ping of  hg.nds  and  other  demonstrations  of  applause.  Beside  himself 
with  excitement,  and  forgetful,  if  not  utterly  regardless  of  the  unpre- 
sentableness  of  his  appearance,  he  alighted  from  his  horse;  hitched 
him  to  a  convenient  sapling  near  by,  and  entered  the  building.  There 
was  a  crowd  of  rustics  about  the  door,  and  he  stood  among  them, 
unnoticed  by  others,  until  the  last  of  the  appointed  debaters  had  deliv- 


lo8  ROLLING   FORK   SETTLEMENT. 

ered  his  speech.  After  a  short  interval,  the  presiding  officer  of  the 
meeting  announced  that  '  volunteer  speeches,  pertinent  to  the  question 
that  had  been  debated,  would  now  be  heard.'  No  sooner  had  this 
announcement  been  made  than  the  lad  pushed  his  way  to  the  front  of 
the  circle  of  standing  auditors,  and  planting  himself  immediately  in  the 
center  of  the  open  space  that  had  been  left  for  the  debaters,  he  assumed 
the  attitude  of  a  contestant.  Shouts  of  laughter  and  rounds  of  deris- 
ive applause  greeted  him  from  the  moment  he  was  recognized  by  his 
late  school  companions.  They  were  in  some  sense  excusable,  for  there 
was  nothing  in  his  appearace  that  was  not  ludricrous.  Little  disturbed, 
apparently,  by  the  jeering  sounds  in  his  ears,  the  boy  patiently  awaited 
a  pause  in  the  uproar  to  address  the  chairman.  This  came  at  length, 
and  he  modestly  said:  '  I  suppose  I  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  come  into 
such  company  dressed  like  a  beggar;  but  I  had  no  time  to  fix  myself 
up.  I  had  to  come  just  as  I  am,  or  not  at  all.  But  my  clothes 
can  tell  you  nothing,  and  I  can;  and  I  hope  you  will  all  shut  your 
eyes  to  what's  outside  of  me,  and  open  yours  ears  to  what  I  have  to 
say.' 

"He  was  no  longer  subjected  to  the  least  annoyance,   and  the 
speech  he  made  that  day  was  for  years  commented  on  and  praised  by 
those  who  heard  it.    Young  as  he  was,  his  voice  was  of  good  compass, 
and  his  enunciation  distinct  and  harmonious.       He  treated  his  subject 
logically,  and  he  even  went  so  far  as  to  quote,  in  support  of  his  posi- 
tions, the  opinions  of  writers  of  whom  not  one  of  his  auditors  had  ever 
heard.     He  astonished  everybody,  and  the  most  surprised  of  his  hear- 
ers was  the  gentleman  to  whom  had  been  assigned  the  position  of 
judge  of  the  debate.     Dr.  McElroy  was  a  man  of  liberal  educa- 
tion, high  minded,  and  of  an  affable  disposition.     There  was  nothing 
he  liked  better  than  to  furnish  opportunities  of  improvement  to  the 
young.     He  had  been  the  first  to  fall  in  with  the  boys'  notions  regard- 
ing the  debate,   and  it  was  because  of  his  admirable  fitness  for  the 
office  that  he  had  been  asked  to  preside  over  the  meeting  and  to 
decide  from  the  general  argument  the  relative  merits  of  the  debaters. 
The  good  doctor  was  bewildered.     Looking  at  this  unkempt  boy  as  he 
proceeded  with  his  argument,  now  swaying  his  angular  body  to  and 
fro  in  suggestive  measurement  of  his  flow  of  words,  and  now  enforcing 
a  thought  by  a  gesture  that  was  not  altogether  ungraceful,  he  could 
but  wonder  where  he  had  acquired  his  knowledge,  and  how  he  had 
learned  without   a  master   the  trick   of  oratorical   effect.     But   Dr. 
McElroy  was  altogether  mistaken  regarding  Robert  Abell's  opportuni- 
ties.    The  lad  yet  remembered  his  father's  pohtical  harangues ;  he  had 
been  present  in  the  church  of  St.  Ann  when  Dr.  Thomas  Wilson,  the 
English  Dominican  father,  a  learned  and  eloquent  divine,  had  moved 
men  by  the  power  of  his  persuasive  oratory  to  forsake  the  ways  of  sin 
and  to  enter  upon  those  of  righteousness;  he  had  heard,  too,  a  single 
political  address  made  by  the  famous  FeHx  Grundy,  the  foremost  man 
of  his  time  in  the  entire  State.     It  was  upon  these  models,  doubtless^ 
that  he  had  built  his  style  of  speaking. 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  I09 

"His  argument  finished,  the  decision  of  the  judge  of  the  cause  was 
promptly  rendered  in  favor  of  the  side  whose  voluntary  advocate  had 
won  for  it  the  chief  part  of  its  victory.  The  applause  that  followed 
was  prolonged  and  hearty,  and  when  it  was  noticed  that  the  leading 
personages  present  were  so  little  disdainful  of  master  Robert  as  to 
take  his  unwashed  hand  in  their  own  and  to  congratulate  him  on  the 
effort  he  had  made,  the  lad  had  a  nobler  triumph  in  the  frank  apolo- 
gies proffered  by  his  school-fellows  for  having  previously  made  him  the 
butt  of  their  jeering  laughter. 

"But  Robert  Abell  was  not  permitted  to  depart  for  his  home 
alone.  Dr.  McElroy  accompanied  him  on  the  way  and  into  his 
mother's  presence.  Subsequently  he  had  an  interview  with  that  lady, 
the  subject  of  which  was  her  son  and  the  propriety  of  sending  him  to 
college  in  Maryland.  Mrs.  Abell,  for  the  reason,  possibly,  that  the 
expense  of  the  project  was  beyond  her  resources,  could  not  be  brought 
to  look  upon  it  wiih  favorable  eyes.  She  agreed,  however,  that  the 
boy  should  be  sent  to  the  school  of  St.  Rose,  then  but  recently  estab- 
lished near  the  village  of  Springfield,  in  Washington  county,  under  the 
direction  of  Rev.  Thomas  Wilson,  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic. 
Thither  he  was  sent  sometime  during  the  following  year,  and  there  he 
remained  until  his  transfer  to  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St.  Thomas, 
near  Bardstown,  in  theyear  1811."* 

In  the  year  1790,  Robert  Abell  was  followed  to  Kentucky  by  his 
brother-in-law,  Benedict  Spalding,  who  came  at  the  head  of  a  colony 
of  emigrants  from  St.  Mary's  county,  Maryland,  most  of  whom  settled 
on  the  RoUing  Fork.  Benedict  Spalding's  wife,  Alethia  Abell,  was  as 
extraordinary  for  her  practical  good  sense  as  she  was  for  the  firmness 
of  her  faith  and  her  truly  christian  manner  of  life.  She  had  learned 
from  her  mother,  the  Ellen  O'Brien  Abell  of  whom  mention  has 
been  already  made,  and  whose  name  should  be  held  in  blessed  remem- 
brance by  all  Kentucky  Catholics,  how  to  compass  her  whole  duty  in 
respect  to  the  rearing  of  her  children.  She  taught  them  by  word  the 
tenets  of  their  faith,  and  she  moved  them  by  her  example  to  render 
true  service  to  their  Creator,  f     Benedict  Spalding  was  possibly,  next 

*  What  I  shall  have  to  say  hereafter  of  Robert  A.,  afterwards  Father  Abell, 
will  come  more  appropriately  under  other  headings. 

fThe  direct  issue  of  Benedict  and  Alethia  Spalding  comprised  six  sons  and 
six  daughters.  The  names  of  these  were:  Richard,  married  to  Henrietta 
Hamilton;  Thomas,  married  to  Susan  Abell;  Joseph,  married  to  Elizabeth 
Moore;  William,  married  to  Elizabeth  Thompson;  Ignatius  A.,  married  to 
Ann  Pottinger ;  Benedict,  married  to  Mary  Hamilton ;  Ann,  married  to 
Clement  Hamilton;  Ellen,  married  to  Basil  Riney  ;  Elizabeth,  married  to  John 
Wathen ;  Catherine,  married  to  Col.  Richard  Forrest ;  Mary,  married  to  Henry 
H.  Wathen  ;  and  Alethia,  married  to  Francis  Sims. 

Richard,  the  eldest  son,  was  thrice  married.  The  issue  of  his  first  marriage 
with  Henrietta  Hamilton,  daughter  of  Leonard  Hamilton,  who  settled  on  the 
Rolling  Fork  in  1791,  comprised  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  viz:  Leonard, 
Richard  M.,  Martin  J.,  Benedict  J.,  Clement,  Constantia  and  Julia.  Of  these, 
only  the  first  named,  one   of  the  most  prominent  and  respected  citizens  of 


/i-U^  ROLLING    FORK    SETTLEMENT. 

to  Robert  Abell,  the  most  active  and  influential  of  all  the  emigrants 
from  Maryland  living  on  the  Rolling  Fork.  He  represented  Washing- 
ton county  in  the  sessions  of  the  legislature  of  1806,  181 1  and  181 2. 

The  next  most  important  influx  of  emigrants  from  Maryland  to  the 
settlement  on  the  RoUing  Fork  took  place  in  the  year  1791.  At  the 
head  of  this  colony  came  Leonard  Hamilton,  who  was  the  maternal 
grandfather  of  the  late  Archbishop  Spalding,  of  Baltimore,  and  of 
the  late  \^ery  Rev.  Benedict  J.  Spalding,  administrator  of  the  diocese 
of  Louisville  at  the  date  of  his  death. 

Other  colonists  followed  in  quick  succession,  until  the  greater  part 
of  the  available  lands  in  the  neighborhood  were  taken  up  and  occu- 
pied. The  annexed  list  of  emigrants  Uving  on  the  Rolling  Fork  at 
some  time  previous  to  the  year  1800  is  beHeved  to  be  fairly  correct: 
Robert   Abell,   Jesse   Abell,    Barton    Abell,   Abner   Abell,    Absalom 

Abell,  Bowles,  Ignatius  Buckman,   Clement  Buckman,   James 

Dolan,  Michael  Fagan,  Richard  Fenwick,  Richard  Forrest,  Thomas 
Forrest,  John  Hayden,  James  Hager,  Leonard  Hamilton,  Clement 
Hamilton,  Basil  Hayden,  William  Hayden,  John  Hayden,  James 
Hayden,    Samuel    Hamilton,   Jarboe,   Henry  Luckett,    Samuel 

Marion  county,  survives  to  the  present  day.     Both  Leonard  and  Richard  M. 
Spalding,  the  latter  for  several  sessions,  represented  their  native  county  in  the 
State  legislature.     Richard  Spalding's  third  and   fourth  sons  became  priests, 
and  the  first  alluded  to,  a  bishop  and  an  archbishop.    The  fifth  son  was  a  prom- 
ising attorney  at  the  time  of  his  early  death.     Through  his  son,  Richard  M. 
Spalding,   who   married  Mary  Jane  Lancaster,   Richard    Spalding,   the  elder, 
was  the  grandfather  of  two  priests,  John  Lancaster  and  Benedict  J.  Spalding, 
the  first  named  of  whom  is  now  bishop  of  the  See  of  Peoria.     Thomas  Spald- 
ing left  behind  him  when  he  died  an  honored  name.     He  was  greatly  esteemed 
for  his  piety  and  worth.     In  the  year  1821,  William  and  Ignatius  A.  Spalding 
removed  to  the  county  of  Union,  where  they  lived  useful  and  honorable  lives, 
raised  families  of  dutiful  children,  and  were   lamented  in  their  deaths  by  all 
classes  of  society.     Both  were  honored  by  their  fellow  citizens  with  seats  in  the 
State  legislature,  and  one,  Ignatius  A.,  was  a   member    of  the  State  consti- 
tutional convention  in  1849.     Two  of  the  latter's  sons,  Robert  A.  and  Ignatius 
A.,  have  also  served  in  the  legislature  of  the  State.     Joseph  Spalding,  son  of 
Benedict  Spalding,  through  his  son,  Samuel  Spalding,  Esq.,  married  to  Isabella 
Lancaster,  was  the  grandfather  of  a  priest.  Rev.   Samuel  B.   Spalding,  of  the 
archdiocese  of  Philadelphia.     The  late  Raphael  L,   Spalding,  another  son  of 
Samuel  Spalding,  twice  represented  Marion  county  in  the  State  legislature. 

Benedict  Spalding,  who  bore  his  father's  name,  outlived  all  his  brothers. 
In  1813  he  owned  the  land  upon  which  is  now  situated  the  town  of  Lebanon. 
He  caused  it  to  be  surveyed  into  lots,  reserving  one  of  four  acres  for  a  Catholic 
church,  and  it  was  not  long  before  many  of  these  were  sold  and  built  upon, 
and  this  was  the  beginning  of  what  is  now  one  of  the  most  flourishing  inland 
towns  of  the  State.  He  was  a  prominent  merchant  and  successful  trader,  and 
he  exerted  in  political  and  social  affairs  as  well,  a  healthy  influence.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Kentucky  legislature  in  1835,  and  also  from  1861  to  1865. 
Col  Richard  Forrest,  who  married  Catherine,  youngest  daughter  of  Benedict 
Spalding,  was  a  man  of  note  in  the  annals  of  Washington  county,  which  was 
almost  continuously  represented  by  him  in  the  State  legislature  from  1819  to 
1829.  His  son,  the  late  Dr.  Green  Forrest,  whom  I  remember  well,  was  also  a 
man  of  wide  reputation  and  influence  in  Marion  county. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  Ill 

Lee,  Benj.  Morgan,  Bernard  Mills,  Moore,  Ignatius  Mills, 


Melton,  Clement  Pierceall,  Richard  Pierceall,  Basil  Raleigh,  John 
Raleigh,  Henry  Raleigh,  Roger  Roney,  Benedict  Spalding,  Francis 
Sims,  John  Wathen,  Henry  H.  Wathen,  Joseph  Wimsett,  Raphael 
Wimsett,  Stephen  Wimsett,  Edward  Wathen,  Enoch  Yates  and  Zach- 
ariah  Yates.* 

Between  the  Rolling  Fork  and  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 
Lebanon,  there  were  living  at  the  time  referred  to,  Zepheniah  Forrest, 
father  of  Col.  Richard  Forrest,  Clement  Parsons,  and  Walter  and 
Hoskins  Hamilton.  Into  this  same  neighborhood  moved,  a  few  years 
later,  Clement  Hill  and  his  brother-in-law,  John  Jarboe,  of  the  Cart- 
wright's  Creek  Cathohc  settlement. 

The  Rolling  Fork  station,  or  fort,  built  to  secure  the  safety  of  the 
settlers  from  attacks  by  Indians,  was  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
almost  opposite  the  present  Calvary  convent.  It  is  generally  believed 
that  this  fort  was  built  after  the  Buckman  tragedy,  to  which  reference 
has  been  made.  It  is  certain  that  neither  before  nor  after  the  death 
of  Buckman  were  the  people  of  the  settlement  molested  by  Indians. 

It  is  beyond  question  that  the  Catholic  settlement  on  the  Rolling 
Fork  was  often  visited  by  Father  Whelan  previous  to  his  withdrawal 
from  the  mission  of  Kentucky.  It  is  probable,  too,  that  Father  de 
Rohan,  occasionally,  at  least,  administered  to  the  spiritual  necessities 
of  the  people  of  the  settlement.  After  the  year  1793,  it  is  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  there  were  houses  in  the  settlement  where  Father 
Badin  was  in  the  habit  of  saying  mass  and  administering  the  sacra- 
ments. _  In  1797,  Father  Michael  J.  C.  Fournier  made  the  settle- 
ment his  nominal  home,  and,  until  the  date  of  his  death  in  1803,  the 
spiritual  wants  of  the  people  were  well  cared  for.  His  house,  like 
that  of  Father  Badin  at  St.  Stephen's,  had  at  least  a  room  in  it  in 
which  he  could  say  mass,  and  to  which  the  people  resorted  in  order  to 

*0f  the  emigrants  above  named,  not  commented  upon  in  the  text,  the 
sum  of  my  information  may  be  brieily  stated:  The  land  upon  which  stands 
Holy  Mary's  church  and  the  Calvary  convent,  was  bought  by  Rev.  M.  J.  C. 
Fournier  of  Michael  Fagan,  as  of  deed  bearing  date  January  29,  1802,  recorded 
in  the  Washington  county  court.  John  Hayden  and  James  H.iger  were  sur- 
veyors. Clement  Hamilton  died  in  185 1,  aged  eighty  years;  his  widow  in 
1863,  aged  ninety-two  years.  Basil  Hayden  was,  most  likely,  a  son  of  the  emi- 
grant of  the  same  name  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  colonization  movement  to 
Pottinger's  creek.  This  is  the  more  likely,  since  the  latter,  as  early  as  1798, 
was  in  the  habit  of  writing  his  name  Basil  Hayden,  .S;-.  The  one  named  in  the 
text  was  the  proprietor  of  the  first  mill  put  up  on  the  Rolling  Fork.  He  died 
of  cholera  in  1833.  The  death  of  Samuel  Lee  took  place  in  1863,  ^t  the  age 
of  eighty-five  years.  It  is  known  that  two  priests  bearing  each  the  name  of 
George  A.  Hamilton,  one  of  the  diocese  of  Boston  and  the  other  of  that  of 
Fort  Wayne,  and  both  long  since  deceased,  were  born  in  Marion  county.  The 
parents  of  one  of  these  was  Leonard  Hamilton,  possibly  a  son  of  the  emigrant 
of  that  patronymic,  and  Mary  Beaven.  The  name  of  the  father  of  the  other 
was  George  Hamilton,  and  he  is  said  to  have  removed  with  his  family  to 
Missouri  nearly  sixty  years  ago. 


112  ROLLING    FORK   SETTLEMENT. 

fulfill  the  obligations  imposed  on  them  by  their  religion.  It  was  at  a 
later  day,  however,  and  through  the  instrumentahty  of  another  who 
was  more  capable  than  Father  Fournier  of  undergoing  exhaustive 
physical  labor,  that  they  were  provided  with  a  suitable  church 
building. 

It  is  now  eighty  years  since  Father  Fournier  exchanged  his  mortal 
life  of  toil  and  mortification  for  that  which  the  God  of  all  consolation 
has  prepared  for  His  servants  in  the  kingdom  of  His  glory;  and  it  is 
doubtful  if  there  is  memory  left  among  the  living  of  to-day  of  his 
kindly  face.  But  go  where  you  will  in  the  district  of  country  in  which 
our  Kentucky  forefathers  in  the  faith  set  up  rude  tabernacles  in  which 
to  dwell,  and  you  will  find  not  only  general  recognition  of  his  name, 
but  some  knowledge,  also,  of  facts  connected  in  some  way  with  his 
short  career  as  a  missionary  priest  in  the  State.  Rev.  Michael  J.  C. 
Fournier  was  a  priest  of  the  diocese  of  Blois,  in  France.  Obliged  to 
flee  his  country  in  the  revolutionary  era,  he  escaped  to  London, 
where,  for  four  years,  he  earned  a  livelihood  by  teaching  French. 
Feeling  that  it  was  to  another  character  of  labor  he  had  been  called, 
he  came  to  America  toward  the  end  of  the  year  1796,  and  proffered 
his  services  to  Bishop  Carroll,  by  whom  they  were  gladly  accepted. 
For  just  such  an  occurrence  the  bishop  had  long  been  waiting,  in  order 
to  send  an  assistant  to  his  overtaxed  subordinate  in  the  wilds  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  very  soon  afterwards  this  new  acquisition  to  his  laboring 
force  was  on  his  way  to  the  seat  of  his  mission.  His  journey  was 
prosecuted  in  winter,  and  it  was  filled  with  discomforts.  He  presented 
himself  before  his  superior  of  the  mission  in  February,  1797,  was 
joyfully  received,  and  from  that  time  to  the  end  of  his  life  the  two 
were  fast  friends,  and  sought  with  equal  dismterestedness  to  render 
their  ministry  a  blessing  to  the  Catholic  people  of  the  State.  In  1798, 
Father  Fournier  purchased  one  hundred  acres  of  land  on  the  Rolling 
Fork,  upon  which  he  erected  a  cabin  of  logs,  with  a  small  chapel 
attached,  as  is  supposed,  and  this  was  his  nominal  home,  for  the  five 
years  that  remained  to  him  of  life.* 

Between  Fathers  Badin  and  Fournier  a  division  was  effected 
of  ministerial  labor.  To  the  latter  was  assigned  that  part  of  the  Ken- 
tucky mission  that  included  the  settlements  on  the  Rolling  Fork, 
Hardin's  creek,  Cartwright's  creek.  Rough  creek,  in  Hardin  county, 
and  those  of  Lincoln  and  Madison  counties.     Father  Fournier  was  by 

*  There  is  doubt  in  my  mind  whether  the  contract  of  purchase  of  land  by 
Father  Fournier,  as  referred  to  in  the  text,  was  made  with  Benedict  Spalding 
or  with  Michael  Fagan.  It  is  my  impression  that  the  first  purchase  was  of 
forty  acres,  bought  of  Benedict  Spalding  in  1798,  and  that  the  remainder  of 
the  one  hundred  acres  owned  by  him  at  the  date  of  his  death,  was  deeded  to 
him,  as  has  heretofore  been  related,  by  Michael  Fagan,  on  the  29th  January, 
1802.  It  is  quite  certain  that  Holy  Mary's  church,  and  the  convent  and  school 
of  Calvary,  as  these  appear  to-day,  are  situated  upon  lands  of  which  Father 
Fournier  was  the  owner,  and  that  these  were  left  by  him  in  perpetuity  to  the 
Church. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


"3 


no  means  a  man  of  robust  physical  conformation;  and  yet  it  is  known 
that  he  traversed  and  retraversed  the  wide  district  of  country  in  which 
these  distinct  congregations  of  CathoHcs  had  their  homes  for  nearly 
six  years,  and  that  the  souls  committed  to  his  charge  were  served  with 
exact  punctuality  and  with  all  faithfulness.  In  order  to  do  this,  he 
must  have  borrowed  strength  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  supplement  that 
,     which  was  of  his  own  nature. 

Speaking  of  his  personal  characteristics,  Dr,  Spalding  says  of  him 
in  his  Sketches  of  Kentucky:  "He  was  an  excellent  priest,  pious, 
zealous  and  laborious.  He  was  of  the  ordinary  stature  of  men,  had  a 
thin  visage,  furrowed  with  care,  but  still  beaming  with  habitual  cheer- 
fulness. His  manners  were  extremely  popular.  He  soon  caught  the 
spirit  and  adapted  himself  to  the  ways  of  the  people.  He  had 
no  personal  enemies.  He  spoke  English  remarkably  well,  and  his 
sermons  had  the  triple  merit  of  being  solid,  short  and  intelligible  to 
the  meanest  capacity.  When  not  engaged  on  his  missions,  he  was 
almost  constantly  to  be  found  laboring  on  the  little  farm  attached  to 
his  residence.  His  death  was  caused  by  the  rupture  of  a  blood  vessel 
through  over-exertion  in  raising  logs  to  be  sawed  into  planks.  So 
sudden  was  it,  that  Father  Badin  arrived  only  to  assist  at  his  funeral. 
He  was  not  yet  fifty  years  old  when  he  died.  The  body  of  this  most 
exemplary  priest  was  taken  to  Holy  Cross  cemetery  and  there 
(         interred." 


114  cox's   CREEK   SETTLEMENT. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  cox's  CREEK  SETTLEMENT. 

It  is  supposed  by  many  that  the  settlement  on  Cox's  creek,  Nelson 
county,  was  begun  as  early  as  the  year  1792.  Others  are  of  the  opin- 
ion, and  the  writer  is  disposed  to  agree  with  them,  that  the  first  Catho- 
lic emigrants  to  the  district  only  reached  their  destination  toward  the 
close  of  the  year  1795.  These  were  composed  of  a  dozen  famiUes, 
more  or  less,  under  the  leadership  of  Clement  Gardiner  and  Nicholas 
Miles.  Previous  to  the  year  1800  the  colony  was  much  enlarged  by 
other  arrivals,  mostly  of  personal  friends  and  former  neighbors  of  the 
first-comers. 

In  the  year  1800,  the  Cox's  Creek  Catholic  settlement,  afterwards 
better  known  as  that  of  Fairfield,  was  composed  of  between  forty  and 
fifty  families.  The  names  borne  by  the  heads  of  these  families,  so  far 
as  the  writer  has  been  able  to  secure  them,  were :  Clement  Gardiner, 
Nicholas  Miles,  Thomas  Elder,  Francis  Coomes,  Zachariah  Aud, 
Thomas  Aud,  James  Knott,  Austin  Montgomery,  Richard  Adams, 
Thomas  Higdon,  Austin  Clements,  Wilfred  Wathen,  Raphael  Hagan, 
Richard  Coomes,  Walter  Simpson,  James  Simpson,  Archibald  Pitt, 
Richard  Jarboe,  Valentine  Thompson,  John  Payne,  James  Speaks, 
Benedict  Smith,  Joseph  Gardiner,  Charles  Wathen,  Thomas  Lilly,  John 
Lilly,  Thomas  Brewer,  Richard  Clark,  Daniel  Rogers,  Clement  Clark, 

Ignatius   Drury,  Mitchell,   Charles    Warren,    James    Spalding, 

Joseph  Clark, Dougherty,  Hezekiah  Luckettand  Hilary  Drury. 

To  many  of  these  names  are  attached  histories  that  should  be  of 
more  than  local  interest.  From  what  follows  concerning  a  few  of 
them.  Catholics  everywhere  in  the  country  will  be  enabled  to  gather  at 
least  something  for  edification.     Our  first  reference  should  be  to 

CLEMENT  AND  HENRIETTA  BOONE  GARDINER. 

The  example  of  a  Christian  life  is  of  priceless  value  to  humanity. 
If  this  axiom  required  proofs,  the  lives  of  the  couple  named  would 
abundantly  furnish  them.  These  admirable  Christians  did  not  live  for 
their  own  day  alone,  and  not  merely  for  the  well-being  of  their  own 
families  and  those  of  their  immediate  neighbors.  The  future  of  all 
these  and  the  future  of  the  Church  in  their  adopted  State  were  alike 
the  subjects  of  their  anxious  consideration.  Their  influence  for  good 
was  great,  and  not  even  when  they  ceased  to  live  was  that  influence 
materially  lessened.     It  was  only  in  1878  that  two  of  their  grand- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  II5 

daughters,  Mother  Frances  Gardiner  and  Sister  Clare  Gardiner,  of  the 
Nazareth  community  of  Sisters  of  Charity,  full  of  years  and  full  of 
merits,  and  leaving  behind  them  for  the  edification  of  the  thousands 
of  their  sex  whom  they  had  lovingly  led  along  the  paths  of  useful 
knowledge  and  Christian  perfection,  the  memory  of  their  virtues, 
passed  from  earth  to  heaven. 

Clement  Gardiner  was  born  in  Maryland,  most  likely  in  St.  Mary's 
county,  about  the  year  1748.  When  of  the  proper  age,  he  intermar- 
ried with  Henrietta  Boone,  who  was  of  the  family  from  whom  descent 
is  claimed  for  Daniel  Boone,  whose  name  is  so  notably  identified  with 
the  early  history  of  Kentucky.  Both  were  of  English  extraction,  and 
both  were  able  to  trace  their  ancestry  to  the  colony  of  St.  Mary's,  the 
first  established  in  the  country  by  Catholics  and  through  Catholic 
influence.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  neither  of  them  was 
either  ignorant  of,  or  indifferent  to,  the  obligations  imposed  upon  them 
by  their  religion. 

Clement  Gardiner  was  provided  with  ample  means  for  his  own 
comfortable  maintenance  in  Maryland,  and  there  was  certainly  no 
worldly  and  selfish  reason  requiring  at  his  hands  the  abandonment  of 
his  home  and  the  association  of  his  friends  for  a  life  of  meagre  advan- 
tages in  the  wilderness.  It  was  his  parental  solicitude,  no  doubt,  that 
caused  him  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  his  sons  and  sons-in-law,  who 
had  yet  their  own  way  to  make  in  the  world,  and  whose  determination 
had  become  fixed  to  remove  to  Kentucky.  It  was  well  for  Catholicity 
in  the  State  that  the  aging  parents  chose  rather  to  share  their  children's 
discomforts  and  privations  in  the  homes  of  their  adoption  than  to  end 
their  lives  in  quiet  inactivity  in  the  land  of  their  birth.  With  the 
exception,  possibly,  of  Anthony  Sanders,  of  Bardstown,  there  was  not 
another  Catholic  in  Kentucky  whose  means  were  so  freely  applied  to 
Church  and  charitable  purposes  as  were  those  of  Clement  Gardiner. 
His  benefactions  were  as  important  as  they  were  unceasing.  He  not 
only  subscribed  liberally  for  the  personal  maintenance  of  the  early 
clergy  of  the  State,  but  he  was  never  invoked  in  vain  for  aid  in  the 
construction  of  churches  and  for  other  undertakings  in  the  interests  of 
Catholicity,  whether  special  to  the  people  among  whom  he  Hved,  or 
having  reference  to  the  wants  of  his  brethren  in  other  parts  of  the 
State. 

The  tract  of  land  upon  which  he  lived,  embraced  in  whole,  or 
in  part,  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Fairfield.  Though  a  few  of 
his  fellow-colonists  entered  upon  surveys  lying  from  four  to  six  miles 
distant  in  the  direction  of  Bardstown,  the  greater  number  of  them 
sought  and  occupied  farms  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  his  own  place. 
The  original  dwelling  house  of  logs  put  up  by  him  was  built  with 
special  reference  to  the  religious  wants  of  the  settlers  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. For  eleven  or  twelve  years  the  largest  of  its  rooms  was  made 
to  do  service  as  a  chapel.  *     It  was  most  likely  in  1806  that  measures 

*  Among  the  church  stations  assigned  by  Father  Badin  to  Rev.  Anthony 
Salmon  in  1799,  not  the  least  important  was  that  known  as  Gardiner's  Station. 


Il6  cox's    CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

were  first  taken  for  the  erection  of  a  church  in  the  hamlet  of  Fairfield, 
which  was  then  made  up  of  a  few  shops  for  the  manufacture  of  farm- 
ing implements  and  household  utensils.  Mr.  Gardiner  not  only  made 
a  deed  of  gift  to  the  congregation  of  a  site  for  the  church,  but  he 
added  to  his  benefaction  grounds  for  a  cemetery,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  funds  required  for  the  building  of  the  church.  The  church  of 
St.  Michael  was  most  likely  opened  for  divine  service  in  the  spring  or 
summer  of  1807,  and  though  Father  Badin  was  then  the  nominal 
pastor  of  the  congregation,  it  is  more  than  likely  it  was  more  frequently 
served  by  Father  Nerinckx  and  by  Fathers  Wilson  and  Tuite  of  the 
not  far  away  Dominican  convent  of  St.  Rose.  Up  to  the  date  of  his 
death,  which  took  place,  as  is  supposed,  in  18 19  or  1820,  Clement  Gar- 
diner never  counted  as  a  cost  whatever  was  required  of  him  for  the 
support  of  religion.  He  recognized  to  the  full  his  accountability  to 
God  for  the  proper  use  to  be  made  of  the  riches  with  which  he  had 
been  blessed.* 

Henrietta  Boone  Gardiner  is  fairly  to  be  classed  among  the 
extraordinary  women  of  the  early  church  of  Kentucky.  She  was  not 
only  an  exponent  of  christian  courage  and  meekness  and  piety,  but  she 
was  an  exponent  of  that  charity  which  has  God  for  its  supreme  object, 
and  which  has  for  its  standard  of  social  equity  the  welfare  of  the  neigh- 
bor. After  her  husband's  death,  her  thoughts  were  wholly  abstracted 
from  objects  of  worldly  solicitude.  The  last  act  of  her  life  for  rhe 
good  of  others  was  worthy  of  the  name  she  bore  and  of  christian  remem- 
brance. Her  husband  and  herself  had  long  entertained  the  thought 
of  founding  a  first-class  school  for  girls  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fair- 
field. The  difficulty  had  been  that  they  were  unable  to  secure  compe- 
tent teachers.  Early  in  182 1,  Mrs.  Gardiner  consulted  with  Bishop 
Flaget  on  the  subject,  and  the  result  of  their  conference  was  a  pledge 
on  her  part  to  make  to  the  Bishop  a  deed  of  gift  of  three  hundred 
acres  of  land  near  the  town,  and  a  counter  pledge  on  the  part  of  the 
latter  that  a  school  building  should  be  put  up  on  the  land  and  teach- 
ers furnished  for  the  conduct  of  the  school.  Both  pledges  were  fulfilled 
before  the  close  of  the  year,  and  in  December,  1821,  the  property  was 

*The  children  borne  to  Clement  Gardiner  by  his  wife  were:  first,  Joseph, 
who  was  married  in  Maryland  to  Winefred  Hamilton.  Three  of  the  daughters 
of  this  marriage,  reared  almost  from  childhood  by  their  step-mother,  Catharine 
Elder,  were  Sisters  of  Charity  of  the  Nazareth  community.  Second,  Polly,  who 
was  married  in  Maryland  to  Benedict  Smith.  Third,  Theodore,  married  in 
Kentucky  to  a  daughter,  as  is  supposed,  of  Captain  James  Rapier.  Fourth, 
Harry,  who  became  a  member  of  the  Trappist  Order  in  1807,  and  whose  death 
took  place  during  his  noviciate.  Fifth,  Francis,  who  was  married  in  Ken- 
tucky to  Ann  Smith  Sixth,  Ellen,  who  was  married  in  Maryland  to  James 
Spalding.  Seventh,  Ignatius,  who  removed  to  Louisiana  when  a  young  man, 
and  of  whose  after  life  little  is  known.  Eighth,  Christine,  who  was  married  in 
Kentucky  to  Thomas  Miles.  Ninth  and  last,  Ann,  married  in  Kentucky  to 
Edward  Jenkins.  The  late  Thomas  E.  Jenkins,  a  scientist  of  some  note,  who 
was  one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  United  States  to  the  Paris  Industrial 
Exposition,  of  1878,  was  a  grandson  of  Ann  Gardiner,  as  is  also  the  Rev.  T.  J. 
Jenkins,  a  priest  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  II7 

placed  in  the  possession  of  a  colony  of  eleven  sister's  of  the  Loretto 
Society,  of  which  Sister  Bibiana  Elder  was  named  superior.  In  close 
proximity  to  the  convent,  Mrs.  Gardiner  caused  to  be  erected  a  small 
brick  cottage  for  her  own  occupancy,  and  there  she  remained  until  the 
institution  was  abandoned  in  1827.  The  school  of  Bethania — such  was 
the  name  given  to  the  establishment — was  fairly  prosperous  for  several 
years;  but  owing  to  continued  sickness  among  the  sisters,  accompa- 
nied by  a  fatality  that  was  alarming,  it  was  at  length  determined  by  the 
superiors  of  the  Loretto  Society  to  recall  the  survivors  of  the  sister- 
hood. Grieved  beyond  measure  on  account  of  the  nonrealization  of 
her  hopes,  and  the  afflictions  that  had  fallen  on  the  little  community, 
Mrs.  Gardiner  concluded  to  accompany  the  sisters  to  Loretto,  where 
she  was  offered  a  home,  and  there,  concerning  herself  about  nothing 
beyond  her  own  sanctification,  pass  the  remainder  of  her  days.  She 
lived  for  several  years  afterwards  in  retirement  and  prayer,  and  then, 
mourned  by  the  entire  sisterhood,  she  was  called  to  her  reward.  * 

NICHOLAS    MILES. 

Of  this  early  emigrant  to  the  settlement  on  Cox's  creek,  who  was 
reckoned  among  the  more  influential  Catholic  citizens  of  Nelson  county 
at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  the  writer  has  been  unable  to 
learn  much  that  would  be  considered  of  interest  at  the  present  day. 
He  is  to  be  remembered  as  the  father  of  a  well-known  priest,  Rev. 
Richard  Pius  Miles,  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic,  afterwards  first  bishop 
of  the  See  of  Nashville. 

THE   ELDER    FAMILY   OF   MARYLAND   AND    KENTUCKY. 

In  these  days,  when  to  be  exalted  in  the  eyes  of  men  is  but  too 
often  to  be  suspected  of  infidelity  to  God,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed 
that  the  ordinary  mind  will  be  able  to  find  any  of  the  essentials  of  great- 

*  During  its  short  existence  of  seven  years,  the  convent  of  Bethania  lost 
eleven  of  its  members  by  death.  These  were,  in  the  order  of  their  demise : 
Sisters  Aloysia,  (Elizabeth  McAtee);  Defrosia,  (Mary  Ernis);  Felicitas,  (Bar- 
bara Dieffendell);  Gertrude,  (Catharine  Bowles);  Melina,  (Bridget  King);  Mar- 

celline,  ( Drury);  Justine,  (Mary  Cook);   Berlindas,  second  Superior,  (Mary 

Bickett);  Liberata,  (Eliza  Pike),  Berthildes,  (Catharine  Mitchell);  and  Ever- 
eldes,  (Eliza  Aud).  An  aged  sister  of  the  Nazareth  community,  conversant 
with  the  facts,  tells  me  that  several  causes  contributed  to  this  extraordinary  mor- 
tality. In  the  first  place,  the  mortifications  imposed  upon  the  members  of  the 
community  by  the  rules  of  the  society  were  at  the  time  exhaustive  of  the  phys- 
ical strength  of  those  among  them  who  were  obliged  to  labor  in  the  fields  and 
in  the  performance  of  other  menial  out-of-door  offices.  In  the  second  place, 
the  poverty  of  the  sisters  compelled  them  to  live  meanly  and  cheaply.  Not 
only  was  their  food  of  the  least  generous  character,  but  their  clothing  was  often- 
times inadequate  to  proper  protection  against  the  inclemencies  of  a  climate  that 
is  subject  to  sudden  changes.  With  physical  organizations  weakened  and 
impaired  by  self-imposed  mortifications,  and  by  constant  exposure,  disease  and 
death  found  in  them  ready  victims. 


Il8  COXS   CREEK   SETTLEMENT. 

ness  in  characters  such  as  the  writer  now  proposes  to  depict.  And 
yet  there  was  not  one  of  those  who  are  mainly  to  claim  the  reader's 
attention  in  this  sub-chapter,  who  was  wanting  in  those  characteristics 
and  qualities  of  heart  and  mind,  which  combine  to  make  the  just  and 
true,  and  therefore  the  truly  great  man.  They  were  alike  faithful  to 
God  and  to  right  reason,  to  the  Catholic  traditions  of  their  race,  and 
to  truth,  probity  and  honor.  Their  sympathy  was  equally  assured, 
whether  the  sentiment  was  elicited  by  human  suffering,  or  by  the 
groping  of  a  soul  after  verity  in  religion.  Even  as  they  prayed  for 
mercy  to  themselves,  they  ceased  not,  while  they  lived,  to  scatter  in 
the  way  of  others  the  seeds  of  mercy  garnered  in  their  own  souls. 

The  surname  Elder  is  not  uncommon  in  the  United  States ;  neither 
is  it  in  England  and  Ireland.  Singularly  enough,  however,  while  the 
patronymic  is  owned  in  England  almost  exclusively  by  Catholics  in 
religion,  it  adheres,  very  generally,  at  least,  to  Protestant  dissenters 
in  Ireland.  In  the  United  States,  and  so  far  as  it  is  Catholic,  the 
name  is  represented  by  the  descendants  of  one,  or,  as  some  say,  of 
two  individual  Catholics,  who  emigrated  from  Lancashire,  England, 
to  the  colony  of  Maryland,  not  earlier  than  the  year  1720.* 

Of  members  of  the  family  now  living  in  the  United  States,  by  far 
the  greater  number  would  seem  to  be  impressed  with  the  idea  that  the 
patriarch  of  their  race  in  America  was  one  William  Elder,  an  English- 
man, born  in  Lancashire  in  1707,  who  emigrated  to  Maryland,  not 
earher  than  1728,  and  not  later  than  1732.  Without  stopping  here  to 
record  his  doubts  of  the  correctness  of  this  notion,  and  for  the  reason 
that  the  patriarch  referred  to  has  a  defined  history,  wanting  in  the  case 
of  another,  if  there  was  really  another  source  of  descent  for  some 
Catholics  who  bear  the  name  in  this  country,  the  writer  proposes  to 
begin  his  series  of  personal  sketches  with  one  of 

WILLIAM    ELDER,     1707-1775. 

William  Elder,  so  to  say,  was  a  born  Catholic.  His  descent  was 
from  those  who  had  kept  the  faith  when  its  rejection  would  have 
insured  their  worldly  prosperity.  Before  his  birth,  and  long  after  his 
expatriation,  indeed,  there  was  little  freedom  for  Catholics  in  England. 
They  were  not  then  subjected,  to  be  sure,  to  such  remorseless  perse- 
cutions as  had  distinguished  the  days  of  their  fathers;  but  they  were 

*I  am  unable  to  agree  with  certain  members  of  the  family  who  assert  that 
their  American  progenitor  was  a  fellow-voyager  with  Leonard  Calvert,  and  one 
of  the  original  colonists  of  St.  Mary's.  It  is  well  known  that  the  three  heads 
of  families  of  this  name  who  emigrated  to  Kentucky  claimed  no  more  distant 
relationship  with  each  other  than  second  cousin,  and  that  the  father  of  the 
most  conspicuous  amongst  them  was  a  native  of  Lancashire,  England,  born  in 
1707,  who  had  reached  his  majority  before  he  came  to  America.  As  a  question 
of  fact,  it  it  is  difficult  to  determine  whether  or  not  all  Catholics  in  this  country 
who  bear  the  name  of  Elder,  have  descent  from  a  single  or  from  two  parent 
founts  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  This  point  will  be  found  treated  in  a  note 
further  on. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  I19 

Still  sufficiently  hampered  in  the  exercise  of  their  liberty,  civil  and 
religious,  to  render  their  situation  one  of  great  trial  and  of  constant 
annoyance. 

No  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  Church  of  God  has 
failed  to  discover  that  the  noblest  examoles  of  fidelity  to  the  law  of 
conscience  are  to  be  found  precisely  where  divine  wisdom  has  taught 
us  to  look  for  them:  "Blessed  are  you  ;.hen  men  shall  revile  you 
and  persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely 
for  My  sake."  It  was  in  an  atmosphere  o/  hostility  to  his  religion  that 
William  Elder  first  drew  breath,  and  in  which  he  lived  and  moved 
from  infancy  to  early  manhood.  Well  for  him,  possibly,  and  well  for 
his  posterity,  that  such  was  the  case.  As  self-reliance  is  most  readily 
learned  in  the  school  of  adversity,  so  devotion  to  principle  has  its 
greatest  expansion  where  its  suppression  is  sought  through  the  medium 
of  persecution. 

It  was  most  likely  soon  after  he  had  reached  his  majority  that 
William  Elder  left  his  native  land  and  came  to  America.  As  early  as 
the  year  1733,  we  find  him  living  with  his  first  wife,  Ann  Wheeler,  who 
had  already  borne  him  several  children,  in  St.  Mary's  county,  Mary- 
land.* In  the  year  1734,  as  is  supposed,  he  removed  to  Frederick 
county,  where  he  bought  and  cultivated  a  farm,  upon  which  he  built 
for  the  occupancy  of  the  family  a  comfortable  residence.  To  this 
house,  which  stood  in  close  proximity  to  the  site  now  occupied  by  the 
college  of  St.  Mary,  is  attached  an  interesting  history. 

Upon  leaving  England,  William  Elder  had  not  left  behind  him,  as 
he  had  fondly  hoped,  the  proscriptive  laws  enacted  by  the  home 
government  in  contravention  of  the  rights  of  its  Catholic  subjects. 
The  old  colonial  laws  giving  to  all  men  unrestricted  liberty  to  worship 
according  to  conscience,  to  which  Catholics  in  religion  had  given  form 
and  shape,  force  and  effect,  were  now  abrogated  in  Maryland,  and  in 
their  stead  a  law  was  in  force  by  the  terms  of  which  Catholics  were 
forbidden  to  build,  hold  or  occupy  structures  designed  for  public 
religious  worship.  In  ordei;  to  acquit  themselves  of  their  religious 
obligations,  the  proscribed  Catholic  people  of  the  colony  were  obliged 
to  resort  to  the  expedient  of  fitting  up  chapels  in  private  houses.  In 
constructing  his  dwelling,  William  Elder  had  in  view  the  anomalous 
situation  in  which  himself  and  his  co-religionists  were  placed  by  the 
law  referred  to.  His  parlor  chapel  was  not  only  the  largest  room  in 
his  house,  buf  its  area  was  equal  to  the  aggregate  of  all  its  other 
rooms.  Here  it  was  that,  the  Catholic  residents  of  the  district  were 
wont  to  meet  for  divine  service,  and  here  they  were  shriven,  and  after- 
wards fed  with  bread  from  heaven,  until  the  dawn  of  a  brighter  day 
witnessed  their  release  from  civil  degradation  and  official  espionage,  f 

*I  am  inclined  to  the  belief  that  the  marriage  of  William  Elder  with  Ann 
Wheeler  took  place  in  England,  and  that,  soon  after  that  event,  the  pair  took 
passage  for  America. 

t  The  Elder  mansion,  near  Emmittsburg,  though  then  tottering  to  its  fall, 
was  still  standing  as  late  as  the  year  1850.     For  many  years  before,  it  had  been 


I20  COX'S    CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

In  1739.  death  invaded  the  home  of  the  pioneer,  taking  from  him 
the  mother  of  his  children.  The  pair  had  been  very  happy  together, 
and  the  survivor  naturally  felt  deeply  the  great  loss  he  had  sustained. 
Ann  Wheeler  Elder  is  represented  as  having  been  a  woman  of  rare 
good  qualities,  faithful  to  every  duty  pertaining  to  her  state  of  life, 
diligent  in  the  management  of  her  household,  and  of  singular  piety.* 

Having  remained  a  widower  for  several  years,  William  Elder  took 
to  wife,  most  likeiy  in  1744,  Jacoba  Clementina,  daughter  of  Arnold 
Livers,  Esq.,  genfleman.  This  Arnold  Livers,  an  Englishman  by 
birth,  had  been  an  active  and  noted  partisan  of  James  IL  Upon  the 
collapse  of  that  weak  and  unfortunate  monarch's  cause,  he  had  been 
obliged  to  fly  his  native  land,  and  now  he  was  the  proprietor  of  a  large 
estate  in  Maryland,  f  Of  this  second  wife  of  William  Elder,  the  tra- 
ditions preserved  in  the  family  speak  nothing  but  praise.  She  bore  to 
her  husband  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  and  not  by  these  was  her 
motherly  influence  felt  more  beneficially  than  it  was  by  her  step- 
children.    While  her  husband  lived  she  shared  with  him  the  respect 

an  object  of  interest  to  the  Catholics  of  the  State,  and  especially  to  such  of 
them  as  were  able  to  claim  descent  from  its  builder  and  first  proprietor.  There 
is  scarcely  a  trace  of  it  to  be  seen  at  the  present  day.  On  the  spot  where  it 
stood,  however,  a  descendant  of  the  family  has  lately  placed  a  memorial 
tablet  that  is  indicative  of  its  past  history. 

*  Ann  Wheeler  Elder  bore  to  her  husband  five  children,  four  boys  and  one 
girl.  These  were  named  :  William,  Guy,  Charles,  Mary  and  Richard.  Of 
the  first  named,  I  have  been  able  to  learn  nothing  beyond  the  fact  that  his  wife 
was  a  Miss  Wickham.  Guy  Elder  was  twice  married.  By  his  second  wife  he 
had  thirteen  children,  viz  :  Joseph,  Judith,  James,  Polly,  Benjamin,  Patsey, 
Ellen,  Rebecca,  Guy,  Priscilla,  Edward,  Thomas  and  George.  "The  four  first 
named,"  a  Maryland  correspondent  writes  me,  "all  went  to  Kentucky."  The 
wife  of  Charles  Elder  was  Julia  Ward,  of  Charles  county,  Maryland.  The  de- 
scendants of  the  pair  are  very  numerous,  and  they  are  scattered  all  over  the  West 
and  South.  Their  immediate  offspring  numbered  twelve  children,  eleven  sons 
and  one  daughter.  One  of  the  sons  married  Catharine  Mudd,  of  Maryland, 
and  one  of  their  children  was  the  late  Rev.  Alexius  I.  Elder,  a  most  estimable 
priest,  who  was  long  identified  in  an  official  capacity  with  the  Sulpician  college 
of  St.  Mary,  Baltimore.  The  only  daughter  of  Charles  Elder  intermarried 
with  Charles  Montgomery,  who  removed  with  his  family  to  Kentucky  about 
the  year  1795.  Two  of  their  sons,  Samuel  H.  and  Stephen  Montgomery,  were 
ordained  priests  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic  by  Bishop  Flaget,  at  the  semi- 
nary of  St.  Thomas,  in  Kentucky,  in  September,  1S16.  Mary  Elder,  the  only 
daughter  of  Ann  Wheeler  Elder,  intermarried  with  Richard  Lilly,  of  Mary- 
land, and  through  her  children  the  family  became  connected  with  that 
of  the  McSherrys  of  Virginia.  Of  Richard,  son  and  youngest  child  of  William 
and  Ann  Elder,  I  have  been  able  to  learn  only  that  his  wife  was  a  Miss  Phcebe 
Deloyzier. 

t  It  is  said  of  Arnold  Livers,  in  explanation  of  the  singular  name  given  by 
him  to  his  daughter,  that  he  had  registered  a  vow  that  his  first  child,  whether 
boy  or  girl,  should  be  called  James.  The  good  priest  to  whom  the  child  was 
presented  for  baptism  found  no  difficulty  in  complying  with  the  father's  wishes, 
and  so  the  babe  was  christened  Jacoba  Clementina.  The  Livers  family  of 
Maryland  was  afterwards  represented  in  Kentucky  by  quite  a  number  of  the 
latter's  leading  Catholic  citizens.  Among  these  were  Robert  and  Henry 
Livers,  of  Nelson,  and  Thomas  Livers,  of  Washington  county. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  121 

and  confidence  of  ?.ll  to  whom  the)^  were  known,  and  during  her  long 
widowhood  of  thirty-two  years  she  was  venerated  as  a  true  mother  in 
Israel.*  The  names  of  her  children  were  Elizabeth,  Arnold,  Thomas," 
Ignatius,  Ann  and  Aloysius.  It  was  from  the  second  named  that  title 
came  to  the  ecclesiastical  authorities  of  Maryland  for  the  farm  upon 
which  now  stands  the  structure  known  as  Mount  St.  Mary's  college. 
Of  her  children,  the  writer  has  no  knowledge  of  the  after  life  of 
either,  with  the  single  exception  of  Thomas  Elder,  who  removed  to 
Kentucky  in  1799.  t  » 

THOMAS   ELDER,    1748-1832. 

The  merits  and  demerits  of  men  are  rarely  recognized  to  their  full 
extent  while  they  are  yet  Hving.  Good  and  evil  dispositions  and 
habits  are  not  only  transmissible,  but  they  are  ordinarily  transmitted 
to  one's  children.  Hence  it  is  that  the  stream  of  human  being  that 
has  its  source  from  a  pure  fountain  is  very  generally  found  to  be  pure 
throughout  its  reaches.  We  have  already  seen  what  manner  of  man 
was  the  father  of  Thomas  Elder.  Equally  admirable  was  the  character 
of  the  son,  and  equally  upright  in  the  sight  of  God  and  men  was  his 
walk  in  life. 

Of  the  very  many  former  Catholic  citizens  of  Maryland  who  emi- 
grated to  Kentucky  at  an  early  day  in  the  history  of  the  State,  there 

*In  the  old  Catholic  cemetery,  about  half  a  mile  below  St.  Mary's  college, 
and  near  the  town  of  Emmettsburg,  three  stones  mark  the  graves  of  William, 
Ann  Wheeler  and  Jacoba  Clementina  Elder.  The  inscriptions,  which  are  still 
distinct,  record  the  names  and  dates  of  birth  and  death:  William  Elder,  born 
in  1707,  died  April  22(1.  1775;  Ann  Wheeler  Elder,  born  1709,  died  August 
nth,  1739;  Jacoba  Clementina  Elder,  born    1717,  died  September  19th,  1807. 

t  Through  the  kindness  of  Mrs.  Mary  Horrell  Dawson,  one  of  her  great- 
granddaughters,  I  was  recently  permitted  to  examino  a  letter  written  by  Jacoba 
Clementina  Elder,  and  addressed  to  her  granddaughter,  Nancy  Elder,  who,  a 
short  while  before  its  date,  had  accompanied  her  father  to  Kentucky.  The 
letter  bears  date,  "  Maryland,  at  Harry  Spalding's,  November  21st,  1800."  She 
begins  complainingly,  first  in  respect  to  her  own  bodily  infirmities,  and  then 
of  her  inability  to  do  certain  things  for  lack  of  money.  "Nevertheless,"  she 
goes  on,  "  I  would  have  gone  in  debt  for  five  pounds  of  snuff  to  send  you, 
could  I  have  found  a  conveyance  for  it.  I  saw  Rev.  Mr.  Smith  yesterday," 
she  continues,  "and  I  gave  him  jour  message.  He  was  glad  to  hear  from 
you."  (This  Rev.  Mr.  Smith  was  none  other  than  the  Prince  Priest,  Rev„ 
Demetrius  A.  Gallitzin,  who,  for  some  time  previous  to  her  father's  removal  to 
Kentucky,  was  charged  with  the  mission  of  the  district  in  which  the  family 
resided.)  From  what  follows,  it  would  appear  that  Miss  Nancy  Elder,  in 
writing  to  her  grandmother,  had  instituted  a  comparison  between  her  then 
Kentucky  pastor  and  the  one  who  had  discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  for 
her  in  Maryland,  which  was  not  especially  favorable  to  the  former.  "'I  do 
hope,"  she  writes,  "  that  you  will  all  learn  to  have  the  same  opinion  ot  that 
father  (Rev.  Stephen  Theodore  Badin,  no  doubt)  that  you  did  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Smith."  After  giving  her  correspondent  much  grandmotherly  advice,  she  thus 
concludes  her  epistle :  "You  are  the  only  one  who  is  good  enough  to  write  to 
me.  Write  often,  dear  Nancy,  and  never  do  you  forget  me  in  your  pious 
prayers.  With  my  blessing  to  you,  I  remain  your  ever  affectionate  grand- 
mother, Clementina  Elder." 


122  COX'S    CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

was  not  one  who  left  to  his  posterity  the  record  of  brighter  virtues 
practiced  in  Hfe  than  did  Thomas  Elder,  of  Cox's  Creek  settlement. 
Writing  to  the  compiler  of  this  history,  an  aged  priest  of  the  diocese 
of  Louisville  thus  refers  to  him:  "Of  course  you  have  heard  good 
things  of  Thomas  Elder."  Regarding  others  of  the  same  settlement, 
he  speaks  in  detail  of  their  good  qualities,  and  of  the  special  charac- 
teristics which  entitle  them  to  commendation  and  christian  remem- 
brance. Of  this  patriarch  only  he  has  nothing  to  say  beyond  his 
words  quoted.  He  was  evidently  unable  to  conceive  that  any  Catholic 
born  and  raised  in  the  county  of  his  residence  should  be  less  familiar 
than  he  was  himself  with  whatever  was  distinguishing  in  a  character  so 
elevated  as  was  that  of  Thomas  Elder. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  the  Elder  homestead,  near 
Emmittsburg,  Maryland,  on  the  4th  day  of  January,  1748.  His 
childhood  and  youth  were  passed  with  his  parents,  by  whom  he  was 
trained  in  love  of  knowledge,  especially  of  the  knowledge  which  is 
necessary  in  the  service  of  God.  In  the  year  1771,  he  took  to  wife 
Elizabeth  Spalding,  a  sister  of  Basil  Spalding,  Esq.,  of  Charles 
county,  and  shortly  after  that  event  he  moved  to  and  occupied  a  farm 
in  Harbough's  Valley,  Frederick  county,  where  he  lived  for  twenty- 
eight  years,  and  where  his  family  of  eleven  children  had  their  birth.* 

It  was  most  likely  in  the  year  1799,  that  Thomas  Elder  broke  up 
his  establishment  in  Harbough's  Valley  and  removed  to  Kentucky. 
He  was,  doubtless,  moved  to  this  step  by  his  solicitude  for  his  chil- 
dren's temporal  interests.  His  own  worldly  circumstances  had  hith- 
erto barely  enabled  him  to  live  in  comfort,  and  he  was  naturally 
anxious  regarding  the  future  of  his  large  family  of  sons  and  daughters. 
He  had  already  friends  in  Kentucky,  and  it  is  to  be  presumed  that 
these  had  written  to  him  glowing  accounts  of  the  wholesomeness  of 
the  climate,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  cheapness  of  the  lands,  and 
of  the  reasonable  assurance  he  would  have,  should  he  conclude  to 
follow  them  to  the  West,  that  he  would  be  enabled  thereby  to  give  to 

'^■The  names  of  these,  in  the  order  of  their  birth,  were  :  I.  Annie  or  Nancy, 
born  July  i,  1772;  lived  single,  and  died  in  Bardstovvn,  Kentucky,  March  25, 
1842,  2.  Basil  Spalding,  born  October  29, 1773;  married  Elizabeth  Snowden, 
November  18,  1801 ;  died  in  Baltimore,  October  13,  1869.  (The  death  of  his 
wife  occurred  February  20,  i860.)  3.  Catharine,  born  March  7,  1776;  was  the 
second  wife  01  Joseph  Gardiner,  Esq.,  of  Nelson  county,  Kentucky.  She 
died  at  the  home  of  her  son-in-law,  Thomas  Merimee,  March  7,  1866,  at  the 
exact  age  of  90  years.  4.  William  Pius,  born  May  4,  1778;  died  in  Baltimore, 
August  22,  1799.  5.  Clementina,  born  June  16,  1780;  married  Richard 
Clark;  died  in  Nelson  county,  Kentucky,  on  the  21st  of  August,  1851. 
6.  Ignatius,  born  July  21,  1782;  married  Monica  Greenwell ;  date  of  death 
unknown.  7.  Theresa,  born  March  i,  1785;  died  unmarried,  in  Nelson 
county,  Kentucky,  December  19,  1816.  8.  Thomas  Richard,  born  June  14, 
1789;  married  Caroline  Clements;  died  July  11,  1835.  9.  Christiana,  born 
October  30,  1791  ;  married  John  B.  Wight ;  date  of  death  unknown.  10.  Mary 
Elizabeth,  born  May  15,  1794;  married  John  Jarboe ;  date  of  death  unknown. 
II,  Maria  M.,  born  April  29,  1791  ;  married  John  Horrell ;  date  of  death 
unknown. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  123 

his  children  at  least  a  start  in  life.  They  told  him  something  else, 
without  the  knowledge  of  which,  it  is  fair  to  say,  he  would  have 
remained  a  fixture  in  Maryland  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
learned  from  them  that  they  were  provided  with  a  pastor  of  souls, 
whose  visits  to  the  settlement  were  not  less  frequent  than  once  in  the 
month.  With  the  exception  of  his  oldest  son,  Basil  S.,  who  was 
already  engaged  in  business  in  Baltimore,  Thomas  Elder  was  accom- 
panied to  Kentucky  by  his  entire  family.     He  was  also  accompanied 

by  Mrs.  Spalding,  a  widowed  sister-in-law,  and  her  two  infant 

daughters.  In  due  course  of  time,  and  without  disaster  by  the  way, 
the  travelers  reached  Gardiner's  Station,  on  Cox's  creek,  where  they 
were  warmly  welcomed  by  their  former  neighbors  of  Maryland,  and 
where  the  father  of  the  family  set  up  his  tabernacle  for  life. 

The  traditions  of  the  times,  still  preserved  in  the  congregation  of 
St.  Michael's,  Fairfield,  are  filled  with  references  of  Thomas  Elder. 
They  represent  him  as  a  man  whose  every  appearance  was  suggestive 
of  the  idea  of  sanctity.  In  his  face  there  were  no  hard  lines  to  index 
the  workings  of  a  passionate  nature;  no  expression  that  was  not 
attractive  of  love  and  confidence.  He  was  an  austere  man,  but  his 
austerities  were  practiced  in  the  privacy  of  his  own  house.  With 
those  who  knew  him  best  he  was  most  remarkable  for  his  mildness 
and  amiability,  and  for  his  habits  of  practical  goodness.  It  was  his 
delight  to  take  Httle  children  by  the  hand  and  to  lead  them  in  the 
ways  of  holiness.  So  conspicuously  upright  was  the  whole  tenor  of 
his  life,  that  he  was  held  in  almost  as  much  esteem  by  non-Catholics  as 
he  was  by  his  own  co-religionists.  Sixty  years  ago  there  were  few 
Catholics  in  Kentucky  who  had  not  "heard  good  things  of  Thomas 
Elder; "  and  to  this  day  his  name  is  blessed  by  thousands  because  of 
his  transmitted  virtues — virtues  derived  from  the  parent  fount  by  the 
children,  and  by  them  transmitted  to  their  offspring  to  the  present 
generation.  To  make  this  idea  clear,  it  is  but  necessary  to  point  to 
the  lives  of  two  of  his  children,  and  to  that  of  his  adopted  daughter, 
the  late  Reverend  Mother  Catherine  Spalding,  of  the  Nazareth  com- 
munity of  Sisters  of  Charity. 

For  more  than  sixty  years,  and  to  the  date  of  his  death,  there  was 
not  in  the  entire  country  a  Catholic  citizen  who  was  more  widely 
known  or  more  deservedly  esteemed,  than  the  late  Basil  Spalding 
Elder,  of  Baltimore.  From  the  days  of  Dr.  Carroll  to  those  of  Dr. 
M.  J.  Spalding,  there  was  not  an  occupant  of  the  Metropolitan  See  of 
that  city  who  did  not  recognize  in  him  a  power  for  the  general  good 
of  the  entire  Catholic  body  of  the  United  States.  He  was  not  alone 
an  example  for  Catholics  in  the  performance  of  specific  duty,  but  he 
led  them  through  his  own  earnestness  to  the  heights  beyond,  where 
the  virtues  of  the  christian  grow  lustrous  in  the  light  shed  from 
heaven.  Like  his  father  and  grandfather,  he  sought  to  train  his 
children  in  knowledge  and  virtue,  to  the  end  of  their  welfare  for 
eternity.  The  survivors  of  these  are  scattered  now,  but  wherever 
they  are,  not  one  of  them  is  to  be  found  who  has  abandoned  his  faith, 


124  cox's    CRBEK    SETTLEMENT. 

or  has  ceased  to  walk  in  the  self-same  way  of  salvation  that  was  traced 
by  the  feet  of  his  fathers.* 

Clementina  Elder,  so  named  from  her  grandmother,  was  as 
remarkable  for  her  intelligence  as  she  was  for  her  filial  devotion,  and 
for  the  exactitude  with  which  she  performed  every  duty  of  her  state 
of  life.  Her  religion  was  for  daily  and  hourly  wear,  and  from  child- 
hood to  old  age  she  was  a  pattern  of  christian  piety  and  meekness. 
About  the  year  1807,  she  became  the  wife  of  Richard  Clark,  whose 
father,  Clement  Clark,  had  emigrated  from  Maryland,  and  settled  on 
Simpson's  creek.  Nelson  county,  in  the  year  1788.! 

When  she  was  fairly  settled  in  her  new  home,  Mrs.  Clark  induced 
her  father  to  transfer  to  her  care  and  guardianship  his  adopted  daugh- 
ter, Catharine  Spalding,  whose  mother  was  now  dead.  It  is  beyond 
doubt  that  the  latter  was  indebted  to  her  foster  mother  for  the  training 
by  which  she  was  prepared  for  the  important  work  of  charity  to  which 
her  life  was  devoted  after  her  nineteenth  year.  Among  the  many  of 
the  gentler  sex  in  Kentucky  who  gave  up  their  entire  lives  to  the 
service  of  God  and  their  neighbors,  not  another  has  lived  and  died  in 
peace  whose  name  is  held  to  the  present  day  in  greater  reverence  than 
is  that  of  Mother  Catharine  Spalding.  From  the  day  she  vowed  her- 
self to  God,  and  was  named  superior  of  the  little  religious  community 
which  has  grown,  in  our  day,  into  one  whose  influence  for  good  is  coex- 
tensive with  the  State,  and  reaches  far  beyond  its  borders,  to  that  upon 

*  Basil  S.  Elder  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Snowden,  were  the  parents  of 
thirteen  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  One  of  his  daughters, 
Eleonora,  became  a  sister  of  charity.  She  still  survives  at  the  mother  house 
of  the  order,  Emmittsburg,  Maryland.  Another  daughter,  Mrs.  Jenkins, 
died  in  Havana,  in  1846;  another,  Mrs  Baldwin,  in  Baltimore,  in  1872.  Of 
their  male  children  seven  survive  to  the  present  day,  viz :  Francis  W.,  in 
Baltimore;  Basil  T.,  in  St.  Louis;  James  C,  in  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana; 
Joseph  E.,  in  Denver,  Colorado;  Thomas  S.,  in  New  Orleans;  William 
Henry  (late  bishop  of  Natchez,  and  now  archbishop  of  the  See  of  his  resi- 
dence), in  Cincinnati,  and  Charles  D.,  in  New  Orleans.  Basil  S.  Elder  lost  his 
wife  in  February,  i860,  when  he  had  himself  reached  the  eighty-seventh  year 
of  his  age.  He  felt  the  bereavement  keenly,  and  a  little  later,  when  the  war 
of  the  rebellion  was  at  its  height,  the  old  gentleman  happened  to  lose  the  time- 
piece he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  carrying  for  more  than  sixty  years.  While 
making  an  ineffectual  search  for  the  missin;^  article,  he  was  heard  to  exclaim: 
"I  have  lost  my  precious  wife.  I  have  lost  my  good  old  watch,  and  I  have  lost 
my  country!  It  is  time  I  was  myself  called  home."  His  death,  as  stated 
elsewhere,  took  place  on  the  13th  October,  1869. 

t  One  of  their  descendants  tells  me  that  immediately  after  their  marriage 
the  pair  set  out  for  the  home  that  had  been  prepared  for  their  reception,  near 
the  residence  of  the  groom's  parents.  The  cabin  was  new,  but  it  had  been 
neither  finished  nor  furnished.  Upon  reaching  their  destination  the  husband 
thus  improvised  their  bridal  bed  :  Upon  the  bare  earthen  floor  he  laid  three 
rough  slabs,,  or  puncheons,  of  the  requisite  length.  On  these  he  spread  a  layer 
of  flexible  withes,  cut  from  the  undergrowth  of  the  forest  by  which  the  place 
was  surrounded,  and  upon  these  he  laid  his  tow-linen  straw-filled  bed.  Their 
covering  was  a  buffalo  robe.  On  awaking  in  the  morning,  they  found  them- 
selves under  a  mantle  of  white — two  inches  of  snow  having  fallen  upon  them 
in  the  night. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  1 25 

which,  reclining  upon  ashes,  she  surrendered  her  soul  to  her  Heavenly 
Bridegroom,  she  appeared  to  have  no  other  object  in  life  but  to  render 
faithful  service  to  her  divine  Lord  and  Master,  and  to  His  afflicted 
representatives  in  the  world,  the  poor  and  the  fatherless.* 

Of  Clementina  Clark's  children,  most  of  whom  were  known  to  the 
writer,  reference  here  need  be  made  but  to  one,  the  late  Rev.  William 
Elder  Clark,  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville.  The  most  lovable  character 
that  has  hitherto  adorned  the  holy  ministry  in  Kentucky  was  this  fourth 
remove  from  the  American  patriarch  of  his  family.'  So  free  was  he 
from  asperities  that  he  was  loved  of  every  one,  and  so  pure  was  his  life 
that  there  was  an  element  of  reverence  intermixed  with  the  love  he 
incited  in  the  breasts  of  all  who  were  happy  enough  to  be  of  the  num- 
ber of  his  acquaintances.  He  was  not  unfrequently  referred  to  as 
"the  pet  of  the  clergy  of  Kentucky."  He  was  much  more  than  that, 
however.  He  was  for  them  an  exemplar  of  piety  unaffected,  of  purity 
that  was  angelic,  and  of  goodness  that  was  Umitless.  His  entire  char- 
acter was  a  reminder  to  those  who  knew  him  intimately,  and  especially 
to  his  associates  of  the  clergy,  of  that  given  by  sacred  history  and  tradi- 
tion to  "the  beloved  disciple."  He  hved  a  life  that  was  useful  to 
thousands,  and  when  he  died,  strong  men  wept  like  children. 

Ripe  for  heaven,  and  leaving  behind  him  the  record  of  a  Hfe  that 
was  as  remarkable  for  its  social  amenities  as  it  was  for  its  near  approach 
to  the  perfection  of  Christianity,  Thomas  Elder  passed  to  his  reward  in 
the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age,  December  27th,  1832.1 

JAMES  ELDER,    1761-1845. 

James  Elder,  the  first  Catholic  of  his  name  to  emigrate  to  Ken- 
tucky, was  born  in  Frederick  county,  Maryland,  in  1761.  The  name 
of  his  father  was  Guy  Elder,  and  that  of  his  grandfather,  William  Elder. 
But,  by  some  of  the  descendants  of  the  latter  named  patriarch,  a 
sketch  of  whose  life  has  already  been  given  to  the  reader,  it  is  regarded 
as  doubtful  whether  his  paternity  is  to  be  properly  traced  to  their 
American  progenitor.  J 

*  Mother  Catharine  Spalding  died  on  the  20th  of  March,  1858,  at  the  St. 
Vincent's  Orphan  Asylum,  Louisville,  which  institution  she  may  be  said  to 
have  founded. 

tThe  widow  of  Thomas  Elder  and  her  oldest  daughter,  Nancy,  passed  the 
last  years  of  their  lives  in  Bardstown.  I  remember  them  well,  and  of  wonder- 
ing, as  I  saw  them  creeping  with  feeble  steps  to  and  from  church,  which  of  the 
two  was  the  older.  They  were  greatly  venerated,  as  much  by  the  clergy  as 
by  the  laity,  and  the  peaceful  deaths  they  had  hoped  and  prayed  for  from 
childhood  to  extreme  old  age,  came  to  them  at  length.  The  daughter  died  in 
1842,  aged  70  years.  The  death  of  the  mother,  at  the  advanced  age  of  98 
years,  took  place  on  the  30th  day  of  August,  1848. 

t  In  the  United  States,  where,  it  is  safe  to  say,  not  one  in  ten  of  the  popula- 
tion knows  anything  about  his  ancestry  beyond  the  names  of  his  grandparents, 
the  attempt  to  designate  degrees  of  consanguinity  between  families  of  a  com- 
mon origin  in  the  long  past  cannot  be  otherwise  than  a  work  in  which  "the 
compiler  of  family  history  is  beset  with  doubts  at  every  stage  of  his  inquiry. 


126  cox's    CREEK    SETTLEMENT. 

In  1 7  91,  James  Elder,  who  had  shortly  before  taken  to  wife  Ann 
Richards,  a  non-Catholic,  of  Frederick  county,  emigrated  to  Ken- 
tucky, and  settled  on  lands  bordering  on  Hardin's  creek.  For  several 
years  before  the  date  mentioned  there  had  been  a  stream  of  emigration 
from  the  Catholic  counties  of  Maryland  to  the  same  district  of  country, 
and  now  the  colony  was  considered  one  of  the  most  prosperous  in  the 
State.  Young  and  energetic,  and  more  than  ordinarily  intelligent,  the 
new-comer  soon  came  to  be  regarded  by  his  fellow  colonists  as  a  most 
valuable  acquisition  to  their  ranks  and  society;  and  sooner  still  he 
became  endeared  to  them  on  account  of  his  extraordinary  civic  and 
christian  virtues.  His  residence  was  only  a  few  miles  removed  from 
St.  Stephen's,  the  nominal  home  of  Father  Badin,  and  between  the  two 
there  was  not  only  fixed  friendship,  but  unity  of  purpose  in  everything 
having  for  its  object  the  exaltation  of  the  Holy  Church  in  the  eyes  of 

men. 

As  has  been  already  said,  James  Elder's  marriage  had  been  with  a 
non-Catholic.  Very  shortly  after  his  removal  to  Kentucky,  however, 
he  had  the  happiness  of  witnessing  the  reception  of  his  wife  into  the 
Church  by  baptism.  From  that  day  until  the  one  upon  which  the  aged 
woman,  then  a  disconsolate  widow,  knelt  beside  the  Hfeless  form  of  her 
husband  and  besought  God's  mercy  in  behalf  of  the  departed  soul,  the 
wife  and  the  husband  were  equally  noted  for  their  devotion  to  Catholic 
truth,  and  for  their  correspondence  with  the  sublime  laws  of  morality 
and  charity  established  by  the  Church  and  its  Divine  Head.* 

But  for  a  single  well-attested  fact,  I  could  readily  believe  with  the  majority  of 
Catholics  who  now  bear  the  name  in  the  United  States,  that  they  are  all  the 
descendants  of  the  patriarch  already  referred  to.  That  personage,  it  will  be 
remembered,  had  a  son  by  his  first  wife  to  whom  was  given  the  name  of  Guy. 
He  had  also  a  son  by  his  second  wife  who  was  called  Thomas.  These  two  were, 
consequently,  half  brothers,  and  the  relationship  between  either  and  the  chil- 
dren of  the  other  was  certainly  that  of  uncle  and  nephews.  James  and  William 
Elder,  reputed  sons  of  Guy,  and  grandsons  of  William,  removed  to  Kentucky 
in  1 791.  Eight  years  later,  their  reputed  uncle,  Thomas,  emigrated  to  the  State 
and  settled  on  Cox's  creek,  in  Nelson  county.  They  were  well  known  to  each 
other,  and  unless  their  relationship  was  very  distant,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed 
that  they  were  not  aware  of  its  exact  degree.  But  it  is  quite  certain  that  the 
two  first  were  in  the  habit  of  referring  to  the  last  named  as  their  cousin,  and  he 
to  them  in  like  manner.  The  inference  naturally  arises  that  the  acknowledged 
patriarch  of  one  branch  of  the  Elder  family  of  the  United  States  was  not  the 
first  of  his  race  and  religion  to  come  to  America.  It  is  my  conviction  that  he 
was  preceded  to  the  colony  of  Maryland  by  a  cousin,  older  than  himself,  whose 
Christian  and  surnames  were  identical  with  his  own,  and  that  it  is  from  this 
now  unknown  progenitor  that  numbers  of  Catholics  bearing  the  name  in  this 
country  have  their  descent.  I  am  strengthened  in  this  opinion  by  the  testi- 
mony of  the  surviving  children  of  James  Elder.  One  of  these,  J.  Reason 
Elder,  of  Spencer  county,  Kentucky,  writes  me:  "My  father  and  Thomas 
Elder',  of  Fairfield,  were  cousins."  The  venerable  Sister  Emily  Elder,  of  the 
Nazareth  community,  writes :  "  My  father  and  Thomas  Elder  were  distantly 
related.     I  think  they  were  second  cousins." 

*The  children  borne  to  her  husband  by  Ann  Richards  Elder  were  named,  in 
the  order  of  their  birth:  Ellen,  George,  Guy,  Thomas,  Benedict,  J.  Reason, 
James  and  Ann.     The  second  named  became  a  priest,  and  the  last  a  Sister  of 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  1 27 

Though  there  were  certainly  shades  of  difference  in  the  char- 
acters of  the  two,  James  Elder  resembled  in  much  his  relation  of  the 
Cox's  Creek  settlement.  In  a  no  less  degree  than  was  the  case  with 
that  earnest  christian,  he  was  a  lover  of  the  truth  and  a  faithful  son 
of  the  holy  Church.  Like  him,  too,  he  was  indefatigable  in  his 
efforts  to  imbue  the  minds  of  his  non-Catholic  neighbors  with  correct 
notions  respecting  religion.  He  was  like  him  in  the  devotion  he 
made  of  his  time  and  knowledge  to  the  religious  instruction  of 
Catholic  children.  He  was  more  excitable  than  Thomas  Elder, 
much  fonder  of  controversy,  and  had  a  readier  wit.  He  was  an 
incessant  reader,  especially  of  the  Bible,  and  so  exact  was  known 
to  be  his  knowledge  of  Holy  Writ  that  even  Protestants,  not  unfre- 
quently,  were  in  the  habit  of  making  him  the  arbiter  of  their  disputes 
regarding  the  proper  application  that  was  to  be  attached  to  certain 
of  its  passages.  He  was  never  known  to  decline  an  overture  to 
discuss  points  of  doctrine  with  any  leader  of  Protestant  opinion 
in  his  neighborhood,  and  it  is  to  this  day  a  tradition  in  the  congre- 
gation of  St.  Charles,  that  he  was  never  worsted  in  any  one  of 
his  polemical  combats.  His  zeal,  too,  was  ordinarily  governed  by 
prudence,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  there  was  another  Catholic  in  the 
State  who  rendered  more  efficient  service  to  religion  by  preparing 
converts  for  baptism. 

Writing  of  her  parents.  Sister  Emily,  of  the  Nazareth  com- 
munity, thus  refers  to  their  manner  of  life:  "My  father  was  regular 
in  his  habits.  He  arose  every  morning  at  3  o'clock,  and  he  called 
the  family  an  hour  later.  The  interval  was  given  to  his  private 
devotions.  When  the  family  was  assembled  he  gave  out  morning 
prayers,  and  from  this  exercise,  as  well  as  that  with  which  the 
labors  of  the  day  were  closed,  he  would  permit  none  to  be  absent 
without  a  valid  excuse.  I  shall  never  forget  the  short  admonition 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  addressing  to  us  every  night  after  prayers. 
'My  children,'  he  would  say,  'let  your  last  thoughts  before  you  go 
to  sleep,  and  your  first  when  you  awake,  be  of  death,  judgment, 
heaven  and  hell.'  In  lent  he  was  in  the  habit  of  adding  to  our 
evening  devotions  the  Litany  of  the  Saints  and  a  chapter  from  the 
sacred  scriptures.  Night  and  morning  before  retiring  to  rest  and 
before  going  about  our  usual  occupations,  it  was  a  custom  with  us 
children  to  kneel  and  ask  the  blessing  of  father  and  mother.  Even 
after  his  ordination  to  the  priesthood,  our  elder  brother  never 
omitted   this   formulary   when   he   visited   his   parents.       My   father 

Charity.  Two  only  survive  to  the  present  day,  viz.:  J.  Reason  Elder,  of  Spen- 
cer county,  Kentucky,  and  Ann  (Sister  Emily),  of  the  Nazareth  community.  To 
both  of  these  I  am  indebted  for  much  valuable  information  touching  their 
family  history.  Sister  Emily  became  a  pupil  of  the  Nazareth  school  at  its  foun- 
dation in  1814.  She  afterwards  entered  the  community,  of  which  she  has  been 
a  most  useful  and  deserving  member  for  more  than  fifty  years.  That  will  be  a 
sad  day  for  the  sisterhood  when  her  pleasant  face  and  cheery  voice  shall  have 
become  but  memories  of  the  community's  recreation-hall  at  Nazareth. 


128  cox's   CREKK   SETTLEMENT. 

used  to  say  that  he  was  '  proud  of  his  children,  proud  of  his  stock, 
and  proud  of  his  farm.'  I  think  it  was  the  opinion  of  all  those 
who  knew  him  best,  that  he  was  still  more  proud  of  being  a  Catholic 
christian. " 

James  Elder  died  on  the  15th  day  of  August,  1845.  His  widow 
survived  him  twelve  years,  her  death  having  taken  place,  in  the 
96th  year  of  her  age,  on  the  8th  day  of  January,  1857.  * 

WILLIAM    ELDER,"  1757-1822    (sUPPOSEd). 

Together  with  his  wife  and  several  children,  William  Elder  came 
to  Kentucky  in  1791,  a  few  months  after  the  arrival  in  the  State  of 
his  brother  James,  and  settled  near  the  latter's  residence  on  Har- 
din's creek,  f  In  the  year  1804,  he  removed  to  what  is  known  as 
Flint  Island,  Breckinridge,  now  Meade  county,  where  he  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  and  reared  a  large  and  interesting  family 
of  children.  J  A  number  of  Catholic  families  had  previously  settled 
in  the  county  on  or  near  a  stream  known  as  Long  Lick,  but  these 
were  too  far  removed  to  admit  of  close  association  with  their  core- 
ligionist, whose  solitary  cabin  overlooked  the  Ohio  at  Flint  Island. 
The  isolated  family  was  not  neglected,  however,  by  Father  Badin, 
and  in  the  course  of  time,  the  house  of  Mr.  Elder  became  a  church- 
station  for  that  ubiquitous  missionary  priest,  and  a  litde  later,  for 
his  younger  associates.  Fathers  Nerinckx,  Schreffer,  and  Abell. 
William  Elder  did  not  live  to  see  the  organization  of  the  now  large 
and  flourishing  congregation  of  St.  Theresa,  Flint  Island,  but  he 
is  justly  regarded  as  its  patriarch.  Like  the  others  of  his  race,  of 
whom  it  has  been  the  writer's  privilege  to  speak,  he  lived  an  earnest 
christian  life ;  he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  his  neighbors, 
and  his  children,  one  and  all,  were  representative  Catholics  in  the 
localities  in  which  their  lives  were  passed.  § 

*  The  above  would  be  incomplete  without  reference  being  made  to  James 
Elder's  oldest  son,  the  late  Reverend  George  A.  M.  Elder.  The  reader  is 
referred  to  the  chapter  on  "St.  Joseph's  College,"  for  a  .sketch  of  his  life. 

t  Lafayette  Elder,  Esq.,  of  Owensboro,  Kentucky,  writes  me  that  William 
Elder,  who  was  his  grandfather,  was  a  cousin,  and  not  a  brother  of  James 
Elder;  but  both  of  the  latter's  living  children  assure  me  that  this  is  a  mistake. 

X  Four  of  his  sons  grew  to  manhood,  married,  and  had  families.  These 
were:  Arnold,  who  died  in  1830;  William  whose  death  took  place  in  1854; 
Samuel,  who  died  in  1843,  and  John,  who  lived  near  Hardinsburg,  Kentucky, 
and  whose  death  took  place  as  late  1876.  The  descendants  of  these  are  numer- 
ous in  Breckinridge,  Daviess  and  Meade  counties.  Of  William  Elder's 
family  of  daughters  I  have  only  learned  that  one  became  the  wife  of  Peter 
Jarboe ;  that  another  married  Walter  Read  ;  and  a  third,  Peter  Bruner. 

^One  of  them,  Samuel  Elder,  married  for  his  second  wife,  Susan  McGill,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  McGill,  a  most  estimable  Catholic  resident  of  Breckinridge 
county.  Their  second  son,  born  in  1829,  was  the  late  Rev.  Joseph  Elder,  of 
the  Diocese  of  Louisville,  who  was  raised  to  the  priesthood  by  Dr.  M.  J. 
Spalding,  then  Bishop  of  Louisville,  in  1855.  Almost  immediately  afterwards 
he  was  commissioned  by  his  ordinary  to  organize  a  congregation  of  English- 


CATHOLICITY    IN   KENTUCKY.,  1 29 

THOMAS   AND   JOHN    LILLY. 

The  Lilly  family  of  Nelson  county  has  long  stood  a  representative 
one  among  the  Catholics  of  the  State.  Its  progenitors  in  Kentucky 
were  Thomas  and  John  Lilly,  of  the  settlement  on  Cox's  creek,  who 
were  brothers,  and  among  the  first  emigrants  to  the  locality.  Since 
they  were  nephews  of  Thomas  Elder,  there  should  be  no  question  of 
the  pains  that  had  been  taken  by  their  mother  to  rear  them  aright.  Of 
the  last  named,  John  Lilly,  the  writer  has  not  been  able  to  learn  a  great 
deal,  though  he  has  memory  of  acquaintanceship  with  at  least  one  of 
his  children,  than  whom  he  has  known  few  who  were  better  men  or 
more  consistent  Catholics.  It  is  his  impression,  however,  that  he  was 
much  more  a  man  of  the  world  than  his  brother.  John  Lilly  repre- 
sented the  county  of  Nelson  in  the  session  of  the  legislature  of  Ken- 
tucky that  assembled  in  the  year  1807.  Thomas  Lilly  was  married  in 
Maryland  to  Elizabeth  Jenkins,  in  whom  he  found  an  excellent  wife, 
a  helper  in  everything  that  had  relation  to  his  temporal  interests,  a 
woman  of  rare  piety  and  patience,  and  a  careful  mother  to  his  chil- 
dren. So  long  as  he  lived,  Thomas  Lilly  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
solid  men  of  the  county,  and  a  leading  member  of  St.  Michael's  con- 
gregation of  Fairfield.  ^ 

speaking  Catholics  for  the  eastern  wards  of  the  city  of  Louisville.  The  older 
members  of  the  congregation  of  St.  John,  Clay  and  Walnut  streets,  of  which 
Rev.  Lawrence  Bax  has  been  pastor  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  will 
remember  with  what  earnestness  he  labored  to  establish  the  parish,  and  the 
gratifying  results  that  followed  his  efforts.  In  1856  Father  Elder  was  trans- 
ferred to  St.  Mary's  college,  of  which  institution  he  was  for  several  years  the 
vice-president.  It  was  in  1861,  if  I  mistake  not,  that  he  was  named  pastor  of 
the  church  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  Raywick,  where  the  remaining  eight  years 
of  his  life  were  passed,  and  where  he  endeared  himself  to  his  parishioners,  as 
much  by  his  amiability  as  by  the  interest  he  exhibited  in  their  spiritual  advance- 
ment. Father  Joseph  Elder  died  of  consumption  in  the  39th  year  of  his  age, 
June  29th,  1868.  The  Elder  homestead,  near  Flint  Island,  is  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  Samuel  T.  Elder,  Esqr.  a  grandson  of  the  original  pro- 
prietor. 

*  The  children  born  to  Thomas  Lilly  were:  John,  formerly  of  the  Cathedral 
congregation,  Louisville;  Thomas,  in  his  time  a  physician  of  note  in  Nelson 
county;  Richard,  a  highly  esteemed  farmer  of  the  same  county;  Harriet,  who 
married  the  late  Noble  Wight,  of  Breckinridge  county;  Matilda,  who  married 
the  late  James  Parsons,  of  Louisville;  Eliza,  whose  husband  was  John  Johnson; 
Mary,  who  became  wife  of  Sylvester  Bowman;  and  Ann,  whose  husband  was 
the  late  M.  J.  O'Callaghan,  of  Louisville.  With  several  of  those  named  my 
acquaintance  was  at  one  time  intimate;  but  years  ago  the  last  of  them  passed 
away.  Of  the  youngest  of  them,  Mrs.  Ann  O'Callaghan,  whose  death  took 
place  fully  forty  years  ago,  I  feel  authorized  to  speak  from  having  witnessed, 
during  the  years  immediately  preceding  its  early  occurrence,  her  exemplary 
manner  of  life.  To  this  day,  my  thoughts  often  recur  to  her  as  one  of  the  mos't 
perfect  exemplars  of  christian  life  and  deportment  I  have  ever  known.  Two 
of  Thomas  Lilly's  grandchildren,  Joseph  B.  Lilly,  Esq..  and  Mrs.  E.  S.Dovle, 
a  daughter  of  Mrs.  O'Callaghan,  each  with  families  of  grown-up  children  'are 
now  of  the  Cathedral  congregation,  Louisville. 


130  cox's   CREEK   SETTLEMENT. 

RAPHAEL   HAGAN. 

Raphael  Hagan,  before  coming  to  Kentucky,  and  previous  to  his 
marriage  with  Rebecca  Lavielle,  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  ranks  of  the 
army  of  the  revolution.  At  the  close  of  the  strife  he  was  honorably 
discharged,  and,  happily  for  himself  and  his  descendants,  he  brought 
back  with  him  into  civil  life  a  reputation  that  was  golden  for  high  and 
honorable  qualities.  Seven  children  were  born  to  him,  four  sons  and 
three  daughters.* 

FRANCIS   COOMES 

Was  already  an  old  man  when  he  came  to  Kentucky,  but  he  survived 
many  of  the  younger  of  his  associates  of  the  Cox's  Creek  settlement. 
It  is  said  that  he  was  born  previous  to  the  year  1720,  and  it  is  known 
that  he  died  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  St.  Michael,  Fairfield, 
in  1822.  Reference  is  elsewhere  made  to  Francis  Coomes,  and  also 
to  his  son,  Richard  Coomes,  a  still  more  extraordinary  member  of  a 
family,  each  one  of  whom  has  claims  to  the  remembrance  and  grati- 
tude of  Catholics  in  the  district  wherein  their  lives  were  passed. 

WILFRED    WATHEN    AND   ZACHARIAH  AUD 

Were  sons-in-law  of  Francis  Coomes.  The  first  named  was  the  father 
of  the  late  Rev.  John  C.  Wathen ;  and  the  venerable  chaplain  of  Cal- 
vary convent.  Rev.  A.  A.  Aud,  is  a  son  of  the  other.  Thomas  Aud, 
named  in  the  list  of  settlers  on  Cox's  creek,  was  the  grandfather  of 
Father  Aud.  The  name  of  his  wife,  whom  he  married  in  Maryland, 
was  Priscilla  Duvall. 

James  Knott  was  the  father  of  Leonard  Knott,  who  removed  after- 
wards to  Daviess  county  and  settled  on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 
Knottsville,  from  whom  its  name  is  derived. 

Austin  Montgomery  removed  to  Washington  county,  taking  w.th 
him  his  orphan  nephew  and  ward,  Thomas  Montgomery.  The  latter 
afterwards  married  Clotilda,  a  daughter  of  Zachariah  Aud.  One  of 
their  sons,  George  Montgomery,  is  an  ecclesiastic  of  the  archdiocese 
of  San  Francisco. 

COL.    VALENTINE   THOMPSON'? 

Residence  was  on  the  road  leading  from  Bardstown  to  Louisville,  and 
several  miles  from  the  first  church  of  St.  Michael,  to  the  building  fund 
of  which  he  was  a  liberal  subscriber.  In  the  year  181 2,  in  conjunction 
with  Walter  Blandford  and  others  living  near  the  line  of  Bullitt  county, 

*  These  were:  Thomas,  Basil,  Sylvester,  Joseph,  Elizabeth,  Susan  and 
Tlicresa.  Elizabeth  Hagan  became  the  wife  of  Joseph  Mitchell;  Susan,  of 
Philip  Aud,  and  Theresa  of  John  Lilly.  Several  of  the  daughters  of  both  Mrs. 
Mitchell  and  Mrs.  Aud  became  members  of  the  Loretto  society.  Frank  Hagan, 
Esq.,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Louisville,  is  a  grandson  of  Raphael  Hagan. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  I31 

he  secured  the  erection  of  the  church  of  St.  John,  BulUtt  county,  of 
which  congregation  he  continued  a  member  up  to  the  date  of  his  death. 

RICHARD    ADAMS 

Was  the  father  of  the  late  Rev.  Joseph  Adams,  who  was  ordained 
priest  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  in  1840.  He  afterwards  attached 
himself  to  the  Society  of  Jesus,  and  was  for  many  years  a  professor  in 
Spring  Hill  college,  near  Mobile.  His  death  took  place  about  the 
year  1855. 

RICHARD    CLARK    AND    DANIEL    ROGERS 

Were  the  fathers,  respectively,  of  the  late  Rev.  William  E.  Clark  and 
the  late  Rev.  Joseph  Rogers,  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville.  Both  of 
these  priests  will  have  reference  elsewhere. 

HEZEKIAH    LUCKETT 

Was  a  man  of  intelligence  and  piety.  For  years  he  was  the  catechist 
of  the  children  of  the  settlement.  He  had  a  good  voice  and  a  fair 
knowledge  of  music,  and  it  fell  to  his  lot,  when  the  old  log  church  of 
St.  Michael  was  erected,  to  organize  a  choir  and  to  give  shape  to  its 
musical  renderings.  He  not  only  did  this  in  his  own  parish,  but,  as 
new  churches  sprung  up  in  the  surrounding  districts,  his  services  were 
always  available  in  the  same  direction.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his 
son,  George  Luckett,  in  the  86th  year  of  his  age.  Having  given 
instruction  in  sacred  things  to  the  greater  part  of  the  community,  it 
will  surprise  no  one  to  learn  that  there  was  very  general  mourning 
throughout  the  parish  when  it  became  known  that  he  had  passed  away. 
On  his  death-bed  he  requested  that  his  remains  should  find  sepulture 
at  Calvary  convent,  Marion  county,  where,  as  was  evidently  his  hope 
and  belief,  the  good  sisters,  among  whom  he  had  both  relatives  and 
friends,  seeing  his  grave  occasionally,  might  be  thereby  reminded  to 
pray  for  the  repose  of  his  soul. 

Walter  Blandford  was  a  carpenter,  and  he  had  direction  of  the 
building  of  the  old  church  of  St.  Michael.  Though  his  residence  was 
in  Bullitt  county,  at  some  distance  from  Fairfield,  he  remained  a  mem- 
ber of  the  congregation  of  St.  Michael  until  the  completion  of  the 
church  of  St.  John,  in  181 2.  * 

GRACE    NEWTON    SIMPSON. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that,  in  the  entire  list  of  canonized  saints  of 
whose  early  lives  there  remains  any  record,  there  is  scarcely  to  be 
found  a  single  one  who  was  not  indebted,  primarily  and  under  God, 

*For  many  of  the  facts  related  in  this  Chapter,  I  am  indebted  to  the  care- 
ful investigations,  carried  on  for  a  series  of  months,  of  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Ball,  a 
granddaughter  of  Walter  Blandford, 


132  cox  S    CREEK   SETTLEMENT. 

to  his  mother's  instructions,  influence  and  example,  for  whatever  was 
needed  to  lift  his  mind  out  of  the  depths  of  earthly  desires  to  the 
contemplation  of  the  admirable  things  of  God.  The  mother's  influ- 
ence in  forming  the  character  of  her  child  is  surpassingly  great.  If 
she  be  worldly-minded  and  frivolous,  over-indulgent  at  times  and 
unnecessarily  harsh  at  others ;  unmethodical  in  the  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  her  state  of  life  and  careless  in  respect  to  the  associations 
formed  by  her  children  ;  then  it  is  reasonably  certain  that  these  latter 
will  be  subject  to  similar  or  still  more  extravagant  faults  of  character 
and  habit.  Just  the  reverse  is  ordinarily  the  case  when  the  mother  is 
actuated  by  motives  that  have  their  origin  in  her  sense  of  religious 
duty.  Such  a  mother  says  nothing,  does  nothing,  in  the  presence  of 
her  children,  but  after  duly  considering  the  effects  of  her  speech  and 
action  upon  those  toward  whom  she  bears  the  dual  relation  of  natural 
and  heaven-delegated  guardian. 

It  is  well  for  Catholicity  in  Kentucky  that  the  first  Catholic  fathers 
of  families  who  emigrated  to  the  State  were  so  generally  provided  with 
helpmates  who  had  proper  notions  of  the  dignity  and  responsibilities 
of  christian  motherhood.  As  a  very  general  thing,  these  were  at 
once  well  instructed  in  the  tenets  of  their  faith,  and  faithful  to  its 
practice.  Where  the  children  in  after  life,  or  some  amongst  them,  as 
was  the  case  in  very  many  instances,  were  led  to  devote  themselves  to 
the  sacred  ministry,  or  to  cloistered  contemplation "  and  works  of 
christian  charity  and  mercy,  it  rarely  happened  that  they  were  not, 
under  God,  indebted  for  their  vocation  to  the  training  they  had 
received  at  the  hands  of  their  pious  mothers.  The  names  of  many  of 
these  faithful,  painstaking  and  God-fearing  mothers  are  no  longer 
remembered,  not  even  by  their  descendants;  but  circumstances  have 
preserved  those  of  others  to  the  present  day.  Alethea  Abell  Spalding, 
Henrietta  Boone  Gardiner,  Ann  French  Reynolds,  Elizabeth  Spalding 
Elder,  Winifred  Hamilton  Gardner,  Clementina  Elder  Clark,  Mary 
Hamilton  Hill,  Ann  Richards  Elder,  Winifred  Coomes  Wathen, 
Ellen  Hutchins  Bowlin,  Ann  Coomes  and  Ann  McAtee  Miles — these 
are  names  that  should  be  pronounced  with  reverence  by  all  Kentucky 
Catholics. 

It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  the  name  of  Grace  Newton  Simpson  will 
appear  in  the  least  degree  familiar  to  one  in  a  hundred  readers  of  this 
sketch.  And  yet  it  was  borne  by  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
CathoHc  women  of  her  day  in  all  America.  Her  fame  was  local  while 
she  lived ;  and,  happily  for  her,  she  was  utterly  regardless  of  posthu- 
mous notoriety.  Her  features,  which  were  more  engaging  than  beau- 
tiful, were  indicative  of  a  bright  intellect  and  a  sympathetic  disposition. 
In  manner,  she  was  neither  bold  nor  shrinking,  neither  presumptuous 
nor  servile.  She  was  not  to  be  numbered,  either,  among  the  silent 
good  of  her  sex.  On  the  contrary,  she  had  the  gift  of  speech  in  a 
wonderful  degree.  In  her  praise  be  it  said,  however,  she  was  no  idle 
talker.  Of  all  her  Catholic  sisters  of  the  settlements,  she  was  pre- 
eminently distinguished  for  her  successful  efforts  at  propagandism.     It 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  I33 

was  through  her  earnest  inteUigent  and  prudent  advocacy  of  Catholic 
teachings  that  many  trouoled  souls  found  rest  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Church.  How  it  was  that  she  became  so  accomplished  a  contro- 
versialist may  be  learned  from  an  incident  that  will  appear  in  the 
annexed  very  imperfect  sketch  of  her  life. 

Grace  Newton  was  born  about  the  year  1773,  in  Georgetown,  then 
an  important  town  in  that  part  of  the  Territory  of  Maryland  which  was 
afterwards  ceded  to  Congress,  and  which  now  forms  an  integral  part 
of  the  District  of  Columbia.  Her  father  was  a  respectable  tradesman 
of  the  town,  and  an  earnest  Catholic  in  religion.  Soon  after  the  pass- 
age of  the  act  of  Congress  by  which  a  survey  was  ordered  of  the  site 
upon  which  now  stands  the  city  of  Washington,  very  many  of  the 
former  citizens  of  both  Maryland  and  Virginia  removed  to  the  District, 
with  the  intention  of  becoming  residents  of  the  future  capital  of  the 
country.  Among  these  were  several  families  of  Catholics,  and  notably 
that  of  Mr.  Newton.  This  gentleman  claimed  kinship  with  the  family 
of  which  the  renowned  Sir  Isaac  Newton  was  the  most  honored  repre- 
sentative. His  own  marriage  with  an  exemplary  Catholic  wife  was 
blessed  with  a  family  of  four  children,  three  daughters  and  one  son. 
The  latter,  Hugh  Newton,  used  to  say  of  nis  sisters:  "One  of  them 
(Susan)  is  very  beautiful;  the  second  (Sarah)  is  very  industrious;  and 
the  third  (Grace)  is  very  smart."* 

At  the  time  referred  to,  Grace  Newton  was  a  piously  inclined 
young  woman,  well  educated  for  the  times,  and  of  good  social 
position. f  She  had  been  well  instructed  in  the  principles  of  her  faith, 
and  there  never  was  any  question  with  her  as  to  its  divine  character. 
She  had  not  learned  enough,  however,  to  be  able  to  displace  doubt 
and  set  up  conviction  in  the  minds  of  honest  inquirers.  A  simple 
incident,  that  took  place,  most  Hkely,  in  the  year  1795,  served  to  open 
her  eyes  to  her  ignorance,  and  to  the  possibility,  likewise,  that  she 

*  Susan  Newton  became  the  wife  of  Archibald  Pitt;  Sarah  Newton,  of 
John  Lilly;  and  Grace  Newton,  of  Walter  Simpson.  All  of  these  removed 
together  to  Kentucky  near  the  close  of  the  last  century.  In  describing  his 
sister  Grace  as  "smart,"  Hugh  Newton  was  more  witty  than  wise.  He  only 
meant  that  her  gifts  of  intellect  were  too  profound  for  his  own  following. 
Susan  Pitt  was  a  beautiful  woman;  beautiful  as  a  maiden,  equally  beautiiul  as 
a  matron,  and  scarcely  less  beautiful  after  the  snows  of  seventy  winters  had 
whitened  her  hair  and  laid  the  impress  of  their  cruel  coldness  on  her  mortal 
frame.  She  possessed,  however,  a  more  enduring  characteristic  of  loveliness 
than  that  of  form  and  features  in  her  christian  modesty  and  quiet  goodness. 
She  survived  both  of  her  sisters,  her  death  having  taken  place  only  twelve  years 
ago.  Her  descendants  are  numerous  in  Kentucky,  as  are,  also,  those  of  her 
sisters.  Sarah  Newton  Lilly  was  the  Martha  of  her  father's  household.  The 
service  she  rendered  to  others,  however,  did  not  prevent  her  from  rendering 
true  service  to  God.  Her  husband,  John  Lilly,  represented  the  county  of 
Nelson  in  the  State  legislature  of  Kentucky  during  the  session  of  1807. 

tShe  was  afterwards  in  the  habit  of  referring  with  some  degree  of  pride  to 
her  personal  acquaintance  with  the  first  president  of  the  Republic.  The 
exalted  character  of  George  Washington  was  a  favorite  theme  with  the  good 
woman  to  her  dying  day. 


134  COX*S    CREElC    SETTLEMENT. 

might  be  enabled  through  its  removal  to  lead,  here  and  there,  a  bewil- 
dered soul  into  a  restful  haven. 

While  hastening  one  morning  towards  the  little  chapel  that  was  the 
humble  forerunner  of  the  dozen  stately  churches  that  now  adorn  the 
national  metropolis,  the  young  lady  was  overtaken  on  her  way  by  a 
then  recently  appointed  judge  of  one  of  the  district  courts,  who  was 
also  a  personal  friend  of  her  father. 

"Whither  so  early.  Miss  Grace?"  asked  the  judge. 

"  I  am  on  my  way  to  early  mass,"  answered  the  young  lady. 

*'  But  what  is  the  mass?"  demanded  the  official. 

"It  is  the  renewal  and  continuation  of  the  Great  Sacrifice  of 
Calvary,"  answered  the  girl. 

"  How  do  you  know  that  it  is  anything  of  the  kind?"  queried  the 
judge. 

"  Because  the  Church  so  teaches  me,"  returned  the  lady. 

"But  what  is  the  basis  of  your  confidence  in  the  teachings  of  your 
Church  ?  "  asked  the  official. 

"Your  question,"  answered  the  girl,  "is  too  complex  to  admit  of 
a  hasty  answer.  If  you  will  renew  it  hereafter,  I  here  promise  that  I 
will  endeavor  to  convince  you  that  the  Church  has  not  only  the  right 
to  command  my  assent  to  her  doctrinal  teachings,  but  my  obedience 
likewise  to  her  disciplinary  laws." 

With  the  understanding  that  the  subject  was  to  come  up  between 
them  at  a  later  day,  the  twain  here  parted,  and  Grace  hurried  on  to 
mass.  But  her  short  colloquy  with  her  father's  friend  was  never  for- 
gotten by  her,  never  once  lost  sight  of  until  her  knowledge  of  the 
principles  of  her  faith  was  equal  to  its  defense  against  all  phases  of 
opposition.  Happily  for  herself,  and  happily  for  the  many  she  after- 
wards led  into  the  Church  of  God,  hers  was  a  bright  intellect ;  a  heart 
that  was  true  and  sympathetic,  and  a  disposition  that  was  more  than 
ordinarily  amiable.  She  sought  and  she  found,  she  asked  and  she 
received,  she  knocked  and  it  was  opened  to  her.  She  not  only  read 
with  care  and  profit  the  few  books  of  Catholic  controversy  that  were 
to  be  had  at  the  time,  but,  under  wise  direction,  she  studied  the  sacred 
Scriptures,  and  she  learned  from  their  perusal  the  ill  uses  to  which 
human  pride,  not  unfrequently,  had  put  the  oracles  of  God. 

In  1797,  as  is  supposed  by  her  descendants,  Grace  Newton  inter- 
married with  Walter  Simpson,  a  scion  of  one  of  the  old  CathoUc 
families  of  Maryland ;  and  shortly  afterwards  she  came  with  her  hus- 
band to  Kentucky  and  settled  in  Nelson  county,  near  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  little  town  of  Fairfield.  From  that  time  to  the  day 
of  her  death,  she  was  regarded  by  her  Catholic  acquaintances,  and 
these  were  numerous  throughout  Nelson  and  the  adjoining  counties, 
as  an  authority  scarcely  less  reliable  than  their  immediate  pastors  on 
all  questions  relating  to  dogmatic  differences  between  the  Church  and 
the  sects.  Not  a  few  were  of  the  opinion  that,  in  her  limited  sphere  of 
action,  she  was  even  more  successful  than  was  any  single  member  of 
the  clerical  body  of  the  State  in  her  efforts  to  spread  the  influence  of 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  J  35 

her  faith  among  those  who  had  been  reared  outside  the  pale  of  the 
Church.  This  was  attributed,  not  to  her  superior  knowledge,  but  to 
her  superior  prudence,  and  to  the  uniform  sweetness  of  her  disposition. 

Among  the  anecdotes  that  are  related  of  Mrs.  Simpson,  the  follow- 
mg  is,  perhaps,  oftenest  referred  to  by  the  elders  of  the  congregation 
of  St.  Michael,  Fairfield,  by  all  of  whom  the  remembrance  of  her 
singular  virtues  is  preserved  to  the  present  time : 

Walter  Simpson  was  somewhat  of  a  wag.  At  one  time  he  was  the 
proprietor  of  a  tavern-stand  in  the  town  of  Fairfield,  which  was  as 
much  noted  for  its  orderly  conduct  as  it  was  for  the  excellence  of  its 
accommodations  for  man  and  beast.  One  day  an  itinerant  Methodist 
preacher  alighted  from  his  jaded  horse  at  the  tavern  door,  and 
announced  to  the  landlord  that  it  was  his  intention  to  stop  over  night, 
and  possibly,  until  after  the  coming  Sabbath.  Protestant  ministers  of 
the  present  day  are  rarely  distinguishable  from  men  of  other  pro- 
fessions ;  but  such  was  not  the  case  seventy  years  ago.  Then,  sancti- 
moniousness not  only  characterized  their  features,  but  it  pervaded 
their  speech,  and  was  to  be  seen  in  the  cut  of  their  clothes.  The 
utterance  by  his  guest  of  the  single  word  Sabbath  was  all  that  Walter 
Simpson  needed  to  enable  him  to  give  to  the  man  his  exact  professional 
status. 

One  morning  during  the  itinerant's  stay  under  his  roof,  tempted 
thereto,  doubtless,  by  the  evil  spirit  of  mischief  that  was  his  constant 
familiar,  Mr.  Simpson  suggested  to  his  guest  that  he  had  a  job  for  him 
in  the  line  of  his  vocation.  The  Romanists  of  the  town,  he  said,  had 
become  not  a  litde  aggressive  of  late.  "I  have  reason  to  believe," 
he  continued,  "that  they  have  designs  upon  my  own  wife;  and  from 
the  way  she  receives  their  attentions,  it  would  not  surprise  me,  at  any 
time,  to  learn  that  she  had  been  seen  waiting  her  turn  to  go  to  con- 
fession to  the  little  French  priest  who  comes  here  once  in  the  month, 
and  puts  up  his  horse  in  old  Clemmy  Gardiner's  stable.  It  may  be  too 
late  for  interference  in  the  matter,  but  if  you  would  like  to  have  a  talk 
with  Mrs.  Simpson,  it  would  please  me  to  have  you  do  so." 

The  minister  plunged  headlong  into  the  pit  that  had  been  dug  for 
him  by  his  jocular  host.  He  became  at  once  deeply  interested,  fairly 
reveling  in  the  idea,  no  doubt,  that  opportunity  was  to  be  given  him  to 
do  battle  against  the  "  Man  of  Sin  "  and  the  "Mystery  of  Iniquity.  " 
The  very  next  morning,  in  the  presence  of  her  graceless  spouse,  he 
approached  Mrs.  Simpson  and  begged  to  be  allowed  to  interview  her 
on  a  subject  of  grave  importance.  The  lady  was  not  a  little  surprised, 
but  she  answered  promptly,  that  she  was  then  and  there  ready  to  listen 
to  what  he  had  to  say.  His  opening  speech,  pompous  and  inflated, 
after  the  manner  of  his  tribe,  would  have  opened  the  lady's  eyes  to  his 
purpose,  even  though  she  had  not  been  able  to  detect  it  by  a  glance  she 
gave  toward  the  face  of  her  husband,  in  which  immobility  was  vainly 
striving  to  hide  the  tricksy  spirit  that  rufiled  the  muscles  beneath,  and 
revealed  itself  still  more  plainly  in  the  cunning  flashes  of  his  eyes.  She 
knew  at  once  that  the  oartner  of  her  life's  joys  and  sorrows  had  been 


136  cox's   CREEK   SETTLEMENT. 

playing  upon  the  gullibility  of  their  guest,  and  this  knowledge  deter- 
mined her  to  treat  him  with  the  utmost  courtesy  and  consideration. 

"Mrs.  Simpson,"  began  the  preacher,  "I  have  been  surprised  to 
learn  that  you  have  ventured  almost  into  the  very  jaws  of  the  Popish 
beast,  that  has  been  sent  all  the  way  from  Rome  to  ravage  this  land,  and 
to  fill  his  rapacious  maw  with  the  blood  of  the  saints  of  our  new-found 
Israel.  When  I  heard  of  your  peril,  the  spirit  wrestled  inside  of  me, 
and  I  felt  myself  inspired  to  tackle  with  the  beast,  and  to  pluck  this 
brand  from  the  burning." 

"  I  don't  know  about  the  brand  and  the  burning,  Mr.  ,"  said 

the  smiling  hostess,  "but  if  you  can  convince  me  that  the  Roman 
Catholic  is  not  the  true  Church  of  Christ,  I  stand  ready  to  become  your 
disciple  without  an  hour's  delay.  " 

"Then,  madam,"  returned  the  gratified  minister,  "  I  have  only  to 
point  out  to  you  the  texts  of  scripture  in  which  the  Church  of  Rome 
is  likened  to  the  'Abomination  of  Desolation,'  the  '  Evil  woman  of 
Babylon, '  the  '  Man  of  Sin,  '  the—" 

"  Stay,  my  good  sir,"  interrupted  the  lady;  "your  quotations  from 
the  Bible,  as  well  as  many  others  of  like  character  which  the  enemies  of 
the  Church  are  in  the  habit  of  referring  to  for  proofs  of  their  untenable 
positions,  are  entirely  familiar  to  me.  I  deny  that  any  one  of  them  is 
applicable  to  the  organization  known  as  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
whether  as  she  now  exists,  or  as  she  has  existed  in  the  past.  If  you 
would  convert  me  to  your  way  of  religious  thinking,  ypu  must  prove  to 
me  that  you  have  authority,  and  all  authority,  to  teach  me  what  I  am  to 
believe  and  what  -I  am  to  do  in  order  to  save  my  soul." 

"Why,  madam,"  returned  the  itinerant,  "you  may  learn  all  that 
from  the  word  of  God." 

"But  the  word  of  God,  "  replied  Mrs.  Simpson,  "being  truth  itself, 
cannot  be  otherwise  than  inflexible.  It  cannot  teach  opposing  or 
even  slightly  divergent  doctrines.  It  cannot,  above  all  things,  teach 
me  that  one  thing  is  true,  and  that  another  and  very  different  thing  is 
equally  true.  It  cannot,  for  instance,  teach  that  Christ  was  God,  and 
that  He  was  a  mere  man ;  that  apostolic  succession  in  the  order  of  the 
christian  ministry  is  of  absolute  prescription,  and  that  it  is  wholly  irrele- 
vant; that  baptism  into  the  Church  maybe  administered  by  sprinkling, 
and  that  it  cannot  be  rightfully  administered  otherwise  than  by  immer- 
sion. You  and  Elder  Nathan  Hall  differ  widely  on  the  subjects  of  grace 
and  free  will.  Neither  of  you  will  accept  the  views  of  Dr.  Chambers, 
of  Bardstown,  on  the  doctrine  of  Apostolic  succession.  And  all  three 
of  you  denounce  as  preposterous  Elder  Stone's  declaration  that  there  is 
no  baptism  unto  Christ  and  His  Church  unless  the  subject  of  the  ordi- 
nance be  plunged,  neck  and  crop,  into  a  pool  of  water.  And  yet  you 
and  they,  severally  and  collectively,  are  in  the  habit  of  appealing  to  the 
Bible  for  evidences  to  sustain  your  divergent  notions  regarding  religious 
truth.  If  Christ  had  intended  that  a  book  which  had  no  existence 
when  He  ascended  into  heaven  should  become  the  sole  rule  of  faith 
for  His  disciples  for  all  time.  He  never  would  have  uttered  the  words, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  I37 

afterwards  transcribed  by  His  evangelist :  '  And  if  he  will  not  hear  the 
Church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen  and  the  publican.' 

"  Now,  reverend  sir,  "  continued  the  lady,  *'  it  is  sheer  waste  of  time 
on  your  part  to  seek  to  draw  me  away  from  the  reasonable  faith  in 
which,  so  to  speak,  I  was  born,  to  the  unreasonable  one  which,  accord- 
ing to  all  Protestant  teachings,  would  require  me  to  arraign  the  God 
who  made  me  at  the  bar  of  my  own  weak  and  finite  judgment.  It  is 
not  upon  God's  word,  believe  me,  that  you  build  your  systems  of  faith, 
but  upon  your  own  earth-gathered  heaps  of  intellectual  pride.  " 

At  this  point  the  preacher,  who  had  kept  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
face  of  his  hostess  from  the  beginning  of  her  harangue  to  its  end,  hap- 
pened to  turn  his  gaze  upon  that  of  her  husband,  which  was  now  all 
one  broad  grin.  It  is  not  likely  that  the  vulgar  aphorism,  "sold,"  now 
so  common  among  practical  jokers,  had  other  than  the  natural  meaning 
attached  to  the  word  in  the  popular  parlance  of  the  times,  but  it  is  quite 
certain  that  the  itinerant  then  and  there  experienced-  all  the  effects  that 
are  supposed  to  follow  applications  of  the  term  in  certain  coteries  of 
modern  society. 

It  is  said  of  Mrs.  Simpson,  that  she  occupied  at  one  time  an  anoma- 
lous position  in  relation  to  ecclesiastical  affairs  in  Kentucky.  In  the 
year  1808,  when  it  became  generally  known  that  a  bishop  was  to  be 
appointed  for  the  then  newly  created  See  of  Bardstown,  the  charge  was 
brought  against  her  that  she  was  using  her  influence  with  Bishop  Car- 
roll to  ind'u'ce  that*  prelate  to  recommend  some  other  ecclesiastic  than 
Father  Badin  to  the  occupancy  of  the  post.  Though  it  is  not  at  all 
likely  that  she  was  guilty  of  any  such  indiscretion,  it  may  be  considered 
certain  that  she  answered,  honestly  and  truthfully,  whatever  interroga- 
tories were  put  to  her  by  Dr.  Carroll,  in  regard  to  the  estimate  in  which 
Father  Badin  was  held  by  the  Catholic  people  of  the  State. 

It  is  a  singular  circumstance,  in  connection  with  the  history  of 
Catholicity  in  Kentucky,  that  the  most  extraordinary  missionary  priest 
that  ever  exercised  his  ministry  on  the  soil  of  the  State  was  regarded  by 
very  many  sensible  people  with  at  least  moderate  disfavor  when  there 
was  question  of  raising  him  to  the  rank  of  a  prince  of  the  Church.  It 
is  fair  to  say  that  the  opposition  of  most  of  these  was  not  based  upon 
personal  considerations;  neither  was  it,  in  the  case  of  anyone  of  them, 
based  upon  anything  in  the  character  of  the  missionary  that  could  be 
construed  into  a  moral  defect.  The  great  majority  of  them  were  sim- 
ply unable  to  reconcile  to  themselves  the  idea  of  a  bishop  whose  per- 
sonal appearance  was  not  suggestive  to  them  of  that  dignity,  which,  as 
they  conceived,  should  characterize  the  episcopal  office.  It  is  not  to 
be  doubted  that  the  notions  of  these  had  their  origin  in  their  remem- 
brances of  Dr.  Carroll,  of  Baltimore.  That  eminent  prelate  was  per- 
sonally known  to  many  of  them,  and  a  few  amongst  them,  notably 
Mrs.  Simpson,  had  been  so  far  favored  by  him  as  to  be  numbered 
among  his  correspondents.  The  opposition  of  these  to  the  nomination 
of  Father  Badin  was  honestly  entertained,  and  it  was  in  no  degree 
factious. 


13S  COX*S    CREEK   SEtTLEMENT. 

Others,  however,  were  more  demonstrative  in  their  opposition  to 
the  appointment.  These  were  impressed  with  the  notion  that  Father 
Badin  was  naturally  tyrannical,  and  that,  if  invested  with  supreme  dio- 
cesan authority,  his  rule  would  be  one  of  exaction  and  arbitrariness. 
The  greater  number  of  these,  no  doubt,  were  persons  whose  irregular 
lives  had  been  made  the  subject  of  the  good  missionary's  denuncia- 
tions, which,  it  is  well  known,  were  not  always  prudently  rendered.  * 

Grace  Newton  Simpson  lived  a  widow  for  many  years  after  the 
death  of  her  husband,  and  during  all  these  years  she  kept  the  promise 
of  her  youth  of  unswerving  faith  and  unostentatious  piety  and  good- 
ness. She  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  young  of  her  acquaintance, 
many  of  whom  were  in  the  habit  of  exchanging  with  her  confidence 
for  counsel.  At  the  age  of  sixty  years  she  was  just  as  capable  as  she 
had  ever  been  of  holding  her  own  in  a  conference  upon  dogma  in 
religion,  and  just  as  earnest,  too,  in  her  efforts  to  open  the  eyes  of  the 
erring  to  the  distinguishing  marks  of  holiness  and  truth  that  are  inher- 
ent in  the  one  Church  of  Christ.  Her  life  was  no  less  useful  than  it 
was  held  in  honor  by  those  among  whom  many  of  its  years  were  passed, 
and  she  died  in  the  firm  hope  that  He  in  whom  she  had  beUeved,  and 
whom  she  had  served  with  all  her  strength,  would  incline  His  face  to 
her  in  mercy  when  she  appeared  before  His  dread  bar  of  judgment. 
She  passed  to  her  reward  in  the  year  1835. 

Previous  to  the  year  1799,  it  is  little  supposable  that  any  other 
priest  than  Father  Badin  had  visited  the  settlement  on  Cox's  creek.. 
In  the  year  named,  and  for  a  brief  interval  of  nine  months,  and  till  his 
tragic  death,  an  account  of  which  will  be  found  elsewhere,  the  station 
at  Clement  Gardiner's  was  attended  by  Father  Anthony  Salmon.  Upon 
the  death  of  this  exemplary  priest.  Father  Badin  again  gave  to  the 
mission  such  service  as  was  compatible  with  his  pastorate  over  other 

*In  reviewing  the  lives  of  the  early  missionary  priests  of  Kentucky,  and 
notably  those  of  Fathers  Badin  and  Nerinckx,  one  is  compelled  to  acknowledge 
that  their  will-power  over  the  consciences  of  their  parishioners  and  penitents 
was  at  times  exerted  to  the  verge  of  arbitrariness.  Possibly,  however,  it  was  to 
the  very  rigor  of  their  rule  that  was  due  the  solidity  of  Catholic  faith  by  which 
the  vast  mnjority  of  those  to  whom  they  preached  and  ministered  were  so  pre- 
eminently distinguished.  If  excuse  be  wanting  for  the  severity  of  their  spiritual 
sway,  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  they  were  even  more  exacting  in  respect 
to  themselves  than  they  were  in  respect  to  others.  Then,  their  education  and 
training  had  been  acquired  in  schools  where  rigid  discipline  was  both  enjoined 
and  enforced.  It  is  to  be  remembered,  too,  that  they  were  in  the  exercise  of  a 
power  that  was  at  once  confined  to  themselves  and  necessary  to  the  people. 
They  were  priests,  it  is  true,  but  they  were  also  men ;  and  as  it  is  human  to 
use  authority,  however  possessed,  according  to  one's  own  way  of  thought, 
it  ought  not  to  be  considered  wonderful  that  they  should  have  been  led  at 
times  into  arbitrariness  of  speech  and  action.  Father  Badin's  integrity  of  pur- 
pose was  never  questioned  by  any  one.  Neither  was  he  believed  to  be  ambitious 
of  episcopal  distinction.  Everybody  thought  that  his  nomination  would  follow 
the  establishment  of  the  See,  but  there  were  numbers  of  well-meaning  Catholic 
men  and  women  of  the  settlements  who,  for  the  reason  above  stated,  deprecated 
his  appointment. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  I39 

congregations  which  were  equally  depencent  upon  his  ministry.  A 
much  better  condition  of  affairs  ensued  upon  the  appearance  in  the 
State  of  Father  Charles  Nerinckx  in  1805,  and  of  Father  Edward  Fen- 
wick  and  his  companions,  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic,  in  the  follow- 
ing year.  From  the  latter  date  to  some  time  in  the  year  18 12,  one  or 
another  of  those  named  or  alluded  to  is  supposed  to  have  visited  the 
congregation  at  monthly  intervals.  In  181 2,  Father  Guy  Ignatius 
Chabrat,  then  but  recently  ordained,  took  charge  of  the  congregation, 
of  which  he  retained  the  nominal  pastorship  till  1824.  When  engaged 
in  other  duties,  however,  which  was  frequently  the  case,  and  some- 
times for  months  together,  his  place  was  supplied  from  either  St. 
Thomas'  or  Bardstown.  Among  the  names  most  frequendy  referred  to 
in  this  connection  by  the  elders  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Michael, 
are  those  of  Rev.  M.  Derigaud,  Rev.  Philip  Horstman  (known  to  the 
people  as  Father  Austin),  and  Rev.  Francis  P.  Kenrick.  It  often  hap- 
pened that  sick-calls  coming  all  the  way  from  Louisville,  were  answered 
by  priests  temporarily  stationed  at  St.  Michael's.* 

In  1825,  Rev.  David  MulhoUand,  then  but  a  short  time  ordained, 
was  named  by  his  bishop  pastor  of  St.  Michael's  church.  He  was  an 
excellent  and  painstaking  priest,  and  he  soon  won  the  love  and  respect 
of  his  parishioners.  But,  much  to  their  regret,  and  not  a  little  to  their 
astonishment,  after  having  served  them  most  satisfactorily  as  pastor  for 
about  five  years,  he  abandoned  his  mission  and  left  the  diocese,  f 

■••■  In  connection  with  Father  Chabrat's  pastorate  of  the  church  of  St. 
Michael,  my  readers  will  find  amusement  in  the  reproduction  here  of  one  of 
his  lists  of  appointments.  They  will  remember,  however,  that  absurdities  in 
language  are  to  be  expected  of  those  who  are  unfamiliar  with  the  idiom  used 
by  them  for  the  conveyance  of  their  thoughts.  "To-morrow,"  said  the  pastor, 
"I  will  say  mass  at  Richard  Coomes';  on  Tuesday,  at  Dicky  Clark's  ;  and  on 
Wednesday,  at  Molly  Drury's ;  on  Thursday,  I  will  be  in  Clear  creek,  and  on 
Friday,  I  will  be  no  where."  An  aged  priest  of  the  diocese,  then  a  youthful 
member  of  the  congregation,  vouches  for  the  exactness  of  this  announcement. 

t  Rev.  David  MulhoUand  was  educated  for  the  priesthood  in  the  diocesan 
seminary,  then  removed  to  Bardstown,  and  he  was  ordained  priest  in  1824  or 
1825.  I  remember  to  have  heard  it  stated,  years  ago,  that  his  motive  for  leav- 
ing the  diocese  was  some  serious  trouble  in  which  he  was  involved  with  a  mem- 
ber of  his  congregation,  and  a  fellow-countryman,  the  late  Bernard  McCane. 
For  the  reason  that  I  knew  Mr.  McCane  somewhat  intimately  in  1836-7,  when 
he  resided  in  the  vicinity  of  Bardstown,  and  found  him  at  all  times  a  man  of 
honorable  bearing,  as  he  was  certainly  devoted  to  his  religion,  I  have  always 
doubted  this  story.  Of  its  absurdity  I  was  further  convinced  when  I  learned, 
some  years  later,  that  Mr.  McCane  was  living  in  Manayunk,  near  Philadelphia, 
in  the  parish  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  of  which  Father  MulhoUand  was  the 
pastor.  They  must  have  been  intimate  friends,  since  the  estate  of  the  priest, 
when  he  died,  most  of  which  was  bequeathed  to  objects  of  Catholic  charitv,  had 
been  left  by  him  to  Mr.  McCane's  care  for  distribution.  This  same  Mr.  McCane 
died  but  a  few  years  ago,  possessed  of  a  very  large  estate,  the  greater  part,  if 
not  the  whole  of  which,  was  left  by  him  to  charitable  uses.  I  have  myself 
little  doubt  that  Father  Mulholland's  motive  for  leaving  Kentucky  was  his 
desire  to  be  associated  in  the  ministry  with  his  former  preceptor  in  the  semi- 
nary, then  bishop  of  Philadelphia,  the  late  Most  Rev.  Francis  P.  Kenrick. 


14©  cox's   CREEK   SETTLEMENT. 

In  1829,  Rev.  James  Elliott,  ordained  the  same  year,  was  charged 
■with  the  pastorship  of  St.  Michael's  church.  That  he  was  liked  by 
his  parishioners,  was  himself  pleased  with  his  position,  and  gave  to 
his  superiors  no  cause  for  complaint,  are  points  sufficiently  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  he  retained  his  pastorship  for  forty-three  years,  and  only 
laid  it  down  with  his  life.  Almost  immediately  after  his  appointment, 
he  applied  himself  to  the  task  of  building  a  new  church  in  Fairfield. 
Happily,  he  had  a  willing  people  to  second  and  sustain  his  efforts,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  the  unsightly  log  chapel,  put  up  twenty-three 
years  before,  gave  place  to  the  handsome  and  commodious  structure 
of  brick  that  has  since  served  all  the  needs  of  the  congregation  in 
respect  to  church  accommodations.  * 

*  I  liave  vivid  recollections  of  Father  James  Elliott,  and  these  extend  to 
the  tinaes  when  he  was  a  student  of  the  diocesan  seminary,  a  tutor  and  a  pre- 
fect in'  the  college  of  St.  Joseph,  and  a  priest  newly  ordained.  His  ecclesiastical 
studies  were  begun,  as  near  as  I  can  remember,  in  1821.  After  his  ordination 
and  subsequent  appointment  to  the  pastorship  of  St.  Michael's  church,  and,  I 
may  say,  up  to  the  very  last  year  of  his  life,  my  relations  with  him  were  of  a 
character  to  warrant  me  in  saying  that  he  was  a  true  priest  and  a  faithful  guar- 
dian of  the  better  interests  of  his  people.  He  was  by  no  means  a  brilliant  man  ; 
neither  was  he  a  very  learned  one  ;  but  he  was  possessed  of  all  the  knowledge 
and  every  necessary  quality  of  mind  and  heart  that  is  indispensable  to  the  faith- 
ful discharge  of  priestly  duty. 

In  physical  conformation,  Father  Elliott  may  be  said  to  have  been  stalwart. 
His  height  was  fully  six  feet,  and  his  ordinary  weight  was  not  less  than  two 
hundred  pounds.  He  was  slow  of  speech,  and  a  little  lethargic  in  action.  He 
was  an  enthusiast  on  the  subject  of  church  music.  When  he  was  but  a  youth, 
1  remember  well,  he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  efficient  members  of  the 
seminary  choir  in  the  former  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  his 
musical  tastes  had  their  primary  development  when  he  was  a  child  in  Holy  Cross 
church,  where  the  choir  singers  in  that  primitive  temple  were  kept  in  time  and 
tune  by  the  measured  movements  of  Clement  Johnson's  fiddle-bow.  It  is 
equally  probable  that  when  a  youthful  student  in  the  seminary,  the  good  Father 
David  found  relaxation  at  times  from  his  wearisome  task  of  teaching  in  further 
opening  his  willing  pupil's  mind  to  a  better  understanding  of  the  art  he  loved 
so  well  himself.  Without  other  tutor,  if  indeed  Father  David  did  give  him 
instructions  in  music,  the  young  ecclesiastic  came  in  time  to  be  a  fair 
organist  and  a  composer  of  simple  hymns  and  chants  suitable  for  small  choirs. 
These  compositions  of  his  were  published  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  and  some 
of  them  have  not  yet  lost  their  places  in  the  repertories  of  many  Catholic  choirs 
in  the  diocese  of  Louisville. 

In  addition  to  the  care  of  his  immediate  parish.  Father  Elliott  attended 
several  stations  in  the  neighboring  country,  the  principal  of  which  were  those 
of  Taylorsville,  in  Spencer,  and  Mount  Washington,  in  Bullitt  counties.  He 
was  enabled,  long  before  his  death,  to  build  churches  in  both  of  these  towns. 

The  circumstances  attending  the  death  of  Father  Elliott  are  thus  related  : 
He  spent  the  greater  part  of  Holy  Week  of  1871  in  Louisville.  He  felt  that  he 
was  no  longer  able  to  cope  alone  with  the  labors  of  his  mission,  and  that 
an  assistant  was  a  necessity  that  ought  not  longer  be  deferred.  Thus  he 
stated  his  case  to  his  bishop,  who  promised  to  send  him  one  with  the  least 
delay  possible.  On  Wendesday  morning,  he  again  referred  to  the  matter  in  a 
conversation  with  Dr.  McCloskey.  He  had  evidently  been  considering  in  the 
interval  whether  or  not  there  might  be  other  missions  in  the  diocese  in  greater 
need  of  help  than  his  own.     He  told  the  bishop  that,  upon  consideration,  he 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  14 1 


CHAPTER  IX. 

BRECKINRIDGE   COUNTY   SETTLEMENT. 

The  county  of  Breckinridge  was  formed  and  established  out  of  a 
part  of  Hardin  county,  in  the  year  1799.  Eight  years  previous  to 
this  date,  however,  at  least  one  Catholic  family  had  settled  on  lands 
that  were  afterwards  included  in  its  territory.  This  was  the  family  of 
Leonard  Wheatley,  who  removed  to  Kentucky  from  Loudon  county, 
Virginia,  in  1791,  and  lived  thereafter  on  a  farm  twelve  miles  south  of 
the  present  town  of  Hardinsburg.* 

Richard  Mattingly,  born  in  Maryland  in  1756,  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky in  1 791  and  settled  on  Long  Lick,  within  the  present  boundaries 
of  the  county  of  Breckinridge.  With  him  came  Mr.  Veitchel  Hinton, 
who  lived  to  be  over  a  hundred  years  old,  and  whose  death  took  place 
only  a  few  years  ago.f 

had  concluded  to  try  to  get  along,  for  a  year  or  two  longer,  without  an  assist- 
ant. He  spent  the  afternoon  and  night  of  Wednesday  with  his  friend,  the  late 
Rev.  Walter  S.  Coomes,  chaplain  of  the  St.  Vincent's  orphan  asylum.  He 
was  unwell  the  next  day,  but  after  assisting  at  the  ceremonial  of  Maunday 
Thursday  in  the  cathedral,  he  insisted  upon  his  ability  to  resist  the  fatigues  of 
a  journey  by  stage-coach  to  Fairfield.  For  the  last  time,  he  preached  to  his 
people  on  the  evening  of  Good  Friday.  The  morning  of  Holy  Saturday  found 
him  so  seriously  ill  that  a  messenger  was  dispatched  to  Bardstown  for  a  priest. 
Rev.  Charles  Eggermont  hastened  to  his  assistance,  and  he  had  little  more 
than  time  to  administer  the  last  sacraments,  when  the  venerable  pastor  of  St. 
Michael's  closed  his  eyes  in  death.  Five  priests  were  present  at  his  funeral, 
as  was  also  his  sister — Sister  Claudia  of  the  Nazareth  community — and  there 
was  general  grief  among  those  whom  he  had  so  zealously  sought  to  serve,  many 
of  them  from  childhood  to  middle  life.  Father  Elliott  had  made  a  will,  and 
when  this  was  opened,  it  was  found  that  he  had  divided  his  little  property  into 
three  parts,  one  of  which  was  left  to  the  diocesan  seminary,  one  to  the  St. 
Vincent's  orphan  asylum,  and  one  to  the  male  orphan   asylum  of  St.  Thomas. 

•'■Leonard  Wheatley's  family,  at  the  date  given  in  the  text,  consisted  of  his 
wife,  Ann,  and  their  two  young  children,  Sarah  and  James.  Their  other  chil- 
dren, born  in  Kentucky,  were:  Thomas,  Mary,  Wilfred,  John,  George  and 
Arthur.  "All  of  these  and  their  descendants,  with  a  single  exception,"  writes 
an  esteemed  correspondent,  "have  preserved  their  ancient  faith.  One  of  the 
sons  removed  to  an  adjoining  county  and  married  a  Protestant  wife.  The 
mother  became  a  Catholic,  but  the  children  have  strayed  away  from  the  fold." 

t  Richard  Mattingly  was  far  advanced  in  yea'rs  when  he  died.  His  chil- 
dren, nine  in  number,  were  named :  John,  Margaret,  Zachariah,  Edward, 
William,  Thomas,  Mary,  Elizabeth  and  Sarah  The  first  marriage  celebrated 
by  any  minister  of  religion  that  is  of  record  in  the  office  of  the  county  clerk 
of  Breckinridge,  is  that  of  John,  oldest  son  of  Richard  Mattingly,  with  Sarah, 


142  BRECKINRIDGE   COUNTY  SETTLEMENT. 

About  the  same  time,  came  Zachariah  Mattingly,  the  first  resident 
Catholic  of  the  town  of  Hardinsburg.  One  of  his  daughters  became 
a  sister  of  the  Loretto  society,  and  is  said  to  be  still  living  and  still 
engaged  in  teaching  in  one  of  that  community's  invaluable  schools. 

In  1795,  the  late  Elias  Rhodes,  then  a  young  man,  emigrated  to 
Kentucky  from  Maryland,  and  shordy  afterwards  settled  on  Long 
Lick,  where  he  became  favorably  known  for  his  Catholic  spirit  and  for 
his  general  intelligence.*  With  him  came  Barton  Mattingly,  also 
from  Maryland. 

Ignatius  Coomes  removed  to  Breckinridge  county  in  the  year  1800. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Stuart,  was  a  widow  Lewis 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  and  she  had  a  family  of  her  own,  consist- 
ing of  two  daughters,  who  afterwards  became  the  wives  of  their  step- 
father's brothers,  Joshua  and  Henry  Coomes,  and  two  sons,  "William 
and  Thomas  Lewis,  afterwards  highly  respected  citizens  of  the  county, 
where  their  descendants  are  numerous  to  the  present  day.f 

Among  the  earlier  Catholic  settlers  of  Breckinridge  county,  some 
of  them  coming  as  early  as  1810,  and  none  later  than  1820,  were  the 
following:  Joshua  Coomes,  Henry  Coomes,  another  Ignatius  Coomes, 
John  Clark,  Joseph  McGill,  John  Elder,  Samuel  Elder,  Thomas 
McGill,  Arnold  Elder,  Samuel  Beaven,  Benj.  Beaven,  John  Casseday 
and Mudd.t 

oldest  daughter  of  Leonard  Wheatley.  The  return  made  to  the  county  clerk 
reads  as  follows:  "Sir— In  compliance  with  the  law  respecting  marriages,  the 
undersigned  makes  you  a  return  of  the  marriage  of  John  MaUingly  and  Sarah 
Wheatley,  celebrated  this  day  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  by,  sir,  y'r  obed't  serv't,  Stephen  Theodore  Badin,  Rom.  Cath. 
priest.     i8th  Feb.,  1805." 

Mr.  Hinton,  above  named,  was  twice  married.  He  had  issue  by  his  first 
wife:  Polly,  Ann,  Ellen  and  another  daughter,  known  in  religion  as  Sister 
Gabriella,  of  the  Loretto  society.  By  his  second  wife  the  children  were: 
John,  Sarah,  Austin,  Ezechiel,  Joseph,  Allan,  William,  Catherine  and  Nancy. 

*On  the  first  day  of  June,  1807,  took  place  the  marriage  of  Elias  Rhodes 
and  Margaret,  oldest  daughter  of  Richard  Mattingly.  The  ceremony  was  per- 
formed by  Father  Badin,  and  the  tradition  runs  that  it  took  place  in  the  open 
air  and  in  the  presence  of  a  great  crowd  of  spectators,  men,  women  and 
children,  who  had  been  invited  to  the  wedding  from  miles  around.  Mr. 
Mattingly's  house  was  the  church  station  of  the  neighborhood  until  Father 
Charles  Nerinckx  built  a  church  on  Long  Lick,  as  is  believed,  in  the  year  1818. 
The  children  born  to  Elias  Rhodes  were:  Ellen,  Richard,  Nancy,  John, 
Thomas,  Francis,  Winifred  (Sister  Macaria  of  the  Loretto  society),  Ely  and 
Agnes.  The  latter,  as  also  Richard  and  Nancy,  died  in  infancy,  and  the  two 
last  named  were  the  first  that  received  interment  in  the  Catholic  cemetery 
attached  to  the  church  of  St.  Romuald,  in  Hardinsburg. 

t  The  children  of  Ignatius  and  Sarah  Coomes  were :  Walter,  Linus, 
Francis  and  Matilda.  The  two  first  became  priests,  and  served  the  diocese 
faithfully  to  the  end  of  their  days.  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  of  them 
hereafter.  A  granddaughter  of  Sarah  Coomes,  Matilda  Lewis,  is  now  known 
as  Sister  Marcelline,  of  the  Loretto  society. 

J  Some  of  these  latter  arrivals  were,  undoubtedly,  from  the  older  Catholic 
settlements  of  Nelson  and  Washington  counties,  as  were,  also,  very  many 
Catholics  who  came  for  permanent  residence    at   a   later  day.     John  Clark, 


REV.  STEPHEN  THEODORE  BADIN. 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  1 43 

■  The  first  representative  of  the  now  large  Irish  Catholic  element  of 
society  in  Breckinridge  county  was  William  McGary,  born  in  Ireland 
in  1769.  Coming  to  the  United  States  in  1790,  he  settled  near 
Hagerstown,  Maryland,  where  he  married  Ann  Daly.  He  removed 
with  his  family  to  the  neighborhood  of  Bardstown  in  1809,  where,  in 
the  later  years  of  his  residence,  he  was  employed  with  others  in  the 
construction  of  the  cathedral.  In  18 18,  he  removed  to  Breckinridge 
county,  where  his  descendants  are  very  numerous.* 

The  next  of  the  same  nationality  to  come  to  the  county  was 

Lacy,  a  previous  resident  of  Rome,  Indiana,  to  which  point  he  had 
emigrated  in  181 9.  His  progeny  is  not  numerous  in  Breckinridge. 
It  was  not,  however,  until  the  year  1855,  that  there  was  any  general 
movement  of  Irish  emigrants  to  the  county.  At  first,  few  were  to  be 
seen  outside  of  the  town  and  neighborhood  of  Cloverport,  on  the 
Ohio  river;  but  in  i860  a  stream  of  them  set  in  towards  Hardinsburg, 
and  now  the  number  of  Irish  Catholics,  with  their  offspring,  is  fully 
equal  to  that  of  native  born  and  bred  children  of  the  Church.  The 
more  numerous  families  of  these  are  the  Meaghers  (their  progenitor, 
Stephen  Meaghei;,  died  less  than  ten  years  ago),  the  Sheerons,  the 
Haffeys  and  the  Teaffs. 

The  first  priest  to  visit  Breckinridge  county  was  undoubtedly 
Father  Badin.  The  date  of  his  first  visit,  however,  is  altogether 
uncertain.  It  is  not  likely  to  have  taken  place  earlier  than  the  year 
1798,  when,  through  the  assistance  rendered  him  by  Father  M.  J.  C. 

mentioned  in  the  text,  used  to  tell  of  an  extraordinary  penance  that  was  once 
imposed  upon  him  by  Father  Badin.  At  the  time  referred  to,  after  a  long 
intermission  of  duty,  John  made  up  his  mind  to  go  to  confession.  Having 
recounted  his  sins,  he  was  told  by  his  confessor,  by  way  of  penance,  to  dig  a 
pit  two  feet  deep,  long  and  wide  enough  for  the  reception  of  his  body,  and  to 
recline  himself  therein  a  certain  length  of  time  each  day  for  a  fortnight.  The 
lesson  Father  Badin  wished  to  impress  on  his  penitent's  mind  is  sufficiently 
apparent. 

Among  the  old  Catholic  people  there  were  extant  within  my  own  memory 
not  a  few  stories  in  reference  to  Father  Badin's  extraordinary  penances.  I  am 
not  prepared  to  say  that  there  was  no  truth  in  these  stories.  On  the  contrary, 
knowing  how  eccentric  he  was  in  many  things,  I  can  readily  believe  that  he 
may  have  imposed  'at  times  penances  just  as  extraordinary  as  the  one  above 
referred  to.  It  was  not  uncommon,  seventy  years  ago,  for  confessors  to  exact 
public  penances  for  what  they  regarded  as  public  scandals.  A  case  of  this 
kind  happened  in  Breckinridge  county  about  the  year  181 1.  A  certain  Cath- 
olic young  woman  had  created  a  public  scandal  by  uniting  herself  in  marriage 
with  a  non-Catholic  without  having  first  asked  for  and  received  a  dispensation 
in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  the  Church.  She  was  required  by  Father 
Badin  to  appear  in  the  room  in  which  he  proposed  to  say  mass  for  the  Catholic 
people  of  the  neighborhood,  clad  in  a  coarse  sack  and  sprinkled  with  ashes. 
The  curious  part  of  the  case  refers  to  the  action  of  the  husband.  He  accom- 
panied his  wife  to  mass,  similarly  habited,  and  is  said  to  have  declared  that  if 
she  had  to  suffer  mortification  on  his  account,  he  would  share  it  with  her. 

*The  children  of  William  McGary,  born  in  Maryland,  were  William, 
Ellen  and  John.  Those  born  in  Kentucky  were  Mary,  Margaret,  Joseph, 
Martin,  Elizabeth,  Anselm  and  James. 


144  BRECKINRIDGE   COUNTY   SETTLEMENT. 

Fournler,  he  was  enabled  to  extend  his  visitations  beyond  the  more 
thickly  settled  Catholic  neighborhoods  of  the  State.  The  house  of 
Richard  Mattingly,  the  church  station  of  the  county,  was  situated  on 
Long  Lick,  a  tributary  of  the  north  fork  of  Rough  creek. 

It  is  reasonably  certain  that  the  mission,  with  others,  was  trans- 
ferred to  Father  Charles  Nerinckx  in  1811,  since,  after  that  date,  his 
name,  and  not  that  of  Father  Badin,  appears  on  the  marriage  licenses 
granted  to  Catholic  parties  and  returned  to  the  custody  of  the  clerk  of 
the  county  court.  Mass  continued  to  be  said  in  the  house  of  Richard 
Mattingly  until  the  year  181 2,  when  Father  Nerinckx  took  in  hand  the 
project  of  building  a  church  in  the  immediate  vicinity.* 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  when  Father  Nerinckx  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  build  a  church,  no  matter  where,  it  was  as  good  as  done. 
As  had  been  his  previous  habit,  and  as  that  habit  was  continued 
almost  to  the  close  of  his  life,  he  labored  with  his  own  hands  in  the 
construction  of  the  church  on  Long  Lick,  and  ceased  not  until  he  was 
able  to  gather  the  people  together  in  the  finished  building  and  offer  up 
for  them  and  in  their  presence  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  mass.  Only  a 
short  time  before,  he  had  built,  almost  literally  with. his  own  hands,  a 
small  log  church  at  Clifty,  in  Grayson  county,  which  he  placed  under 
the  protection  of  St.  Paul.  A  singular  adventure  happened  to  him  on 
the  occasion  of  one  of  his  journeys  from  Long  Lick  to  Clifty.  He 
lost  his  way,  and,  to  increase  his  perplexity,  night  closed  in  upon 
him.  Utterly  bewildered,  he  knew  not  which  way  to  turn.  After 
awhile,  a  pack  of  hungry  wolves  from  the  forests  around  gathered  at 
his  horse's  heels,  and  for  a  whole  winter's  night  he  kept  his  saddle, 
every  moment  anticipating  an  attack  from  the  animals.  Only  with  the 
morning's  sun  was  he  left  to  pursue  his  way. 

"When  Father  Nerinckx  built  a  church,"  says  his  reverend 
biographer,  "he  made  different  persons  subscribe  one  or  two  logs, 
hewn  and  of  prescribed  dimensions,  and  deliver  them  on  the  ground. 
Then  all  assembled  with  him  for  the  'house-raising,'  as  it  was  called. 
The  fitting  of  the  prepared  logs  to  their  places  was  the  work  of  one, 
or  at  most,  two  days.  Father  Nerinckx  was  able  to  lift  agamst  two 
men  opposite  to  him  at  the  hand-spike.  As  the  people  had  great 
veneration  for  him,  and  were  even  in  awe  of  his  spirit,  he  could 
accomplish  anything  he  undertook  with  them." 

In  1810,  there  were  but  two  Catholic  families  residing  between  the 
settlement  on  Long  Lick,  in  the  southeastern,  and  Cloverport,  in  the 

*  A  friend  writes  me:  "There  are  twenty  families  of  Richard  Mattingly's 
posterity  living  to-day  in  the  lower  part  of  Breckinridge  county.  I  have  myself 
seen  the  dilapidated  building  once  occcupied  by  the  family;  and  the  priest's 
room,  cut  off' from  the  large  apartment  in  which  the  Catholics  of  the  neigh- 
borhood were  wont  to  assemble  for  divine  service,  was  still  to  be  traced  among 
the  ruins."  In  a  list  of  churches  and  congregations  prepared  by  Father 
Nerinckx  in  1808,  is  the  following  entry,  as  stated  by  his  biographer,  Father 
Maes  :  "  St.  Anthony  has  twenty-five  families,  no  church,  but  three  hundred 
acres  for  a  priest."  The  disposition  of  this  property  will  be  referred  to  here- 
after. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


145 


northwestern  parts  of  the  county.  These  were  those  of  Zachariah 
Mattingly,  in  the  town  of  Hardinsburg,  and  Henry  Beaven,  Hving 
three  miles  from  the  town.  The  first  log  chapel  at  the  county  seat 
was  certainly  used  for  divine  service  as  early  as  the  year  181 2.  The 
ground  for  both  the  church  and  the  cemetery  was  most  likely  a  gift  to 
the  church  from  Zachariah  Mattingly.  The  building  of  the  church 
was  begun  in  1810,  the  two  gentlemen  named  taking  the  leading  part 
in  its  erection.  They  were  materially  assisted,  however,  by  Samuel 
Force  and  Ignatius  and  Joseph  Mattingly,  of  Long  Lick.  These 
three  not  only  got  out  the  heavy  timbers  for  the  church,  and  hewed 
them  into  shape,  but  they  sawed  the  planks  by  hand  that  were  to  be 
used  in  the  flooring.  For  some  reason,  possibly  for  lack  of  skill  on 
the  part  of  the  builders,  the  structure  was  allowed  to  remain  for  six 
years  without  a  roof.  Mass  was  often  said  in  it,  however,  during 
these  years,  and  it  answered  very  well  for  a  "summer"  or  "fair- 
weather"  church.  Completed  at  length  in  181 6,  the  building  served 
the  purposes  of  the  congregation,  now  somewhat  increased,  until 
1841,  when  the  present  church  of  St.  Romuald  was  built  by  the  late 
Dr.  Benjamin  Wathen,  liberally  assisted  by  the  non-Catholics  of  the 
town  and  vicinity.  The  church  was  solemnly  dedicated  by  Bishop 
Flaget  in  October,  1841.* 

Bishop  Flaget  first  visited  Breckinridge  county  in  the  year  1814, 
and  it  was  on  this  occasion  that  was  noticed  the  striking  personal 
resemblance  between  himself  and  one  of  the  most  honored  Catholic 
citizens  of  the  county.  Reference  is  here  made  to  Elias  Rhodes,  a 
representative  Catholic,  a  man  of  noble  bearing,  of  rare  good  sense 
and  fair  culture,  and  of  conceded  piety  and  worth.  In  physical  con- 
formation, he  is  said  to  have  been  almost  the  counterpart  of  the  fi»st 
bishop  of  the  See  of  Bardstown.  It  is  said,  too,  that  this  similitude 
extended  to  voice,  manner  and  disposition.  It  is  quite  certain  that 
Bishop  Flaget  ever  afterwards  entertained  for  this  son  of  his  in  Christ 
a  sentiment  of  ardent  affection,  and  that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  speak- 
ing of  him  as  one  whose  christian  character  entitled  him  to  the  venera- 
tion of  the  Catholic  people  of  his  diocese. 

In  the  year  181 6,  the  charge  of  the  missions  of  Breckinridge  and 
Grayson  counties  was  transferred  to  Rev.  Peter  Schaeffer,  whose 
ordination  was  among  the  first  that  took  place  in  the  church  of  St. 
Thomas.  Unlike  his  countryman  and  predecessor  on  the  mission, 
he  was  of  a  feeble  physical  conformation,  and  his  general  health  was 
bad  rather  than  indifferent.  Some  time  in  the  year  181 7,  as  is  sup- 
posed, he  was  relieved  of  his  mission  because  of  ill-health,  and  soon 

*  Recurring  to  the  fact  that  an  infant  child  of  Elias  Rhodes  was  the  first 
seed  of  the  general  resurrection  planted  in  the  Catholic  cemetery  at  Hardins- 
burg. my  friend  and  correspondent  is  reminded  by  the  circumstance  of  the 
substance  of  a  remark  made  by  Father  Nerinckx  when  addressing  the  congre- 
gation on  the  occasion  of  blessing  the  graveyard  attached  to  St.  Romuald's 
church.  Said  he:  "It  is  a  happy  circumstance  when  the  ground  intended 
for  christian  burial  is  first  broken  for  the  reception  of  an  innocent  child." 

10 


146  BRECKINRIDGE    COUNTY   SETTLEMENT. 

afterwards  he  returned  to  Belgium,  where  he  is  said  to  have  died  a,  few 
years  later.* 

FIRST   MISSION    OF    REV.   ROBERT   A.   ABELL. 

The  year  18 18  began  a  remarkable  epoch  for  the  scattered  missions 
of  Southern  and  Southwestern  Kentucky.  On  the  14th  of  August  of 
the  year  named,  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell  was  ordained  priest  by  Bishop 
Flaget,  and  soon  afterwards  he  was  charged  with  the  pastoral  care  of 
the  faithful  living  in  the  extended  district  named,  whose  spiritual  needs 
had  hitherto  been  supplied  by  the  ministrations  of  Father  Nerinckx. 
By  pre-arrangement,  the  retiring  pastor  and  the  young  priest  to  be 
installed  set  out  together  for  a  visitation  of  the  widely  scattered  Cath- 
olic people  of  the  district.  Their  first  objective  point  was  the  station 
of  St.  Ignatius,  in  Hardin  county,  where  they  remained  for  several 
days.  From  this  point  Father  Abell  went  to  Elizabethtown,  where  it 
had  already  been  announced  that  he  would  preach  in  the  court-house, 
and  where,  as  only  he  could  in  those  days,  he  opened  the  eyes  of  his 
almost  exclusively  non-Catholic  hearers  to  the  fact  that  Catholicity  has 
nothing  to  fear  from  honest  investigation.  The  favorable  impression 
made  by  this  one  discourse  is  said  to  have  been  extraordinary.  He 
was  not  only  treated  with  the  utmost  courtesy  and  hospitality,  but  he 
was  promised  material  aid  toward  the  erection  of  a  church  in  the 
town. 

Twenty  miles  from  St.  Ignatius'  station  they  stopped  at  the  house 
of  a  Protestant  gentleman  who  had  previously  promised  Father  Ner- 
inckx a  gift  of  five  hundred  acres  of  land  on  condition  that  he  should 
cause  to  be  erected  on  it  a  church  and  a  convent,  f  They  were  kindly 
received,  and  Father  Abell  was  invited  to  address  a  promiscuous  crowd 
that  had  been  hastily  assembled  around  the  house.  This  he  did  to  the 
satisfaction  of  everybody.  Their  next  stopping-place  was  Hardins- 
burg,  where,  as  has  been  seen,  there  was  already  a  church,  and  where 
land  was  further  secured  for  a  priest's  house  and  school.     Setting  out 

*I  have  a  letter  in  my  possession  written  to  a  fellow-clergyman  in  Septem- 
ber, 1815,  in  which  Father  Shaeffer  commissions  him  to  buy  for  his  use  a  new 
chalice.  In  it  he  speaks  of  having  been  very  ill.  I  am  inclined  to  the  belief 
that  Father  Shaeffer  was  the  first  priest  ordained  at  St.  Thomas',  and  that  his 
ordination  dates  not  later  than  the  year  1814. 

fin  this  case  the  gentleman  referred  to  in  the  text  was  not  without  an  hon- 
orable motive  for  his  generosity.  With  him,  a  convent  implied  a  school  to 
which  he  could  send  his  children.  It  was  not  so  in  a  case  in  which  I  was 
myself  appealed  to  by  a  prominent  member  of  one  of  the  Protestant  churches 
of  Louisville  to  use  my  supposed  influence  with  the  then  bishop  of  the  See  to 
accept  a  much  smaller  gift  on  a  like  condition.  Mr.  M'C.  was  the  owner  of  an 
immense  tract  of  land  on  the  Tennessee  river  which  he  was  very  anxious  to  get 
into  market  at  remunerative  figures,  and  he  imagined  that  if  he  could  but 
induce  the  bishop  to  accept  his  proffered  gift  and  place  thereon  a  church,  there 
would  soon  be  a  rush  of  Catholic  purchasers  for  his  wild  and  out-of-the-way  real 
estate.  He  was  an  indignant  man  when  I  expressed  my  belief  that  folly  was  no 
characteristic  of  the  bishop,  and  that,  as  for  myself,  he  had  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  I  was  altogether  a  simpleton. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  147 

for  Morganfield,  in  Union  county,  they  made  a  brief  stoppage  at  the 
small  mission  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  and  thence  hurried  on  to  their  des- 
tination. Father  Abell  preached  a  lengthy  sermon  at  the  court-house 
in  Morganfield.  which  was  listened  to  with  enthusiasm  by  very  many 
who,  until  that  day,  had  known  nothing  whatever  of  the  Church  and  its 
doctrinal  teachings.  The  preacher  was  the  hero  of  the  hour,  and  as  a 
result  of  the  joint  labors  of  the  missionaries  in  the  town,  one  hundred 
and  five  acres  were  donated  toward  the  erection  of  a  Catholic  school. 

The  missionaries  went  no  further  west,  but  after  a  stoppage  of  three 
weeks  in  Union  county,  proceeded  to  the  missionary  station  of  St. 
Theresa,  at  Flint  Island,  in  Meade  county,  where  Father  Abell  preached 
and  where  they  were  presented  with  three  hundred  acres  of  land  for  a 
church,  etc.  Thence  their  journey  led  them  to  Long  Lick  creek, 
Breckinridge  county,  where  Father  Nerinckx  had  erected  the  church 
of  St.  Anthony  as  early  as  the  year  1812.*  At  Litchfield,  in  Grayson 
county,  Father  Abell  preached  to  a  large  concourse  of  people.  A 
Protestant  minister  of  some  repute  was  among  his  hearers,  and  he  was 
there,  as  was  supposed,  to  indulge  in  a  bit  of  controversy  with  the 
young  priest.  Courteously  inviting  the  preacher  to  a  seat  on  the  ros- 
trum. Father  Abell  began  his  address,  which  happened  to  be  on  the 
subject  of  penance.  He  was  not  interrupted,  as  had  been  his  expec- 
tation, and  when  he  had  Hnished  one  of  the  most  convincing  argu- 
ments of  his  pulpit  career,  the  parson  opened  not  his  mouth  in  reply; 
and  at  no  time  afterwards  did  he  manifest  the  least  desire  to  engage  in 
controversy  with  a  Catholic  priest. 

Father  Abell's  first  mission  included  the  counties  of  Hardin  and 
Grayson  and  all  the  counties  west  of  Jefferson,  Bullitt  and  Nelson,  and 
south  as  far  as  the  city  of  Nashville,  in  Tennessee.  But  before  follow- 
ing him  to  Breckinridge  county,  and  the  church  of  St.  Anthony,  where 
he  had  fixed  his  home  and  the  central  point  of  his  mission,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  refer  to  his  seminary  life  after  the  comparatively  brief  term 
of  schooling  he  had  passed  in  Father  Thomas  Wilson's  academy  at  St. 
Rose.  It  was  undoubtedly  a  happy  circumstance  that  his  first  precep- 
tor was  so  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  structure  and  proper  use  of 
the  English  idiom.  He  was  wont  in  after  life  to  attribute  whatever 
felicitiousness  he  had  as  a  speaker  to  his  gifts  from  nature;  but  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  he  was  gready  helped  in  this  respect  by  the 
intelligent  culture  to  which  his  mind  had  been  subjected  while  he  was 
counted  among  the  pupils  of  Father  Wilson. 

The  seminary  of  St.  Thomas  dates  from  the  year  181 1,  and  it  is 
reasonably  certain  that  young  Abell  was  among  the  earlier  of  its 
inmates.     The  writer  has  himself  heard  him  speak  of  the  part  taken 

*  I  am  indebted  for  all  the  facts  connected  with  the  missionary  peregrina- 
tions of  Fathers  Nerinckx  and  Abell  as  rehearsed  in  the  text  to  Father  C.  P. 
Maes'  admirable  life  of  the  former,  published  in  1879.  These  facts,  as 
related,  are  quoted  from  letters  written  by  Father  Nerinckx  himself,  in  1818, 
and  they  correspond  with  the  Catholic  traditions  of  the  people  of  Breckinridge 
county.     Maes  gives  both  1S12  and  1818  as  the  date  of  St.  Anthony's  erection. 


148  BRECKINRIDGE   COUNTY   SETTLEMENT. 

by  him  in  the  construction  of  the  church  of  St.  Thomas  and  the  semi- 
nary buildings.  There,  as  at  the  school  of  St.  Rose,  the  time  of  the 
young  students  of  theology  was  apportioned  equally  to  labor  and  study. 
A  few  skilled  workmen  were  employed,  to  be  sure,  but  everything  that 
entered  into  the  construction  of  the  buildings  was  brought  upon  the 
ground  and  rough-shaped  to  their  hands  by  the  young  men  of  the 
establishment.  At  this  time  young  Abell  was  a  stout  and  active  youth 
of  twenty,  and  so  capable  was  he  of  undergoing  severe  physical  toil 
that  he  ordinarily  imposed  upon  himself  a  double  share  of  whatever 
was  to  be  wrought  through  the  exercise  of  bodily  strength.  In  this 
way  he  passed  his  six  years  of  seminary  life  and  prepared  himself  for 
ordination.  To  say  that  he  was  thoroughly  fitted  by  education  for  the 
office  of  the  priesthood  would  be  to  ignore  the  disadvantages  under 
which  he  had  labored  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his  seminary 
life.  His  natural  gifts  were  of  the  very  highest  order,  and  there  is  no 
telling  to  what  height  of  honor  and  renown  he  might  have  arisen  had 
his  opportunities  for  acquiring  been  commensurate  with  his  capacity 
for  retaining  knowledge.  As  it  was,  his  recognized  capabilities  and  the 
zeal  with  which  he  entered  upon  his  missionary  labors  were  accepted  by 
his  bishop,  as  well  as  by  his  no  less  interested  preceptor.  Rev.  John  B. 
David,  as  tokens  of  great  future  usefulness. 

The  Green  river  country  has  always  been  noted  for  its  men  of 
large  growth,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  people  of  the  district,  so  called, 
ever  set  eyes  upon  a  more  noble  specimen  of  physical  manhood  than 
they  beheld  in  the  person  of  Father  Abell  when  he  first  came  among 
them.  His  personal  appearance  at  the  time  is  well  worth  describing : 
He  was  of  commanding  stature,  six  feet  four  inches  in  height,  and 
admirably  proportioned.  His  features  were  expressive  of  great  intelli- 
gence, to  be  sure,  but  they  were  still  more  expressive  of  candor  and 
helpfulness.  His  eyes,  of  bluish  gray,  had  in  them  little  of  daring, 
but  much  of  sympathy.  The  fount  of  his  tears  was  as  free  as  is  that 
of  childhood  to  whatever  was  distressful.  His  voice  in  conversation 
was  always  modulated  to  the  key  that  was  precisely  suited  for  the  con- 
veyance of  his  emotions  as  well  as  his  thoughts.  In  public  speaking, 
its  intonations,  full  and  clear,  rose  and  fell  in  chromatic  order.  In  the 
pulpit,  he  appeared  to  have  power  to  move  men's  minds  in  any  precon- 
ceived direction.  He  could  be  indignant,  and  then  the  terrible  threats 
of  Divine  Justice  seemed  as  thunderbolts  issuing  from  his  mouth.  He 
was  more  inclined,  however,  to  the  persuasive  and  the  pathetic  in  his 
pulpit  utterances.  God's  love  toward  His  fallen  creatures ;  the  beauty 
of  holiness ;  the  sufferings  endured  by  the  Son  of  God  for  sinners  : 
these  and  kindred  subjects  he  loved  to  treat,  and  he  seldom  failed  to 
treat  them  effectively.  The  remembrances  of  the  few  still  living  who 
had  occasional  opportunities  of  hearing  Father  Abell  preach  during  the 
first  fifteen  years  of  his  ministerial  life,  and  even  at  a  much  later  day 
when  he  was  in  the  mood,  are  uniform  in  attributing  to  him  oratorical 
powers  of  the  highest  order.  Later  on,  there  was  certainly  inequality 
in  his  pulpit  deUverances.     At  times  he  would  rise  to  as  lofty  heights 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY,  I49 

of  eloquence  as  were  ever  reached  by  mortal  man,  and  at  others  he 
would  sink  to  the  level  of  mediocrity. 

With  a  good  horse,  and  an  otherwise  sHm  outfit,  he  reached  the  seat 
of  his  mission  in  the  fall  of  1818.  He  found  plenty  to  do  in  attending 
to  the  three  churches  already  built  in  the  district,  and  in  visiting  the 
outlying  stations  in  his  own  and  other  contiguous  river  counties. 
Occasionally,  too,  he  made  flying  trips  to  Hardin,  and  as  far  west  as 
Union  county.  In  the  last  named,  there  were  already  as  many  as 
twenty  Catholic  families,  the  greater  number  having  removed  thither 
from  the  older  Catholic  settlements  of  the  State.  Once  only,  while 
stationed  at  St.  Anthony's,  he  was  called  as  far  south  as  Nashville.  At 
the  time  referred  to  there  were  few  Catholics  in  Tennessee,  and  not 
over  five  families,  nominally  Catholic,  in  the  little  city  that  was  his 
journey's  limit.  On  this  occasion — the  story  has  been  told  differently, 
but  the  writer  having  heard  it  from  the  lips  of  the  missionary  himself, 
naturally  prefers  the  evidence  of  his  own  ears — an  incident  took  place 
that  is  at  least  worth  teUing.  The  story,  as  related  by  Father  Abell, 
runs  as  follows : 

"  I  had  been  riding  for  several  weeks,"  said  he,  "and  the  effects 
of  time  and  wind  and  weather  were  beginning  to  tell  disastrously  upon 
my  habiliments.  My  pantaloons  were  threadbare,  and  my  coat  and 
waistcoat  were  things  of  threads  and  patches.  I  was  really  ashamed 
of  my  appearance,  and  while  I  remained  in  the  town  its  streets  saw  little 
of  me  except  after  nightfall.  One  evening,  I  went  out  for  a  walk,  and 
accident  brought  me  to  the  vicinity  of  what  I  took  to  be  a  Protestant 
chapel  or  meeting-house.  The  doors  were  open,  and  many  persons 
were  passing  into  the  building.  Without  thought  of  the  propriety  or 
impropriety  of  the  step  I  was  taking,  in  I  went  with  the  rest.  A  small 
rostrum  at  the  farther  end  of  the  hall  was  indicative  of  the  use  that  was 
to  be  made  of  it  on  this  occasion.  I  managed  to  get  a  seat  near  the 
door,  and  there,  comparatively  unnoticed,  I  waited  for  developments. 
By  and  bye,  a  hymn  was  given  out  and  sung  with  a  will,  the  greater 
part  of  the  audience,  which  was  quite  orderly,  taking  part  in  the  per- 
formance. After  a  prayer  had  been  offered  up,  about  which  I  shall 
say  nothing,  a  dapper  little  fellow  mounted  the  stand  and  announced 
the  subject  of  the  discourse  that  followed.  He  was  going  to  prove  to 
his  hearers  that  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  is  a  system  of  idolatrous 
worship,  and  that  the  Pope  of  Rome  is  the  veritable  '  Man  of  Sin ' 
referred  to  in  the  Bible.  I  was  interested.  I  had  never  before  had 
so  favorable  an  opportunity  of  learning  the  estimate  that  was  placed 
upon  my  religion  by  its  enemies.  The  preacher,  for  such  he  turned 
out  to  be,  was  as  ignorant  as  dirt,  and  insufferably  conceited.  As  he 
proceeded,  you  may  be  sure  that  I  was  more  astonished  than  con- 
founded. His  whole  discourse  was  made  up  of  misstatement  and  tra- 
vesty of  Catholic  doctrine,  and  of  denunciation  of  Catholics,  and 
especially  of  the  Pope.  The  poor  man,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  was  guilt- 
less of  intentional  lying;  his  ignorance  was  beyond  conception,  and 
possibly  beyond  remedy. 


150  BRECKINRIDGE  COUNTY  SETTLEMENT. 

"  His  harangue  coming  to  an  end  at  last,  I  anticipated  the  motion  of 
the  audience  in  the  direction  of  the  door  by  rising  to  my  feet  and  beg- 
ging their  attention  for  a  moment.  'Ladies  and  gentlemen,'  said  I, 
'  there  is  no  trait  of  the  American  character  more  conspicuous  than  its 
love  of  fairness.  You  have  heard  to-night  a  most  violent  attack  on 
the  religion  that  is  professed  by  two-thirds  of  the  christian  world.  You 
behold  in  me  a  minister  of  that  religion,  and  an  American  born  citizen. 
If  I  may  speak  here  to-morrow  night,  or  if  you  will  provide  me  with 
a  hall  in  which  to  speak,  I  think  I  can  promise  to  prove  to  you  that 
the  religion  I  profess  is  not  idolatrous,  and  that  neither  is  it  unreason- 
able.' Retaining  my  place  till  the  greater  part  of  the  audience  had  left 
the  hall,  I  soon  found  myself  surrounded  by  a  knot  of  young  men, 
each  one  of  whom  appeared  to  be  anxious  that  I  should  carry  out  the 
announcement  I  had  made.  It  was  at  once  arranged  that,  on  the  fol- 
lowing evening,  I  should  occupy  the  stand  from  which  the  attack  had 
been  made. 

"The  report  of  the  forthcoming  lecture  had  been  so  well  circulated 
by  my  young  stranger  friends  that,  on  reaching  the  hall  I  found  it  so 
crowded  that  it  was  with  difficulty  I  secured  passage-way  to  the 
stand.  After  a  few  words  of  thanks  for  the  courtesy  that  had 
been  extended  to  me,  I  began  my  discourse.  I  never  felt  myself  more 
equal  to  an  occasion  in  my  life,  and  I  soon  had  both  my  subject  and 
my  audience  well  in  hand.  I  found  it  easy  enough  to  demolish  the 
structure  of  falsehood  that  had  been  reared  the  previous  evening,  but 
I  fear  it  was  another  thing  when  I  attempted  to  awaken  the  interest  of 
my  hearers  in  a  system  of  religion  they  had  heard  traduced  from  their 
cradles.  I  sought  to  plant,  indeed,  but  only  God  could  give  the  increase. 
The  reverend  preacher  of  the  evening  before  had  declared  that  the 
priesthood  of  the  Catholic  Church  were  in  the  habit  of  requiring  of  their 
penitents  specific  sums  of  money  for  the  forgiveness  of  specific  sins. 
My  answer  to  this  charge  was  a  non  seqiiitur.  '  Think  you,  my  friends,' 
said  I,  '  if  this  allegation  were  true,  that  I  should  be  constrained,  for 
absolute  lack  of  the  money-price  of  a  new  suit  of  clothes,  to  present 
myself  before  you  thus  shabbily  attired  ?  I  might  consider  myself  pass- 
ing rich  indeed  had  my  exchequer  been  replenished  with  fees,  even  at 
the  rate  of  fourpence  a  head,  from  all  those  who  have  confessed  to  me 
since  I  was  commissioned  to  sit  in  the  tribunal  of  penance.  Let  me 
tell  you,  my  hearers,  that  penance,  which  includes  the  confession  of 
one's  sins  to  a  minister  who  has  authority  to  pronounce  the  formulary 
of  absolution,  is  a  sacrament  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  ;  and  that, 
were  I  to  exact  money,  or  other  thing  of  value,  for  its  administration, 
I  would  thereby  be  subjecting  myself  to  the  heaviest  censures  known 
to  the  Church,  and  to  even  deprivation  of  my  priestly  faculties.' 

"I  think  my  auditors  were  well  enough  pleased  with  my  effort,  and 
I  am  quite  certain  that  I  had  myself  no  reason  to  be  dissappointed  with 
the  result  of  my  unpremeditated  incursion  into  the  camp  of  the  enemy. 
It  gained  for  me  a  number  of  friends,  and,  what  was  just  about  as  wel- 
coi)ie  at  the  time,  a  complete  suit  of  clothes,  delicately  presented  by  a 


CATHOLICITY    IN    RENTUCKY.  15I 

committee  of  gentlemen  duly  appointed  to  carry  out  the  will  of  the 
obliging  donors,  which  did  me  excellent  after-service." 

Had  the  entire  Catholic  population  of  Western  Kentucky  and  Mid- 
dle Tennessee  been  brought  into  his  own  county,  the  pastorate  of 
Father  Abell  would  not  have  involved  a  tithe  of  the  labor  he  was 
obliged  to  expend  on  it.  Happily,  he  was  strong  and  vigorous,  and  his 
zeal  was  only  limited  by  the  impossible  in  its  exercise.  He  had  not 
been  long  employed  on  the  mission  before  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
establishmg  a  day  and  boarding  school  for  girls  at  Long  Lick.  In 
furtherance  of  the  idea,  he  purchased  of  Richard  Mattingly  his  farm 
of  three  hundred  acres,  with  the  dwelling  house  thereon,  and  induced 
the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth  to  occupy  the  building  with  a  small 
colony  of  sisters.*  But  scarcely  was  the  institution  opened  for  the 
reception  of  pupils,  when  its  founder  was  prostrated  on  a  bed  of  sick- 
ness. His  disease,  a  low  nervous  fever,  brought  on  by  exposure  in 
traveling  and  by  severe  toil  in  preparing  the  house  for  the  new  purpose 
to  which  it  was  to  be  devoted,  was  of  a  most  malignant  character,  and 
for  weeks  his  life  was  despaired  of.  Word  having  been  sent  to  Bishop 
Flaget  of  the  condition  of  affairs,  that  fatherly  prelate  hastened  to  the 
bed-side  of  his  subordinate,  and  there  he  remained  till  the  danger  was 
past.f 

It  was  not  until  the  winter  of  1820-21  that  Father  Abell  found  him- 
self in  a  condition  to  begin  anew  his  long  suspended  missionary  labors. 
And  here  another  trouble  awaited  him.  Owing  to  his  long  illness,  his 
school  had  not  prospered,  and  an  order  had  come  from  their  superiors 
directing  the  sisters  to  close  the  establishment.  This  was  at  once  done, 
and  on  the  last  day  of  the  year  1820,  they  left  in  a  body  for 
Union  county,  where,  in  conjunction  with  Sisters  Angela  Spink, 
Frances  Gardiner  and  Cecily  O'Brien,  they  laid  the  foundations  of  St. 
Vincent's  academy,  now,  and  for  many  years  past,  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  branch  estabUshments  of  the  Nazareth  sisterhood. 

Disappointed,  but  not  cast  down.  Father  Abell  made  immediate 
application  to  the  superiors  of  the  Loretto  community  for  a  colony  of 
sisters  to  supply  the  places  of  those  who  had  left.  His  prayer  being 
granted,  he  undertook  the  erection  of  a  building  which  would  serve  the 
sisters  for  a  convent.  This  finished,  eight  Lorettines,  with  Sister  Agnes 
Hart  for  their  superior,  took  immediate  possession  of  their  prepared 
quarters.     The  "Monastery,"  as  it  was  called,  was  a  great  blessing 

*This  school  was  established  early  in  the  spring  of  1820.  Sister  Elizabeth 
Sutton  was  the  superior,  and  Sisters  Barbara  Spalding  and  Susan  Hager  were 
her  associates.  All  are  now  dead.  Sister  Elizabeth  survived  until  a  few  years 
^go.  passing  the  last  years  of  her  life  at  the  convent  of  Nazareth,  where  she  was 
held  in  great  veneration  by  the  entire  community 

t  No  one  ever  had  heartier  sympathies  with  the  suffering  than  Bishop 
Flaget.  In  the  case  of  Father  Abell,  he  was  no  doubt  as  much  actuated  by  the 
feeling  that  the  Church  of  Kentucky  could  ill  spare  one  who  had  already  given 
such  rich  promise  of  future  usefulness  in  the  sacred  ministry,  as  he  was  by  per- 
sonal affection. 


152  BRECKINRIDGE   COUNTY   SETTLEMENT. 

and  a  great  delight  to  the  simple-minded  Catholic  people  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  it  was  a  day  of  sorrow  for  them  when  it  was  deserted  for- 
ever. But,  so  long  as  Father  Abell  remained  at  the  head  of  the  mis- 
sion, there  was  no  faltering  on  the  part  of  the  community  having 
charge  of  the  establishment,  nor,  indeed,  on  that  of  the  Catholic  peo- 
ple upon  whose  patronage  it  was  mainly  dependent.  It  was  a  hard  life, 
however,  that  the  good  sisters  were  obliged  to  lead  in  their  then 
impoverished  condition,  and  their  lot  was  less  endurable  from  the  fact 
that  the  primitive  severe  rule  of  their  order  had  not  yet  been  in  any 
degree  relaxed.  It  was  not  their  school  alone,  nor  the  domestic 
requirements  of  their  large  establishment,  that  most  severely  taxed  their 
energies.  They  had  but  themselves  to  look  to  in  every  emergency. 
They  Hterally  plowed  and  planted  and  reaped  and  gathered  the  pro- 
duct of  their  toil  into  barn  and  crib.  In  1832,  after  eleven  years  of 
almost  fruitless  labor  and  trial,  the  establishment  was  abandoned  and 
the  sisters  removed  to  Hardin  county,  where  they  began  the  foundation 
of  the  now  well-known  Bethlehem  Academy.* 

A  water-mill  on  the  north  fork  was  run  for  several  years  on  the  very 
site  of  what  is  still  called  "Monastery  Ford."  The  convent  also 
gave  its  name  to  the  road  leading  past  the  farm  upon  which  it  was  built. 
In  time  the  mill  was  moved  to  a  point  more  convenient  to  the  convent, 
and  from  that  time  it  was  run  by  horse  power.  Its  ruins  are  still  to  be 
seen  near  the  pastor's  residence. 

*The  ruin  of  the  convent  of  Mount  Carmel  is  to  this  day  an  object  of  inter- 
est to  the  Catholic  people  of  Breckinridge.  The  building  was  thirty  feet 
square,  two  and  a  half  stories  high,  and  constructed  of  huge  poplar  logs.  It 
was  apparently  divided  into  seven  rooms,  and  an  immense  irregular  chimney, 
with  hre  places  on  the  level  of  each  floor,  pierced  one  of  its  ends.  I  he  top  half 
story,  which  appears  to  have  been  roughly  plastered,  was  no  doubt  used  for  a 
dormitory.  The  still  fresh  looking  old  walls  seem  strong  enough  to  with- 
stand the  assaults  of  fifty  more  winters;  but  the  roof's  back  is  hopelessly  broken 
and  swags  to  the  floor  beneath,  each  plank  of  which  looks  unsafe  to  tread. 

Several  young  women  of  the  country  round  attached  themselves  to  the  order 
of  Lorettines  at  its  branch  convent  of  Mount  Carmel.  One  of  these.  Sister 
Clare  Cassiday,  is  still  living.  Sister  Clare  belongs  to  a  class  of  religious  old 
women,  of  whom  I  have  known  several  in  my  day,  whose  spirits  would  seem  to 
be  unaffected  by  either  age  or  long  continued  labors  undergone  for  the  good  of 
others.  With  these,  cheerfulness  is  so  natural  a  characteristic,  that  I  can 
imagine  them  passing  away  with  smiles  on  their  faces,  and  just  as  if  their  part- 
ing glances  in  the  direction  of  their  sisterly  attendants  were  but  pleasant 
tokens  of  good-night  wishes  to  be  followed,  with  the  morrow's  sun,  by  re- 
newed greetings.  A  conversation  of  five  minutes  with  an  aged  christian 
woman  of  this  character,  whether  she  be  vowed  to  religion  or  only  serving 
her  Lord,  as  it  were,  from  a  distance,  and  compassed  by  worldly  cares,  is 
worth  much  to  many  a  complaining  laggard  on  the  roadway  to  Heaven  A 
correspondent  thus  writes  me  of  the  convent  of  Mount  Carmel:  "I  have  been 
greatly  interested  in  listening  to  the  reminiscences  of  elderly  ladies  of  St. 
Anthony's  congregation  who  were  but  slips  of  girls  when  the  establishment  was 
supposed  to  be  in  a  flourishing  condition.  One  of  these  tells  me  how  she  impor- 
tuned her  mother  to  take  her  over  to  the  convent-school,  how  her  request  was 
refused,  and  how  she  consoled  herself  by  listening  to  the  convent-bells  and  the 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  1 53 

In  1824,  Father  Abell  was  transferred  to  Louisville,  and  from  that 
time  till  the  year  1829,  neither  of  the  churches  of  Breckinridge  county- 
was  supplied  with  a  resident  pastor.  In  the  latter  year,  the  Rev. 
Charles  J.  Cissell,  only  about  twelve  months  ordained,  took  charge  of 
St.  Anthony's  church  and  congregation.  Long  Lick,  and  was  named 
chaplain  of  the  convent  of  Mount  Carmel.  In  the  interval  of  five 
years,  however,  both  churches  were  occasionally  visited,  either  from 
Louisville  or  Union  county.  In  1832,  Father  Cissell  was  transferred  to 
Hardin  county,  with  residence  at  Bethlehem  convent.* 

Father  Joseph  Rogers  succeeded  Father  Cissell  in  the  pastorship  of 
St.  Anthony's  church.  He  turned  the  monastery  building  into  a  school 
liouse  for  boys,  in  which  he  was  himself  the  principal  teacher.  This 
school  was  kept  up  for  several  years,  and  it  was  of  much  benefit  to  the 
Catholics  of  the  neighborhood.  The  health  of  Father  Rogers,  always 
delicate,  failed  at  length  to  such  a  degree  as  to  force  him  to  close  his 
school  and  to  relinquish  his  pastorship  of  the  church,  f 

After  the  retirement  of  Father  Rogers,  the  missions  of  Breckinridge 
county  were  for  two  years  without  a  resident  pastor.  They  were  visited 
however,  as  often  as  once  a  month,  by  either  Rev.  E.  J.  Durbin,  from 
Union  county,  or  by  Rev.  A.  Degauquier,  from  Grayson.  In  1837, 
Rev.  John  C.  Wathen  was  charged  with  the  missions  of  Daviess  and  a 
part  of  Breckinridge  counties,  with  residence  at  Owensboro.J 

faint  and  far  oft"  music  that  was  borne  to  her  ears  from  the  convent  chapel  where 
the  nuns  were  singing  the  praises  of  God  at  eventide."  The  farm  upon  which 
the  convent  stood  reverted  to  the  church.  It  was  afterwards  sold,  with  the 
exception  of  thirty  acres,  and  the  proceeds  applied  to  the  construction  of  the 
present  church  of  St.  Anthony,  which  was  finished  and  dedicated  in  the  year 
1864. 

*  Rev.  Charles  J.  Cissell,  son  of  Wilfred  Cissell,  of  Union  county,  entered  the 
diocesan  seminary  about  the  year  1822.  His  ordination,  as  is  supposed,  took 
place  in  1828.  He  was  a  young  man  of  excellent  promise,  and  his  memory  is 
to  this  day  revered  by  the  survivors  of  his  old  parishioners  in  Breckinridge,  Har- 
din and  Grayson  counties.  His  days  were  few  on  earth,  but  they  were  filled 
with  happy  results  for  the  people  of  his  mission.  His  death  took  place  at 
Elizabethtown,  Hardin  county,   November  23d,  1833. 

fRev.  Joseph  Rogers  was  a  son  of  David  Rogers,  one  of  the  first  emigrants 
from  Maryland  to  the  Cox's  Creek  settlement  of  Nelson  county.  He  began 
his  seminary  course  at  St.  Thomas',  most  likely,  in  1821,  and  his  ordination 
took  place  not  later  than  1827.  In  1836,  he  was  one  of  the  professors  at  St. 
Joseph's  college.  In  1840,  he  had  charge  of  a  parochial  school  in  connection 
with  the  church  of  St.  Louis,  Louisville.  His  last  days  were  passed  at  St. 
Thomas',  Nelson  county,  where  he  died  in  September  1846. 

JThe  diocese  of  Bardstown  had  not  at  that  time  a  more  devoted  priest,  nor 
one  of  brighter  promise,  than  Rev.  John  C.  Wathen.  He  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, his  parents,  Wilfred  Wathen  and  Winifred  Coomes,  daughter  of  Francis 
Coomes,  having  emigrated  to  the  neighborhood  of  Fairfield,  Kentucky,  a 
little  before  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  He  entered  the  diocesan 
seminary  about  the  year  1825,  and  he  was  ordained  priest  in  1831.  His  first 
labors  in  the  ministry  were  prosecuted  in  the  parish  of  St.  Charles,  Marion 
county,  where  he  was  for  some  time  the  assistant  of  the  then  pastor  of  the  con- 
gregation. Rev.  D.  A.  Deparcq.  In  1834  he  was  employed  on  the  missions  of 
Daviess  county,  with  residence  at  Owensboro.    In  1837  he  was  named  pastor  of 


154  BRECKINRIDGE  COUNTY  SETTLEMEN'J". 

From  1848  to  1850  the  missions  of  Breckinridge  county  were  under 
the  direction  of  Rev.  WilHam  Fennelly,  whose  pastoral  residence  was 
Hardinsbu-g.  *  From  this  time  till  1856  the  mission  was  attended  by 
Rev.  Pacrick  McNicholas,  from  Flint  Island.  From  that  date  the 
Breckinridge  county  churches  have  had  for  their  pastors,  Rev.  P.  Bam- 
berry,  Rev.  M.  Power,  Rev.  Patrick  Cassidy,  Rev.  William  Bourke, 
Rev.  N.  Ryan,  and  others. 

From  1854  to  1870  three  new  churches  were  erected  in  the  county. 
The  first  of  these  was  the  church  of  the  Guardian  Angels,  a  frame 
structure,  erected  in  1854,  at  Mt.  Merino,  under  the  supervision  of 
Dr.  Ben.  Wathen.f     This  point  was  formerly  the  seat  of  a  flourishing 

the  church  of  St.  Lawrence,  Knottsville,  and  charged  additionally  with  the 
mission  at  Hardinsburg,  and,  also,  with  the  care  of  thirteen  outlying  stations. 
He  was  imbued  with  a  heroic  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  and  of  earnest  missionary 
endeavor,  and  the  fruits  that  crowned  his  labors  were  in  no  sense  ephemeral. 
Having  known  him  as  I  did,  and  having  known,  too,  the  high  hopes  enter- 
tained by  his  superiors  of  his  future  exceeding  usefulness,  I  can  at  least  under- 
stand" the  feelings  of  even  others  than  his  parishioners  when  they  sorrowfully 
murmured  on  hearing  of  his  death:  "He  was  called  away  too  soon  !  "  The 
illness  by  which  this  exemplary  and  courageous  young  priest  was  carried  off 
came  upon  him  while  he  was  engaged  in  preaching  a  retreat  to  the  Catholic 
congregation  at  Flint  Island.  Everything  that  love  could  suggest  to  save  his 
life  was  freely  done  by  his  assistant  and  cousin,  Rev.  Charles  I.  Coomes,  and  by 
the  members  of  the  congregation,  but  his  malady  was  found  to  be  as  resistless 
as  it  was  malignant.     His  life's  work  ended  on  the  17th  of  October,  1841. 

Beyond  a  choice  selection  of  books,  which  had  been  to  him  a  source  of  both 
profit  and  pleasure  in  his  few  leisure  hours,  he  had  little  to  bequeath  to  any 
one,  and  these  he  left  in  perpetuity  to  the  church  of  St.  Lawrence.  Only  a 
few  years  ago,  his  body  was  removed  to  the  cemetery  of  St.  Lawrence,  and, 
soon  afterwards,  his  grateful  parishioners,  or  such  of  them  as  survived,  erected 
over  his  grave  a  substantial  stone  monument.  Three  of  Father  Wathen's  sisters 
became  members  of  religious  communities,  one  in  that  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  and 
two  in  that  of  Loretto.  His  brother,  Charles  Wathen,  resides  on  the  home- 
stead farm,  near  Fairfield. 

*  If  Father  Fennelly  was  raised  to  the  priesthood  in  Kentucky,  I  have  no 
remembrance  of  the  fact.  It  is  my  impression  that  he  was  a  priest  when  he 
came  into  the  diocese,  and  that  his  connection  with  it  was  not  of  greater  dura- 
tion than  three  or  four  years.  My  correspondent  would  seem  to  imply  that  he 
is  remembered  in  Breckinridge  more  for  his  personal  peculiarities,  and  espec- 
ially for  his  enormous  physical  strength,  than  for  the  display  of  extraordinary 
zeal  in  missionary  work. 

tl  have  no  remembrance  of  other  two  former  citizens  of  Breckinridge  who 
were  more  worthy  of  popular  respect  when  living,  than  the  brothers  and  phy- 
sicians, Benjamin  and  Richard  Wathen.  Among  the  Catholics  of  the  county, 
especially,  there  should  be  none  now  to  forget  how  much  they  did  for  religion 
in  their  day  that  has  not  yet  ceased  to  reflect  benefits  on  the  living.  It  was 
principally  to  the  zeal  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Wathen,  as  has  been  already  seen,  that 
was  due  the  erection  of  the  present  church  of  St.  Romuald,  in  1841.  His 
brother,  I  am  quite  sure,  seconded  his  efforts  at  that  time,  as  he  did  on  every 
other  occasion  when  help  was  needed  for  any  undertaking  in  the  interests  of 
the  Catholic  people  of  the  county.  Their  Catholic  zeal  was  proverbial,  and 
in  no  emergency  were  they  ever  known  to  respond  ungenerously.  The 
brothers  Wathen  were  born  in  Washington  county,  Kentucky,  Benjamin  in 
1801,  and  Richard  in  1803.     The  christian  name  of  their  father  is  unknown  to 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  155 

school  known  as  Mount  Merino  seminary.  Its  first  conductors  were 
Rev.  W.  E.  Powell  and  Rev.  John  B.  Hutchins.  Upon  the  death  of 
Father  Powell,  in  1840,  his  place  in  the  management  of  the  school 
was  assumed  by  Rev.  Benedict  J.  Spalding.  Than  the  priests  named, 
there  were  not  in  the  State  more  capable  and  experienced  educators  of 
youth.  While  the  school  was  in  existence,  some  five  or  six  years,  the 
patronage  it  received  was  Hberal  in  the  extreme ;  and  when  it  was  at 
length  abandoned,  it  was  not  because  of  diminished  support,  but  for 
the  reason  that  the  services  of  its  conductors  were  required  in  the  more 
important  work  of  the  holy  ministry.* 

The  fourth  church  in  Breckinridge  county  was  built  in  1857,  at 
Cloverport,  by  the  late  Rev.  M.  Power,  who  was  for  many  years  pre- 
vious to  his  death  the  beloved  pastor  of  the  church  of  St.  Michael, 
Louisville.  The  church  at  Cloverport  is  a  neat  brick  edifice,  and  its 
erection  was  principally  paid  for  by  contributions  from  the  laborers  in 
the  coal  mines,  near  Bennettsville,  a  few  miles  bac;Jc  of  Cloverport. 
Father  John  A.  Barrett,  a  later  pastor  of  the  church,  added  to  it  im- 
portant improvements. 

The  fifth  church  of  Breckinridge  county,  that  of  St.  Mary,  was 
built  by  Father  N.  Ryan,  in  1870. 

me.  Both  attended  the  school  at  St,  Rose,  and  had  Father  Thomas  Wilson 
for  their  first  teacher.  Both  became  physicians,  and  both  intermarried  with 
daughters  of  Ben.  Chapeze,  Esq.,  of  Bardstown.  Removing  soon  afterwards 
to  Breckinridge  county,  they  entered  upon  the  practice  of  their  profession, 
and,  in  time,  became  leading  physicians.  Dr.  Richard  Wathen  died  on 
March  5th,  1870,  and  the  elder  brother,  named  in  the  text,  on  the  27th  of 
June,  1880.  I  knew  these  brothers  well,  and  I  know  how  highly  they  were 
esteemed  by  their  contemporaries  of  the  clergy  of  the  diocese,  especially  of  the 
Cathedral  parish.     The  last  referred  to  are  all  dead. 

*Rev.  Wm.  E.  Powell,  the  first  principal  of  the  Mount  Merino  seminary, 
was  a  convert  to  the  Catholic  faith.  He  was  born  and  raised  to  youthful 
■lanhood,  in  Franklin  county,  Kentucky,  and  soon  after  being  received  into 
the  church  he  entered  the  diocesan  seminary,  at  Bardstown.  While  a  stu- 
dent in  the  seminary,  a  part  of  his  time  was  devoted  to  teaching  in  St. 
Joseph's  college,  where  he  was  exceedingly  popular  with  the  inmates  of  the 
institution.  He  was  regarded  by  his  preceptors  of  the  seminary,  and  es- 
pecially by  its  venerable  founder,  the  then  Bishop  Coadjutor  of  the  diocese,  as 
exceptionally  talented,  and  he  was  even  permitted,  while  only  yet  in  deacon's 
orders,  to  preach  in  the  Cathedral.  By  the  congregation  at  the  time,  I  remem- 
ber well,  he  was  looked  upon  with  extreme  favor  as  a  preacher.  His  ordina- 
tion to  the  priesthood  took  place  in  conjunction  with  that  of  his  after-associate, 
Rev.  John  B.  Hutchins,  on  the  1st  day  of  July,  1838.  Soon  after  their  ordi- 
nation, ihe  two,  with  the  approbation  of  their  ordinary,  went  to  Breckinridge 
county,  where  they  established  the  school  referred  to  in  the  text.  This  they 
had  conducted  but  two  years,  when  one  of  the  brightest  and  most  be- 
loved of  the  youthful  clergy  of  the  State,  sickened  and  died.  I  have  often 
heard  the  late  Father  Hutchins,  who  survived  his  associate  for  more  than  forty 
years,  speak  of  Father  Powell  with  a  tenderness  that  was  more  than  brotherly. 
Father  Powell  died  September  15,  1840. 


156  THE   FIRST   CATHOLIC    MISSIONARIES, 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  FIRST  CATHOLIC  MISSIONARIES.* 

The  first  missionary  priest  to  reach  Kentucky  was  Rev,  M.  Whelan, 
an  Irish  Franciscan,  living  at  the  time  of  his  appointment  with  the 
Jesuit  fathers  at  New  Town,  Maryland.  He  had  been  educated  in 
France  and  had  come  to  America  while  acting  as  chaplain  on  one  of 
the  French  ships  sent  to  the  aid  of  the  colonies  in  their  struggle  for 
independence.  He  was  a  cleric  of  good  attainments  and  of  more  than 
ordinary  force  of  character,  gentlemanly  in  his  manners,  exact  in  the 
performance  of  duty,  and  altogether  fitted  for  a  position  that  was  as 
much  exacting  of  physical  as  mental  capabilities. 

By  agreement  of  certain  of  the  more  prominent  of  the  emigrants, 
Father  Whelan  was  to  receive  a  salary  of  one  hundred  pounds  in  cur- 
rency, a  sum  equal  to  two  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  of  our  present 
money,  and  for  the  yearly  payment  to  him  of  this  sum,  six  heads  of 
families  bound  themselves  in  writing. 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  Father  Whelan  came  to  Kentucky  in 
the  spring  of  1787  in  company  with  a  band  of  emigrants  under  the 
leadership  of  Edward  Howard.  His  appearance  in  the  Pottinger's 
Creek  settlement  was.  hailed  with  joy  by  the  entire  colony.  For  days 
nothing  was  thought  of  by  the  colonists  but  the  favor  that  had  been 
vouchsafed  them  of  making  their  peace  with  heaven  through  the  recep- 
tion of  the  sacraments.  As  it  was  there,  so  was  it  on  Hardin's  creek, 
and  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bardstown,  when  the  priest  was  given  time 
to  visit  these  districts.  Deprived,  as  the  emigrants  had  been,  of 
all  spiritual  succor  for  two  years,  they  felt  as  if  the  pitying  eye  of 
heaven  had  found  them  out  at  last,  and  there  was  no  room  in  their 
hearts  for  other  sentiments  than  those  of  joy  and  gratitude. 

For  the  missionary,  there  was  much  consolation,  and  also  excess  of 
labor.  From  the  latter  he  shrank  not,  nor  thought  of  shrinking.  He 
set  himself  to  work,  and  that  vigorously,  to  root  out  disorders,  that  like 
weeds  in  a  long  neglected  garden,  had  sprung  up  in  the  hearts  and 
minds  of  his  people  and  were  found  hard  of  eradication.  Having  no 
church  in  all  the  State  in  which  to  offer  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice  and 
administer  the  sacraments,  he  was  obliged  to  "keep  church"  in  private 
houses,  often  little  adapted  to  the  purpose,  and  rarely  with  apartments 

*The  subject-matter  of  this  chapter  is  drawn,  principally,  from  Dr.  Spald- 
ing's "Sketches  of  Kentucky." 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  I57 

sufficiently  large  to  admit  of  the  presence  of  a  third  of  those  who 
desired  to  hear  mass.  But  what  he  could  do,  he  did.  He  visited 
again  and  again  the  Catholic  settlements  of  the  State;  he  traversed  the 
forests  after  the  estrayed  lambs  of  the  fold,  and  he  rested  not  until  he 
had  wrought  upon  them  the  work  of  renewal  of  spiritual  life ;  he  spent 
days  in  the  saddle,  and  often  gave  up  hours  needed  for  bodily  rest  to 
the  necessities  of  occasions;  he  suffered  heat,  and  cold,  and  hunger,  and 
thirst,  and  fatigue,  and  even  danger,  in  order  to  comfort  his  people;  and 
he  did  this  continuously  for  more  than  two  years,  and  until  a  most 
lamentable  condition  of  affairs  arose  between  himself  and  an  influential 
minority  of  his  parishioners  that  caused  him  to  abandon  the  mission 
altogether. 

The  trouble  referred  to  had  its  origin  in  the  unwillingness  of  one  or 
more  of  those  who  had  become  bondsmen  for  the  payment  of  the 
priest's  salary  to  liquidate  the  debt.  These  were  found  so  regardless  of 
moral  obligation  as  to  seek  release  from  their  contract  through  the 
courts  of  civil  law.  The  case  was  tried  before  a  jury,  and  this,  singu- 
larly enough,  while  deciding  that  the  contract  was  binding,  decided  also 
that  the  sum  called  for  should  be  paid,  not  in  money,  but  in  produce. 
Father  Whelan  was,  no  doubt,  indignant,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  he 
may  have,  under  the  circumstances,  given  forcible  expression  to  his 
indignation.  Whether  that  was  so  or  not,  he  was  soon  afterwards  sued 
for  slander  by  the  parties  interested  in  the  former  suit;  and  this  action 
coming  to  trial,  resulted  in  a  verdict  against  him  for  five  hundred 
pounds,  with  imprisonment  until  the  sum  should  be  paid.  "It  is  not 
likely,"  says  Dr.  Spalding,  "that  there  was  so  much  money  in  all  Ken- 
tucky at  the  time."  In  point  of  fact,  the  priest  was  about  to  be  sent  to 
prison  when  the  principal  prosecutor,  a  nominal  Catholic,  offered  to 
become  his  bail.  This  man  was  afterwards  heard  to  boast  that  he  had 
now  an  abundant  offset  to  the  amount  he  had  agreed  to  pay  in  the  first 
instance.* 

Father  Whelan  left  Kentucky  in  1790,  returning  by  way  of  New 
Orleans  to  Maryland,  where  he  labored  on  the  missions  of  that  State 
until  his  death,  which  took  place  in  1805  or  1806. 

Dr.  Spalding  intimates  that  Father  Whelan,  whose  services,  he 
acknowledges,  were  invaluable  to  the  CathoUcs  of  the  State,  "may 
have  had  his  faults."  These  faults  were,  undoubtedly,  indisposition 
to  leniency  with  his  creditors  and  irritability  of  temperament.  Not 
taking  into  account  the  poverty  of  his  debtors,  he  insisted  upon  their 
compUance  with  the  letter  of  their  bond ;  and  when  the  money  was 
not   forthcoming,  he   grew  indignant.     Mutual  uncharitableness  was 

*  Ten  years  after  the  occurrence  related  in  the  text,  Father  Badin  stopped 
over  night  with  one  of  the  jurymen  who  had  decided  the  case.  In  the  course 
of  conversation,  the  man,  not  knowing  that  his  guest  was  a  priest,  began  to 
talk  about  the  trial.  "  I  tell  you,  "  said  he,  "  we  tried  hard  to  have  the  priest 
hanged,  and  we  were  sorry  we  could  find  no  law  for  it.  "  This  anecdote  will 
show  the  extent  of  bitter  prejudice  that  Catholics  had  to  contend  against  in 
those  days. 


158  THE   FIRST   CATHOUC   MISSIONARIES. 

engendered;  unkind  thoughts  were  put  into  unkind  words,  and  the 
end  was  reached  by  absurd  suits  at  law,  followed  by  absurd  verdicts 
from  absurd  juries,  and,  finally,  by  the  abandonment  of  his  mission  by 
the  first  priest  absolutely  known  to  have  trod  the  soil  of  Kentucky. 

REV.    WILLIAM   DE   ROHAN. 

For  six  months  after  the  departure  of  Father  Whelan,  the  Catholic 
people  of  Kentucky  were  wholly  without  pastoral  care.  At  the  end  of 
the  term  named,  in  company  with  a  number  of  emigrants  from  North 
Carolma  and  East  Tennessee,  came  Rev.  Wm.  de  Rohan,  unaccredited 
to  the  State,  but  bearing  faculties  from  Dr.  Carroll  for  the  exercise 
of  his  ministry  in  Virginia.  He  was  of  Irish  parentage,  but  born  in 
France,  and,  most  likely,  there  educated.  Leaving  Virginia,  he 
traveled  into  Tennessee,  where  he  remained  for  about  a  year,  and 
afterwards  came  to  Kentucky,  as  stated.  Dr.  Spalding  tells  us 
that  Father  de  Rohan  ' '  said  mass  for  the  Catholics,  visited  the  sick, 
and  administered  the  Sacraments  of  Baptism  and  Matrimony,"  but  he 
abstained  from  hearing  confessions,  as  he  did  not  believe  that  his 
powers  extended  to  this  distant  mission.  He  adds:  "He  subse- 
quently changed  his  opmion  on  this  point,  on  the  ground  that  Ken- 
tucky was  a  county  of  Virginia  at  the  date  of  his  faculties,  which  had 
been  given  for  the  latter  State,  or  a  portion  of  it.  On  being  informed 
of  this  fact.  Dr.  Carroll,  then  but  lately  consecrated  bishop  of  Balti- 
more, disapproved  of  his  proceedings.  M.  de  Rohan  cheerfully  sub- 
mitted to  the  decision  of  his  superior." 

To  this  extract  may  be  added  the  additional  sentence  from  Dr. 
Spalding's  "Sketches  : "  "Father  de  Rohan  passed  the  last  years  of 
his  life  at  the  theological  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  where  he  died 
piously  about  the  year  1832."  The  account  is  brief  enough,  audits 
very  brevity  is  suggestive  of  something  that  has  been  left  untold. 
Historical  verity  requires  at  the  hands  of  the  writer  this  explanatory 
reference :  The  appearance  in  Kentucky  of  Rev.  William  de  Rohan 
was,  in  some  respects,  a  happy  circumstance  for  the  abandoned 
mission.  In  others,  it  was  unfortunate.  He  may  be  said  to  have 
been  a  clerical  waif,  borne  to  the  State  on  the  rapidly  advancing 
tide  of  emigration.  But  for  a  single  personal  fault,  he  might  have 
filled  toward  the  infant  church  of  Kentucky  a  position  alike  cred- 
itable to  himself  and  serviceable  to  the  people.  He  belonged  to 
an  unfortunate  class  of  priests — not  common  anywhere  at  that  day,  nor 
since,  but  not  wholly  unknown  to  the  history  of  the  missions  of  the 
country — whose  appetites  for  stimulants  lead  them  to  excesses  in  their 
use.  In  the  suggestive  language  of  the  day,  "he  was  his  own  great- 
est enemy."  Alas,  he  was  also  a  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of 
those  who  had  been  taught  to  regard  their  pastors  as  models  of  every 
christian  virtue.  His  wretched  infirmity  was  the  cause,  doubtless,  of 
his  wandering  away  from  his  appointed  mission  in  Virginia ;  first  into 
North  Carolina,  then  into  Tennessee,  and,  finally,  into  Kentucky.     It 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  1 59 

was  the  cause,  too,  of  his  subsequent  forfeiture  of  his  priestly  facul- 
ties, as  well  as  of  the  years  of  comparative  inutility  that  filled  up  the 
measure  of  his  after  life.  But  in  reviewing  the  career  in  Kentucky 
of  Father  de  Rohan,  there  are  to  be  found  points  upon  which  the  eyes 
of  Catholics  of  the  present  day  may  look  with  complacency.  He 
preached  no  false  doctrine.  He  taught  the  children  the  rudiments  of 
their  faith.  He  visited  the  sick  and  consoled  the  dying.  Finally,  he 
erected,  or  caused  to  be  erected,  the  first  building  put  up  in  the  State 
for  Catholic  worship.  To  this  may  be  added:  Very  many  of  the 
earliest  born  in  Kentucky  of  our  forefathers,  had  of  him  all  the  knowl- 
edge they  ever  acquired  of  letters.  As  late  as  the  year  1822,  he  was 
teaching  school,  near  the  town  of  New  Hope,  in  Nelson  county. 
With  the  region  of  country  in  which  he  was  best  known,  and  where 
he  was  pitied  as  only  are  the  children  of  misfortune,  his  name  is 
indelibly  connnected.  He  bought  him  a  little  farm  at  the  foot  of  the 
rocky  peak  that  lifts  its  head  high  over  the  surrounding  country,  not 
far  away  from  Holy  Cross  church,  and  now,  for  well  nigh  a  hundred 
years,  the  peak  is  known  by  no  other  title  than  Rohan! s  Knob. 

With  the  brief  interval  of  Rev.  William  de  Rohan's  quasi-control 
of  the  mission  of  the  State,  after  the  departure  of  Rev.  M.  Whelan, 
the  Catholic  colonists  of  Kentucky  were  without  pastoral  guidance 
until  the  close  of  the  year  1793.  Then  there  were  sent  to  them  by 
Dr.  John  Carroll,  first  bishop  of  Baltimore,  two  priests — Rev.  M. 
Barrieres  and  Rev.  Stephen  Theodore  Badin — the  last  named  of  whom 
acquired,  in  time,  the  distinctive  title  :   The  Apostle  of  Kentucky. 

Before  proceeding  further  with  the  history  of  the  mission,  after  the 
arrival  in  Kentucky  of  the  priests  named,  it  is  necessary  that  the 
reader  shall  be  first  made  acquainted  with  their  antecedents,  and  the 
circumstances  that  preceded  their  appointment  to  the  distant  field  of 
their  missionary  labors.  Of  Rev.  M.  Barrieres,  the  elder  of  the  two, 
the  simple  story  of  his  short  connection  with  the  mission  of  Kentucky 
will  appear  in  its  proper  place  hereafter,  and  he  may  otherwise  be  dis- 
missed from  this  somewhat  lengthy  review : 

REV.  STEPHEN  THEODORE  BADIN. 

Out  of  the  gigantic  evil  of  the  French  Revolution,  there  were 
evoked  by  Providence  blessings  for  other  peoples  and  other  nations ; 
and  for  this  interposition  of  divine  power  and  mercy,  none  other  has 
such  reason  to  be  grateful  to  God  as  the  Catholic  population  of  the 
United  States.  It  is  the  old,  old  story  of  "the  stone  rejected  by  the 
builders,"  and  removed  elsewhere  to  become  "the  head  of  the  cor- 
ner." Denied  the  privilege  of  laboring  for  God  and  humanity  in  their 
own  land,  the  persecuted  French  clergy  gave  to  others,  and  else- 
where, the  incalculable  benefits  of  their  christian  ministry.  It  is  to 
this  providential  circumstance,  primarily,  that  Catholics  are  indebted, 
both  here  and  in  England,  for  the  gratifying  picture  to-day  presented 
by  the  condition  of  the  Church  in  both  countries. 


l6o  THE    FIRST    CATHOLIC    MISSIONARIES. 

Toward  the  latter  end  of  November,  1791,  three  ecclesiastics 
emembarked  together,  at  Bordeaux,  for  the  United  States,  each  one  of 
whom  was  destined,  in  time,  to  exercise  his  ministry  in  Kentucky. 
These  were:  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  Rev.  John  B.  David, 
and  Rev.  Stephen  Theodore  Badin,  the  last  named  theri  in  sub- 
deacon's  orders.  The  two  first  mentioned  were  Sulpician  priests,  and 
the  last  had  been  studying  for  the  holy  ministry  in  the  seminary  of 
the  order,  at  Orleans.  The  exiles  reached  Philadelphia  on  the  26th, 
and  Baltimore  on  the  -iSth  of  March,  1792.  Arriving  late  at  their 
destination,  they  rested  for  the  night,  and,  early  the  next  mornmg, 
they  proceeded  together  to  wait  on  Dr.  Carroll.  They  had  gone  but 
a  short  distance  when  they  were  met  by  that  eminent  prelate,  hurry- 
ing to  welcome  them  to  the  country.  Fearing  they  had  been  remiss 
in  not  presenting  themselves  at  his  residence  the  evening  before,  they 
began  to  apologize.  With  much  graciousness.  Bishop  Carroll  waived 
excuse,  and  said:  "It  is  surely  little  enough  that  I  should  be  the 
first  to' visit  you,  seeing  that  you  have  come  fifteen  hundred  leagues  to 

see  me." 

How  it  was  that  one  of  these  stranger  priests,  nineteen  years  later, 
became  a  bishop,  and  ruled  in  spirituals  the  Catholic  people  of  Ken- 
tucky for  nearly  forty  years ;  and  how  it  was  that  his  priestly  com- 
panion accompanied  him  to  the  State,  and  did  praiseworthy  service 
for  the  same  people  to  the  end  of  his  days,  are  matters  that  will  claim 
our  attention  further  on.  Our  present  subject  must  be  the  youthful 
sub-deacon  who  came  with  them  to  America - 

Stephen  Theodore  Badin  was  born  \v(  Orleans,  France,  July  17, 
1768.  He  was  the  third  of  fifteen  children,  and  the  oldest  son.  He 
early  developed  mental  gifts  that  were  regarded  by  his  parents  as 
extraordinary,  and  they  determined  to  give  him  a  classical  education. 
When  of  the  proper  age,  he  was  sent  to  the  College  Montaigu,  Paris, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years,  and  where  he  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  classical  literature.*  In  the  year  1789,  having  deter- 
mined to  devote  himself  to  the  sacred  ministry,  he  entered  the  Sulpi- 
cian seminary  at  Orleans,  where  he  remained  until  the  establishment 
was  dissolved,  two  years  later,  through  the  acceptance  by  the  bishop 
of  that  See  of  the  odious  constitutional  oath.  The  great  body  of  the 
seminarians,  being  unwilling  to  receive  ordination  at  the  hands  of 
such  a  prelate,  left  for  their  homes  and  other  safe  places  of  retreat, 
early  in  July,  1781.  Three  months  later,  we  find  young  Badin  sail- 
ing the  sea,  in  company  with  his  future  bishop,  on  his  way  to 
America. 

*  Almost  to  the  end  of  his  days,  Latin  metrical  composition  had  its  fascina- 
tions for  Father  Badin.  Quite  a  number  of  his  Latin  poems  are  extant,  and 
they  are  said  to  betray  not  only  extraordinary  idealistic  power,  but  a  still 
more  extraordinary  acquaintance  with  the  idiomatic  peculiarities  of  the  Latin 
tongue.  Not  long  ago,  one  of  the  most  erudite  of  the  clergy  of  Kentucky 
remarked  in  my  hearing,  that  Father  Badin's  short  poem  on  the  Holy  Trinity 
was  equal,  as  well  in  strength  as  beauty  of  expression,  to  anything  that  had 
been  left  us  by  either  Horace  or  Virgil. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  l6t 

On  the  25th  day  of  May,  1793,  the  old  Cathedral  church  of  St. 
Peter's,  Baltimore,  was  the  scene  of  an  interesting  ceremony— the 
first  of  the  kind  that  had  taken  place  in  the  territory  of  the  United 
States.  On  that  day,  and  in  the  church  named,  Stephen  Theodore 
Badin  was  raised  by  Bishop  Carroll  to  the  dignity  of  the  priesthood. 
Taking  the  fact  stated  as  a  standpoint  of  retrospection,  how 
wonderful  must  appear  the  present  status  of  the  Catholic  church  in 
the  United  States!  Till  that  time,  there  was  not  a  single  priest  in  the 
whole  country  whose  ordination  had  not  taken  place  abroad.  Of 
these,  there  were  not  more  than  thirty-five,  all  told,  and  the  entire 
Catholic  population  of  the  country  was  not  reckoned  at  more  than  thirty 
thousand  souls.  It  will  be  well  to  remember,  too,  while  comparing 
the  present  of  the  Church  in  the  United  States  with  its  past,  that  the 
first  priest  ordained  in  the  country  died  but  a  little  more  than  thirty 
years  ago,  and  that  there  are  hundreds  yet  living  to  whom  that 
priest  was  personally  known. 

It  may  well  be  conceived  that  the  extended  deprivation  of  pastoral 
guidance,  suffered  by  the  Catholics  of  Kentucky,  was  a  constant 
source  of  regret  to  Bishop  Carroll.  It  is  more  than  possible,  in- 
deed, that  his  distant  children  were  in  his  mind  when  his  consecrat- 
ing hand  was  employed  in  the  act  whereby  the  future  ' '  Apostle  of  Ken- 
tucky "  was  empowered  to  preach,  and  to  teach,  and  to  call  down 
from  the  right  hand  of  His  Eternal  Father,  the  very  Word  of  God  to 
be  the  sustenance  of  christian  souls.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  was  but  a 
few  months  after  his  ordination,  that  Father  Badin  was  selected  by  his 
ordinary  for  the  mission  of  Kentucky.  The  order  could  not  have 
been  peremptory,  however,  since,  as  Dr.  Spalding  observes,  the  young 
priest  was  permitted  to  remonstrate  against  his  appointment,  affirming 
his  unfitness  for  the  position  on  account  of  his  youth,  his  inexperience 
and  his  limited  acquaintance  with  the  English  language.  Having 
listened  to  his  reasons  with  much  condescension.  Dr.  Carroll  pro- 
posed that  no  decisive  step  should  be  taken  for  nine  days,  during 
which,  both  should  unite  in  prayer,  and  recommend  the  matter  to  God 
by  performing  a  novena  in  unison.  To  this,  Father  Badin  readily 
assented. 

At  the  close  of  the  novena,  they  met  again,  when  the  followmg 
characteristic  conversation  took  place  :  "  Well,  Father  Badin,"  be- 
gan the  bishop,  "  I  have  prayed,  and  I  continue  still  in  the  same 
mind." 

"  I,  too,  have  prayed,"  returned  Father  Badin,  "And  I  am, 
likewise,  of  the  same  mind  as  before.  Of  what  use,  then,  has  been 
our  nine  days' prayer?  " 

Bishop  Carroll' smiled,  and,  pausing  for  a  moment,  thus  resumed: 
"  I  lay  no  command  upon  you,  but  I  think  it  is  the  will  of  God  that 
you  should  go." 

"  I  will  go,  then,"  Father  Badin  exclaimed,  with  much  earnestness ; 
and,  forthwith,  he  set  about  the  necessary  preparations  for  his  journey. 
— (Sketches,  pp  61-62.) 

11 


1 62  THE    FIRST    CATHOLIC    MISSIONARIES. 

No  more  suitable  appointment  could  have  been  made  for  the  mis- 
sion, than  the  one  selected.  He  was  young,  active,  energetic,  and, 
above  all,  fired  with  zeal  for  God's  glory,  and  the  salvation  of  souls. 
But  Bishop  Carroll  did  not  permit  him  to  depart  alone  for  his  distant 
mission.  He  gave  him  for  a  companion,  Rev.  M.  Barrieres,  an  older 
and  more  experienced  priest,  whom  he  constituted  his  vicar-general 
for  the  remote  district. 

Leaving  Baltimore  on  the  6th  of  September,  1793,  the  two  mis- 
sionaries traveled  on  foot  to  Pittsburg,  where  they  arranged  for  trans- 
port for  themselves  and  luggage  on  a  flatboat.  In  company  with  six 
others,  all  well  armed,  for  fear  of  the  Indians,  they  began  their  voy- 
age down  the  Ohio  on  the  3d  of  September,  and,  passing  two  small 
towns,  Wheeling  and  Marietta,  they  reached  Gallipolis  after  seven 
days.  In  and  around  this  town  had  settled,  four  or  five  years  previ- 
ously, a  colony  of  French  emigrants,  numbering  about  seven  thou- 
sand souls.  The  titles  to  their  lands  proving  defective,  the  greater 
part  of  them  had  left  the  country  in  disgust,  most  of  them  returning  to 
France.  The  remnant  of  the  colony  had  long  been  without  a  pastor, 
and  there  was  joy  among  them  when  it  became  known  that  two 
priests  had  reached  their  landing.  During  their  brief  stoppage  of 
three  days  at  Gallipolis,  their  time  was  wholly  occupied  in  rendering 
priestly  service  to  the  forlorn  inhabitants  of  the  town  and  neighbor- 
hood. They  sang  high  mass  in  the  garrison  of  the  place,  and  bap- 
tized forty  children. 

Proceeding  on  their  way,  in  due  course  of  time  they  reached 
Limestone — now  Maysville — the  end  of  their  voyage  by  river,  whence 
they  journeyed  on  foot  to  Lexington,  a  distance  of  sixty-five  miles. 
Their  first  night  out,  a  cold  one  late  in  November,  was  passed  in  an 
open  mill,  where  they  slept  upon  grain-bags,  without  covering.  On 
the  next  day  they  reached  the  Blue  Licks  battle-ground,  whence 
Father  Barrieres  brought  a  human  skull,  afterwards  retained  by  him  as 
a  rehc  of  a  disastrous  battle,  and  a  memento  of  death. 

Father  Badin's  first  mass  in  Kentucky  was  celebrated  on  the  first 
Sunday  of  advent,  in  the  house  of  Dennis  McCarthy,  at  Lexington. 
"The  missionaries,"  says  Dr.  Spalding,  "had  but  one  chalice,  and, 
after  having  offered  up  the  holy  sacrifice  at  Lexington,  Father  Badin 
rode  sixteen  miles  to  the  Catholic  settlement,  in  Scott  county,  where 
Father  Barrieres  said  mass  on  the  same  day." 

Father  Badin  remained  in  Scott  county,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  for  more  than  a  year,  constituting  the  Catholic  settlement  therein 
established  the  central  point  of  a  widespread  missionary  district. 
Father  Barrieres  proceeded  on  to  Nelson  county,  where  he  was  received 
with  every  demonstration  of  joy  by  the  Catholic  settlers.  After  a  brief 
service  of  four  months,  however,  he  grew  weary  of  his  position,  and 
determined  to  leave  the  country.  The  excuse  has  been  made  for  him 
that  "his  habits  had  been  already  formed,"  and  that  he  found  himself 
unable  to  adopt  the  manner  of  life  of  the  simple  people  of  the  settle- 
ments.    Leaving  Louisville  in  April  1794,  he  attempted  to  reach  New 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  l6 


O 


Orleans  by  the  rivers,  floating  the  distance  in  a  pirogue,  a  large  species 
of  canoe,  in  common  use  at  this  period  on  the  larger  of  the  western 
waters.  Louisiana  was  then  in  possession  of  the  Spanish  government, 
at  war  at  the  time  with  that  of  France.  Father  Barrieres,  being  a 
Frenchman,  was  subject  to  arrest  on  Spanish  territory ;  and  that  was 
the  fate  that  awaited  him  at  New  Madrid.  Immediately  after  his 
arrest  he  wrote  Baron  Carandolet,  the  Spanish  Governor  of  Louisiana, 
representing  to  him  the  circumstances  of  his  case  and  the  objects 
of  his  visit.  He  was  soon  liberated,  and  permitted  to  continue  his 
journey.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  at  New  Orleans,  he  went  to  the  Atta- 
'  kapas  country,  where  he  did  valuable  service  as  a  missionary  priest  for 
nearly  twenty  years.  Worn  out  at  length  by  his  arduous  missionary 
labors,  he  took  passage  for  Bordeaux  some  time  during  the  year  1814, 
where  he  died  eight  days  after  his  arrival.  Twenty-three  years  before, 
he  had  escaped  from  a  prison  of  this  same  city,  in  which  he  had  been 
incarcerated  by  the  French  Jacobins,  and  embarked  for  America.  He 
returned  to  it  now  only  to  die.     [Sketches,  pp  63-64.] 

Father  Badin  now  found  himself  in  a  position  nearly  analogous  to 
that  in  which  the  CathoHc  setders  of  the  State  were  placed  before  his 
own  arrival  amongst  them.  There  was  no  one  of  his  own  order  to 
whom  he  might  look  for  either  counsel  or  spiritual  consolation. 
But,  happily  for  him,  and  happily  for  his  people,  he  accepted  his  isolated 
position  with  entire  resignation  to  God's  will,  and  he  nerved  himself  to 
the  work  that  was  before  him  with  the  firm  conviction  that  He  in  whom 
he  trusted,  in  despite  of  the  weakness  of  His  chosen  instrument,  would 
consummate  it  to  His  own  greater  glory.  For  nearly  three  years  he 
remained  the  only  priest  in  Kentucky ;  and  for  twenty-one  months  of 
that  time  he  had  not  even  one  opportunity  of  going  to  confession. 
He  retained  his  courage,  however,  under  all  his  difficulties,  and  was 
indefatigable  in  his  endeavors  to  bring  all  under  his  charge  to  a  proper 
sense  of  their  privileges  and  their  obligations  as  Catholic  christians. 

At  the  time  referred  to,  theie  was  stationed  at  Post  Vincennes  a 
French  priest.  Father  Rivet,  who  had  received  his  appointment  to  the 
mission  shortly  after  the  departure  from  that  station  of  Rev.  B.  J. 
Flaget,  afterwards  bishop  of  Bardstown.  The  distance  that  separated 
the  two  isolated  priests  was  under  two  hundred  miles;  but  we  do  not 
hear  that  they  ever  met.  They  corresponded  by  letter,  however,  and 
each  was  encouraged  to  generous  effort  in  his  missionary  labors  by  the 
other's  friendly  advice. 

Father  Badin  estimated  the  number  of  Catholic  families  in  Ken- 
tucky at  three  hundred.  These,  as  has  already  been  seen,  were  much 
scattered.  Emigration  from  Maryland  was  still  going  on,  however, 
and  it  did  not  really  diminish  to  any  great  extent  until  after  the  year 

1814. 

The  first  object  of  the  zealous  missionary  was  the  restoration  of  the 
strict  and  paternal  discipline  of  the  Church  among  those  to  whom  he 
had  been  sent.  It  may  be  said  of  him  that  he  reorganized  the  family 
wherever  he  went.     Where  there  were  disorders,  he  probed  and  cured 


164  THE    FIRST   CATHOLIC    MISSIONARIES. 

them.  Where  customs  of  piety  had  grown  into  disuse,  he  reinstated 
them.  Where  parents  were  neglectful  of  their  duties  toward  their  chil- 
dren and  servants,  he  chided  them  until  the  fault  was  corrected. 

It  is  a  gratifying  fact  in  the  history  of  Catholicity  in  Kentucky  that, 
with  rare  exceptions,  the  descendants  of  the  early  colonists  from  Mary- 
land are  keeping  up  in  their  families  to  the  present  day  the  pious  prac- 
tices introduced  into  those  of  their  forefathers  by  Fathers  Badin, 
Nerinckx,  Fournier  and  Fenwick.  Still,  night  and  morning,  the 
households  meet  for  prayer  in  common.  Still,  the  Rosary  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  is  recited  at  fixed  intervals.  Still,  once  in  the  week,  and 
sometimes  every  day,  the  children  are  brought  together  for  catechetical 
instruction.  Still,  when  the  family,  or  certain  of  its  members,  are  pre- 
vented for  any  cause  from  being  present  at  the  Holy  Sacrifice  on  Sun- 
days or  holidays  of  obligation,  the  custom  remains  of  reciting  the 
prayers  for  mass  in  common  at  home.  Still,  the  chapter  of  pious  read- 
ing follows  the  evening  orisons,  and  men  and  women  and  children  sink 
to  slumber  only  after  having  made  emblematic  profession  of  their  faith 
by  signing  themselves  with  the  sign  of  the  cross.  All  these  practices, 
inculcated  with  so  much  persistency  upon  the  minds  of  their  fathers 
by  Father  Badin  and  his  early  associates  of  the  priesthood  in  Ken- 
tucky, have  rarely  been  suffered  to  fall  into  disuse  in  the  households 
of  their  descendants. 

Father  Badin's  mission,  it  will  be  seen,  extended  over  hundreds 
of  miles  of  territory.  No  one  man,  not  provided  with  a  physique 
capable  of  the  most  surpassing  endurance,  could  have  resisted  the 
exactions  which  his  position  was  constantly  making  upon  his  energies. 
From  first  to  last,  as  he  was  wont  to  say,  his  missionary  journeyings  on 
horseback  in  Kentucky  had  exceeded  one  hundred  thousand  miles. 
And  yet,  though  he  often  found  himself  physically  exhausted  by 
excess  of  labor,  he  was  never  seriously  ill.  Throughout  his  life,  how- 
ever, he  was  exceedingly  exact  in  the  observance  of  the  generally 
accepted  rules  for  the  preservation  of  health.  He  would  often  say 
that  it  is  better  to  fast  than  to  eat  unwholesome  food.  He  was 
especially  disaffected  toward  a  custom,  too  common  among 
housewives,  of  placing  upon  the  table  bread  that  is  not  thoroughly 
cooked,  or  "done."  On  a  certain  occasion  he  stopped  at  a  farmer's 
house  and  asked  if  he  could  be  accommodated  with  supper  and  lodg- 
ings for  the  night.  The  master  of  the  house  had  not  yet  returned 
from  the  field,  but  his  wife,  as  was  usual  with  almost  every  one  at  that 
day,  being  hospitably  inclined,  willingly  engaged  that  no  objections  on 
his  part  should  be  made  to  his  request.  At  supper  time  a  plate  of 
half-cooked  biscuits  was  placed  on  the  table.  Father  Badin  took  up 
one,  and,  seeing  that  it  was  not  sufficiently  cooked,  begged  the  good 
lady  to  put  them  again  in  the  oven.  She  did  as  she  was  requested; 
but,  on  returning  them  to  the  table,  the  priest  again  expressed  his 
wish  that  they  should  be  further  baked.  This,  much  to  the  annoy- 
ance of  the  lady,  was  repeated  for  a  third  time.  On  placing  them  at 
last  before  him  sufficiently  "done"  to  suit  his  taste,  she  exclaimed, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  165 

with  a   displeased  toss  of  her  head:     "There,  sir;   I  hope  you  are 
suited  at  last !     Your  wife  must  have  a  happy  time  of  it!" 

Among  the  social  customs  of  the  day,  which  were  not,  in  them- 
selves, necessarily  pernicious,  but  which,  too  often,  led  to  grave  dis- 
orders, that  of  promiscuous  dancing  was  especially  obnoxious  to 
Father  Badin.  Finding  it  impossible  to  put  a  stop,  altogether,  to  this 
favorite  pastime  of  the  young  people  of  the  settlements,  he  wisely 
sought  to  regulate  it — to  confine  its  exercise  to  proper  hours,  and  to 
compass  it  with  the  safeguard  of  parental  watchfulness.  It  is  related 
of  him  that,  on  a  certain  Saturday  afternoon,  he  found  very  few  per- 
sons awaiting  his  arrival  at  the  station  on  Pottinger's  creek,  whither 
he  had  gone  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  confessions.  The  young  men 
and  women  of  the  settlement  were  particularly  noted  for  their  atisence. 
He  soon  learned  that  these  latter  were  attending  a  dancing-class, 
gotten  up  by  an  itinerant  professor  of  the  art,  in  a  neighboring  school- 
house.  With  him,  to  resolve  was  to  act;  and  no  sooner  was  he  dis- 
engaged from  duty  in  the  confessional,  than  he  quickly  moved  off  in 
the  direction  of  the  structure  indicated.  His  appearance,  a  little 
later,  in  the  midst  of  the  throng  of  merry  dancers,  was  the  signal, 
promptly  obeyed,  for  a  stay  of  proceedings.  "  My  children."  said  he, 
smiling  blandly  in  their  discomposed  faces,  "this  is  all  very  well;  but 
where  the  children  are,  there  the  father  must  also  be ;  where  the  flock 
is,  there  must  also  be  the  pastor  !  "  In  a  little  while,  he  had  them  sit- 
ting in  a  circle  around  him,  and  answering  questions  out  of  the  cate- 
chism.— [Sketches-p  67.] 

Compelled  to  continued  action,  in  order  to  fulfill  toward  his 
widely  scattered  flock  his  pastoral  office,  Father  Badin  rarely 
lodged  two  consecutive  nights  in  the  same  house  ;  and  it  was  his 
invariable  custom,  wherever  he  stopped  for  the  night,  to  devote  all 
his  time,  that  was  not  absolutely  needed  for  repose,  to  the  instruction 
of  the  household,  both  parents  and  children,  in  the  things  that  per- 
tained to  their  daily  religious  life.  His  famiUar  proverbs,  addressed 
to  children  on  such  occasions,  are  to  this  day  remembered  and 
appreciated  in  hundreds  of  Catholic  families  in  Kentucky.  "  My 
children,"  he  would  say,  "remember  this:  No  morning  prayer,  no 
breakfast;  no  evening  prayer,  no  supper  !"  At  other  times  he  would 
address  them:  "  Be  good,  my  children,  and  you  will  never  be  sorry 
for  it." 

"On  reaching  a  station.  Father  Badin  would,  generally,  hear 
confessions  till  about  one  o'clock.  Meantime,  the  people  recited  the 
rosary  at  intervals,  and  the  boys,  girls  and  servants,  were  taught 
catechism  by  the  regular  catechists.  Hearing  confessions  was  the 
most  burdensome  duty  he  had  to  discharge ;  and  he  was  fully  aware 
of  its  deep  and  awful  responsibility.  He  spared  no  labor  nor  pains 
to  impart  full  instructions  to  his  penitents,  who  thronged  his  confes- 
sional from  an  early  hour.  So  great,  in  fact,  was  their  number,  that 
he  found  it  expedient  to  deliver  among  them  tickets,  fixing  the  order 
in  which  they  should  approach  the  holy  tribunal,  according  to  prior- 


l66  THE   FIRST   CATHOLIC   MISSIONARIES. 

ity  of  arrival  at  the  church.  He  was  inflexible  in  maintaining  this 
order.  Not  unfrequently  persons  would  be  obliged  to  make  several 
attempts  before  they  could  succeed  in  going  to  confession. — [Sketches, 
p  68.] 

In  those  days,  blank  ignorance  was  common  among  non-Catho- 
lics, not  only  of  the  faith  of  Catholics,  but  in  respect  to  the  personal 
appearance  of  the  Church's  ministers.  Men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, and,  especially,  the  negro  population,  would  walk  miles  to  have 
a  good  look  at  the  "  Romish  priest;  "  and  these  were  often  heard  to 
express  their  astonishment  at  having  found  him  no  bugaboo,  but  as 
other  men. 

Hardship  could  not  have-  been  otherwise  than  the  portion  of  any 
one  situated  as  was  Father  Badin  during  the  first  ten  years  of  his  life 
as  a  missionary  priest  in  Kentucky.  It  is  related  of  him  that  he  often 
suffered  for  the  "very  necessaries  of  life,"  that  his  food  was  always  "of 
the  coarsest  kind;"  that  "  he  was  compelled  to  grind  his  own  corn  on 
a  hand-mill ; "  that  he  was  scantily  provided  with  clothing  fashioned 
from  the  rough  fabrics  of  the  country ;"  that  though  the  heads  of  fami- 
lies of  the  Catholic  setdements  had  agreed  to  set  apart  for  his  support 
the  "hundredth  bushel  of  grain"  yielded  by  their  lands,  he  did  not 
actually  receive  "  the  thousandth  ;"  that  at  one  time,  while  residing  at 
St.  Stephen's,  he  was  for  days  together  "without  bread" — until,  in 
fact,  Mr.  Anthony  Sanders,  of  Bardstown,  hearing  of  his  condition, 
"sent  him  the  necessary  supply." 

These  statements  are  made  by  Dr.  Spalding  on  the  70th  page  of  his 
"Sketches  of  Kentucky ; "  and  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  he  received 
his  information  from  the  lips  of  Father  Badin  himself.  Unexplained, 
they  present  in  a  most  unfavorable  light  the  great  body  of  the  faithful 
then  residing  in  Kentucky.  It  is  hard  to  believe  that  the  Catholics 
of  the  settlements,  knowing  of  his  destitution,  and  having  the  power 
of  relief  in  their  hands,  should  have  permitted  him  to  suffer  for  a  single 
day  for  the  necessaries  of  life.  It  is  much  more  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  they  were  either  altogether  without  knowledge  of  his  wants,  or  that 
they  were  themselves  in  an  equally  suffering  condition.  The  failure  of 
the  crops  for  a  single  year  would  explain  this  latter  hypothesis.  In 
regard  to  the  hundredth  bushel  of  grain  which  the  Catholic  farmers  had 
contracted  to  set  apart  for  their  pastor's  personal  support,  the  writer  has 
httle  idea  that  it  was  withheld  in  any  instance  with  fraudful  intent.  It 
is  to  be  remembered  that  the  early  settlers,  for  the  most  part,  were 
unprovided  with  facilities  for  the  transportation  of  commodities  from 
one  part  of  the  country  to  another ;  and  that,  in  many  instances,  the 
cost  of  such  transportation  would  have  exceeded  the  worth  of  the 
articles  delivered  at  their  destination.  It  may  well  be  conceived  that 
this  single  circumstance  prevented  many  from  paying  their  obligations 
in  kind;  but  the  fact  that  they  did  not  so  pay,  should  not  be  accepted 
as  evidence  that  they  gave  nothing  toward  their  pastor's  support. 

Soon  after  Father  Badin's  removal  from  Scott  county  to  Pottinger's 
creek,  he  selected  a  plot  of  ground,  about  three  miles  distant  from 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  167 

Holy  Cross  church,  upon  which  he  afterwards  erected  a  presbytery,  or 
priest's  house,  and  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  St.  Stephen's.  This 
was  his  home  for  many  years.* 

Father  Badin's  disinterested  zeal  and  apostolic  spirit  are  well  exem- 
plified by  a  circumstance  that  occurred  in  the  year  X796,  as  related  by 
Dr.  Spalding: 

"In  the  year  named,  when  his  sufferings  and  hardships  were  the 
greatest,  Father  Badin  received  a  letter  from  the  Spanish  governor  of 
St.  Genevieve,  earnestly  pressing  him  to  leave  Kentucky  and  come  to 
that  place,  where  he  was  offered  an  annual  salary  of  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, with  valuable  perquisites.  The  situation  was  easy  and  inviting, 
and  the  offer  was  tempting.  Father  Badin,  in  fact,  viewed  the  whole 
matter  in  the  light  of  a  temptation  to  abandon  the  field  of  labor  which 
divine  Providence  had  assigned  him ,  and  he  accordingly  threw  the 
governor's  letter  into  the  fire,  and  did  not  even  return  an  answer.  His 
motto  was:  Follow  Providence/'f 

OTHER   MISSIONARY   AID  FOR   KENTUCKY. 

In  1797,  after  nearly  three  years  of  sole  occupancy  of  his  field  of 
missionary  labor.  Father  Badin  was  greatly  relieved  by  the  arrival  in 
Kentucky  of  Rev.  Michael  C.  J.  Fournier,  a  most  exemplary  priest, 
whose  labors  on  the  mission  have  already  been  sufficiently  referred  to 
in  the  chapter  entided  "The  Rolling  Fork  settlement."  It  had  long 
been  the  earnest  wish  of  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Carroll  to  send  relief  to  his 
over-taxed  subordinate  in  Kentucky,  and  to  the  end  indicated,  he  had 
gladly  availed  himself  of  Father  Fournier's  proffered  services.  Ani- 
mated with  the  spirit  of  the  true  missionary,  the  priest  asked  for  no 
delay,  but  set  out  at  once  for  the  seat  of  his  distant  mission.  Reach- 
ing the  humble  presbytery  of  St.  Stephen's  in  February,  of  the  year 

*St.  Stephen's  has  often  been  alluded  to  as  a  church.  It  was  neither 
designed  nor  used  for  the  public  services  of  the  Church.  This  first  pastoral 
residence  built  in  the  State  was  a  rough  affair  of  logs,  fully  as  unpretending  as 
the  cabins  occupied  by  the  neighboring  farmers  on  the  creek.  Its  site  was  on, 
or  very  near,  that  of  the  present  convent  and  academy  of  Loretto,  fifty-seven 
miles  from  Louisville,  on  the  Knoxville  Branch  railroad. 

t  Father  Badin  was  undoubtedly  a  learned  theologian;  but  as  I  have  been 
told  by  competent  authority,  one  of  his  first  decisions  after  his  arrival  in  Ken- 
tucky was  a  theological  blunder.  It  will  be  remembered  that  his  immediate 
predecessor,  Father  de  Rohan,  supposing  that  his  faculties  from  Dr.  Carroll — 
given  to  him  for  Virginia  when  Kentucky  was  a  county  of  that  State — 
empowered  him  to  administer  the  sacrament  of  matrimony  in  the  new  common- 
wealth, had  united  in  marriage  a  number  of  couples  in  the  different  Catho.lic 
settlements.  His  superior  having  afterwards  disapproved  of  his  action,  Father 
Badin  concluded  that  all  these  marriages  were  irregular  and  null.  He  insisted 
that  the  couples  should  be  married  over  again.  But,  in  one  particular  case,  and 
perhaps  in  others,  the  parties  decided  that  if  they  had  not  been  married  in  the 
first  instance,  they  would  take  advantage  of  the  circumstance  and  remain 
single.  One  of  these  removed  to  Missouri  and  there  contracted  marriage,  and 
the  other  did  the  same  thing  in  Kentucky. 


l68  THE    FIRST   CATHOLIC   MISSIONARIES, 

named,  he  i^v^as  received  by  its  occupant,  not  only  with  brotherly  kind- 
ness, but  with  demonstrations  of  joy  that  brought  tears  to  his  eyes. 
From  that  moment  the  two  were  one  in  purpose  and  one  in  affection ; 
and  each,  supported  and  strengthened  by  the  other,  labored  with  such 
efficiency  that  the  entire  faithful  of  the  State  were  given  opportunities 
of  making  their  peace  with  God. 

REV.    ANTHONY    SALMON. 

Before  the  close  of  this  same  year,  1799,  the  clerical  working  force 
of  the  mission  was  further  augmented  by  the  arrival  at  St.  Stephen's 
of  Rev.  Anthony  Salmon,  another  refugee  priest  from  France,  and 
an  old  friend  and  former  fellow-seminarian  of  Father  Fournier.  This 
latter  had  written  to  him  in  London,  where  the  two  had  first  found 
refuge  from  the  persecution  to  which  the  entire  priesthood  of  France 
had  been  subjected  under  the  revolutionary  government,  asking  him 
to  come  to  America,  and  detailing  the  great  needs  of  the  mission  in 
which  he  was  himself  engaged.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  his 
appearance  at  St.  Stephen's  was  the  first  intimation  that  his  friend  had 
that  his  letter  had  reached  the  hands  of  Father  Salmon.  At  this  time, 
Father  Badin  held  the  office  of  vicar-general  of  the  bishop  of  Baltimore 
for  the  region  in  which  lay  his  extended  mission,  and  it  was  a  pleasure 
to  him  to  welcome  and  assign  to  duty  the  new  recruit  that  had  come 
to  his  assistance  so  unexpectedly.  Another  division  of  labor  was  at 
once  effected  between  the  three,  the  stations  on  Hardin's  creek  and 
Poplar  Neck,  and  those  of  Bardstown  and  Fairfield  falling  to  the  lot  of 
the  newly  arrived  missionary. 

Equally  with  his  predecessors  of  the  mission.  Father  Salmon  exhib- 
ited earnestness  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  toward  those  who  had 
been  committed  to  his  charge.  He  labored  with  great  perseverance, 
and  also  with  happy  success,  in  promoting  the  spiritual  good  of  his 
people ;  and  especially  was  he  actively  alive  to  the  needs  of  children 
and  servants.  He  appeared  at  times  overwhelmed  with  fear  lest  the 
souls  of  some  of  these  should  be  lost  through  his  own  remissness.  He 
appealed  to  parents  and  masters  and  mistresses  to  see  that  they  were 
instructed  in  the  dogmas  and  precepts  of  their  holy  religion;  and  he 
missed  no  opportunity  that  was  offered  to  catechise  them  himself,  and 
to  point  out  to  them  the  paths  that  would  lead  them  to  happiness  here 
and  hereafter. 

Father  Salmon's  missionary  career  and  life  ended  together  only 
nine  months  after  his  arrival  in  Kentucky.  He  was  killed  by  a  fall  from 
his  horse  in  November  1799.  Dr.  Spalding's  account  of  this  lament- 
able occurrence  is  here  appended. 

"A  violent  cold,  contracted  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  had 
confined  him  to  his  bed  for  six  weeks  in  the  house  of  Father  Badin. 
When  convalescent,  he  determined  to  visit  the  station  at  Mr.  Thomas 
Gwynn's,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bardstown,  where  he  had  an  appoint- 
ment with  a  Protestant  lady  whom  he  was  instructing  and  preparing 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  169 

for  baptism.  He  was  not  a  good  horseman,  and  he  was  still  feeble 
from  his  previous  illness.  It  was  the  9th  of  November,  and  the  snow 
covered  the  ground  and  concealed  the  road  beneath,  which  was  natur- 
ally rugged  and  difficult.  About  a  mile  from  Bardstown,  on  the  road 
to  Mr.  Gwynn's,  he  was  thrown  violently  from  his  horse,  and  was 
dashed  against  a  tree.  He  was  stunned,  and  mortally  wounded  in  the 
breast  and  head.  In  his  struggles,  he  succeeded  in  dragging  himself 
to  a  tree,  against  which  he  leaned  his  head  and  shoulders,  and  thus  sat 
upright  near  the  road-side.  From  noon  till  night  he  remained  in  this 
dreadful  situation,  benumbed  with  cold  and  in  the  very  agonies  of 
death.  A  lad,  cutting  wood  in  the  neighboring  forest,  discovering  him 
during  the  afternoon,  asked  permission  of  his  employer   to  go  to  his 

assistance.     But  the  man  brutally  replied  that  it  was  '  only  a priest, 

who  was  probably  drunk ! '  *  Near  sunset,  this  man  saw  Mr.  Gwynn 
passing  and  told  him  that  his  'priest  was  lying  in  a  certain  spot,  per- 
haps dying.' 

"  Deeply  affected,  Mr.  Gwynn  flew  to  the  spot  indicated,  and  dis- 
covered that  his  worst  fears  were  more  than  realized.  Father  Salmon 
seemed  at  the  very  point  of  death.  He  was  immediately  placed  on 
horseback,  and  conveyed,  with  as  much  tenderness  as  possible,  to  the 
residence  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  about  a  mile  distant.  Messengers  were 
immediately  dispatched  for  physicians,  and  for  Father  Badin.  The 
latter  arrived  at  two  o'clock  the  same  night,  having  rode  sixteen  miles 
in  little  more  than  two  hours.  He  found  Father  Salmon  insensible, 
reciting  occasionally  prayers  in  Latin,  and  acting  as  if  he  fancied  him- 
self at  the  holy  altar.  Father  Badin  administered  to  him  the  last  sacra- 
ments, and  remained  with  him  till  his  death,  which  took  place  on  the 
following  night,  the  loth  of  November.  His  remains  were  conveyed 
to  the  church  of  Holy  Cross,  where  they  were  interred  with  all  the 
ceremonies  of  the  Roman  ritual. 

' '  Father  Badin  wept  bitterly  over  the  death  of  his  friend  and  fel- 
low-laborer, to  whom  he  was  sincerely  attached.  He  composed  for 
him  this  epitaph  in  Latin  :" 

"  Hie  jacet  Antonius  Salmon,  virtute  verendus, 

Presbyter  e  Gallis  ;  praetulit  exilium 

Schismaticis  opibus  ;  fratres,  matrem  arvaque  linquens  : 

Det  Pietas  fletus,  Religioque  preces." 

REV.  JOHN  THAYER. 

The  first  American  priest  to  exercise  his  ministry  in  Kentucky  was 
Rev.  John  Thayer,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  a  convert  to  the 
Catholic  faith  from  some  form  of  Protestantism,  of  which  he  had  pre- 
viously been  a  licensed  minister.     Latterly,  there  has  appeared  in  the 

*'*For  the  honor  of  human  nature,"  adds  Dr.  Spalding  in  a  note,  "we 
must  observe  that  this  man  was  of  no  standing  in  the  country;  and  that  his 
brutality  is  almost  singular  in  the  early  history  of  Kentucky.  The  lad  of  whom 
mention  is  made  is  now  {1844)  one  of  our  most  repectable  citizens." 


170  THE    FIRST   CATHOLIC    MISSIONARIES. 

"  Ave  Maria,  "  a  periodical  published  at  Notre  Dame,  Indiana,  the  full 
account,  as  written  by  himself,  of  Father  Thayer's  remarkable  con- 
version. Reading  it,  as  the  writer  lately  did,  one  must  arise  from  its 
perusal  with  fixed  ideas  of  the  honesty  of  the  man  and  of  his  rare 
intelligence. 

Father  Thayer  tells  us — his  pamphlet  was  written  and  published  in 
1787 — that  he  had  formed  the  notion  of  traveling  extendedly  in  Europe 
and  there  ' '  acquire  knowledge  of  the  constitution  of  States  and  of  the 
manners,  customs,  laws  and  governments  of  the  principal  nations. "  He 
wanted  knowledge  of  all  these  things  in  order  to  insure  his  future  use- 
fulness in  his  own  country.  While  in  Paris,  he  was  attacked  with  ill- 
ness, and,  says  he,  "  fearing  it  would  be  attended  with  serious  conse- 
quences, my  first  concern  was  to  forbid  that  any  Catholic  priest  should 
be  suffered  to  come  near  me."  He  visited  England,  returned  to 
France,  and  finally  went  to  Rome.* 

In  Paris,  and  still  more  in  Rome,  he  saw  things  that  gave  him  "a 
more  favorable  idea  of  the  Catholic  religion."  Wherever  he  went,  he 
was  received  hospitably  and  kindly.  "  Such  goodness,  such  cordiality, 
to  a  stranger  and  an  avowed  Protestant,  "  says  he,  "  at  once  touched 
and  surprised  me."  By  degrees,  the  inclination  came  upon  him  to  seek 
information  touching  the  religion  of  the  people.  Those  to  whom  he 
first  applied,  he  writes  :  "had  more  piety  than  light."  But  eventually, 
he  was  referred  to  others  who  were  capable  of  stating  in  precise  terms 
what  constitutes  the  sum  of  Catholic  faith,  and  of  defending  that 
aggregate  against  the  assumptions  of  the  enemies  of  the  Church.  Par- 
ticularly striking  is  his  account  of  the  difiiculty  he  experienced  in 
adapting  his  mind  to  the  sentiments  he  found  embodied  in  a  prayer 
attached  to  a  little  work  of  controversy  that  had  been  placed  in 
his  hands  by  a  father  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  upon  whom  he  had  called 
for  information  touching  certain  points  of  Catholic  doctrine.  This 
prayer,  so  well  adapted  to  similar  exigencies,  is  here  reproduced : 

"Almighty  and  eternal  God,  Father  of  mercy.  Saviour  of  man- 
kind, I  humbly  intreat  Thee  by  Thy  sovereign  goodness  to  enlighten 
my  mind,  and  to  touch  my  heart,  that  by  true  faith,  hope  and  charity 
I  may  live  and  die  in  the  true  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  am  sure  that 
as  there  is  but  one  true  God,  so  there  can  be  but  one  faith,  one  relig- 
ion, one  way  of  salvation,  and  that  every  other  way  which  is  opposite 
to  this  can  only  lead  to  endless  misery.  It  is  this  faith,  O  my  God, 
which  I  earnestly  desire  to  embrace,  in  order  to  save  my  soul.  I  pro- 
test, therefore,  before  Thy  divine  Majesty,  and  I  declare  by  all  Thy 
divine  attributes,  that  I  will  follow  that  religion  which  Thou  shalt  show 
me  to  be  true ;  and  that  I  will  abandon,  at  whatever  cost,  that  in  which 
I  shall  discover  error  and  falsehood,     I  do  not  deserve,  it  is  true,  this 

*  "While  still  in  Paris,  "  says  Dr.  Spalding,  he  had  an  interview  with  Ben- 
jamin Franklin,  minister  of  the  United  States  to  the  court  of  France,  lie 
wanted  the  minister  to  appoint  him  chaplain  of  the  mission.  The  philosopher 
statesman  could  not  see  the  wisdom  of  any  such  appointment.  He  "would  say 
his  own  prayers,  and  save  his  government  the  expense  of  the  chaplaincy," 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  171 

favor,  on  account  of  the  greatness  of  my  sins,  for  which  I  have  a  pro- 
found sorrow  because  they  offend  a  God  so  good,  so  great,  so  holy  and 
worthy  of  my  love ;  but  what  I  do  not  deserve,  I  hope  to  obtain  from 
Thy  infinite  mercy,  and  I  conjure  Thee  to  grant  through  the  merits  of 
the  Precious  Blood  which  was  shed  for  us  poor  sinners  by  Thy  only 
Son,  Jesus  Christ.     Amen." 

It  is  not  to  be  doubted,  however,  that  the  trend  of  the  after  con- 
vert's mind  to  investigation  of  Catholic  doctrine  and  practices,  was  the 
result  of  his  desire  to  analyze  the  reports  of  certain  miracles  said 
to  have  been  wrought  through  the  intercession  of  the  Venerable  Labre, 
then  but  recently  deceased,  about  which  all  Rome  was  speaking  at  the 
time.     What  he  says  on  this  subject  will  be  found  interesting : 

"Notwithstanding  the  instructions  which  I  had  received,  and  the 
lights  which  I  had  acquired,  I  was  nowise  disposed  to  credit  the  public 
reports  concerning  this  truly  extraordinary  person.  Of  all  my  preju- 
dices against  Catholics,  the  deepest  rooted  was  a  formal  disbelief  of  the 
miraculous  facts  which  are  said  to  have  happened  among  them.  I  had 
been  brought  up  in  this  persuasion  common  to  all  Protestants,  who, 
never  having  been  able  to  attain  the  gift  of  miracles,  like  the  fox  in  the 
fable,  disdain  it,  and  deny  its  existence.  Not  content  with  denying 
those  which  were  publshed  at  that  time,  I  made  them  the  subject  of  my 
raillery,  and  in  the  coffee-houses  passed  some  very  unbecoming  jests  on 
the  servant  of  God  with  whose  poverty  and  uncleanliness  I  was 
shocked;  and  on  this  head  I  went  farther  than  any,  even,  of  my  Protes- 
tant friends.  However,  the  number  and  weight  of  the  evidences 
increasing  daily,  I  thought  that  it  was  my  duty  to  examine  the  matter 
myself.  I  frequently  conversed  with  the  confessor  of  the  deceased, 
from  whom  I  learned  a  part  of  his  life.  I  visited  four  persons  who 
were  said  to  have  been  miraculously  cured;  I  was  convinced  by 
my  own  eyes  of  the  state  in  which  they  then  were ;  I  questioned  them 
concerning  the  state  in  which  they  had  been;  1  informed  myself  of  the 
nature  and  continuance  of  the  illness  with  which  they  had  been 
attacked,  and  the  circumstances  of  their  cures,  which  had  been  oper- 
ated in  an  instant.  I  collected  the  evidence  of  those  to  whom  they 
were  known ;  and  after  all  these  informations,  made  with  the  greatest 
care,  I  was  fully  convinced  that  the  reality  of  each  one  of  these 
miracles  was  at  least  as  well  proved  as  the  most  authentic  facts.  One 
of  these  persons,  a  nun  in  the  convent  of  St.  Apollonia,  had  burst  a 
blood-vessel.  She  daily  grew  weaker  and  weaker  for  the  space  of 
eighteen  months;  and  at  length  was  so  reduced  that  she  could  bear  no 
nourishment.  She  invoked  Venerable  Labr6;  took  with  a  lively 
faith  a  draught  into  which  one  of  his  relics  had  been  dipped,  and  was 
cured  in  an  instant.  The  same  day  she  went  to  choir  with  the  rest  of 
the  religious,  ate  without  feeling  any  pain,  and  with  ease  performed  the 
most  painful  offices  of  the  convent.  This  was  attested  by  the  superior 
and  six  other  nuns  of  the  same  community.  I  often  saw  the  nun  who 
had  been  cured,  spoke  to  her,  and  found  her  in  perfect  health  and 
strength.     Not  content  with  these  proofs,  I  visited  the  physician  who 


172  THE    FIRST    CATHOLIC    MISSIONARIES. 

attended  her  during  the  whole  course  of  her  illness;  he  confirmed  all 
that  the  community  had  said,  and  added  that  he  was  ready  to  take  his 
oath  on  the  Gospel  that  the  illness  was  naturally  incurable.  I  con- 
tinued to  see  the  nun  during  the  rest  of  my  stay  at  Rome,  that  is,  for 
about  four  months.  I  had  time  to  convince  myself  that  her  cure  was 
lasting,  and  at  my  departure  I  left  her  in  perfect  health." 

One  of  his  most  serious  difficulties  appears  to  have  been  the  doctrine 
of  the  Church  respecting  the  invocation  of  saints,  and  especially  of  the 
Virgin  Mother  of  God.  Though  convinced  in  his  mind  that  the  doc- 
trine was  reasonable,  and  that  it  was  in  no  wise  detractive  of  the 
supreme  honor  and  worship  that  are  due  to  the  Creator,  so  strong 
a  hold  had  custom  and  prejudice  on  his  mind,  that  it  was  long  before 
he  was  able  to  accept  and  act  upon  it  in  a  Catholic  spirit.  This  is 
apparent  in  his  first  prayer  addressed  to  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  the 
form  of  which  he  has  left  us : 

"Oh,  tender  Mother,  (said  I,)  if  it  be  lawful  for  me  to  implore  thy 
succor,  help  me  in  the  miserable  state  in  which  I  am.  It  was  through 
thee  that  the  Saviour  came  to  us;  it  is  through  thee  that  I  desire  to  go 
to  Him.  The  scriptures  teach  me  that  by  thy  means  was  wrought  the 
first  miracle  of  the  evangelical  law  in  the  order  of  grace  (the  sanctifi- 
cation  of  St.  John  the  Baptist),  and  the  first  in  the  order  of  nature  (the 
change  of  water  into  wine).  Here  remains  another  to  be  performed; 
do  not  refuse  to  employ  thy  credit;  I  do  not  deserve  it;  too  long  have  I 
not  known  thee ;  but  now,  though  with  fear  and  trembling,  I  begin  to 
address  thee.  Intercede  for  me  with  thy  divine  Son."  (Then, 
returning  to  God,)  "O  Lord,  (said  I,)  I  miplore  Thy  light.  Thou 
hast  promised  to  listen  to  those  who  invoke  Thee ;  I  do  it  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart;  Thou  art  my  witness  that  I  seek  truth  at 
whatever  expense.  I  cannot  err  in  addressing  my  supplications  to 
Thy  Blessed  Mother:  Thou  Thyself  wouldst  be  the  cause  of  my 
error." 

Confidence  and  tranquility  were  the  fruits  of  this  prayer,  and  as 
he  tells  us  himself,  "From  that  time  I  have  always  had  recourse  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  and  I  am  confident  that  I  have  received  grace  through 
her  intercession ;  gratitude  obliges  me  to  make  this  acknowledgment. 
I  endeavor  to  join  in  every  institution  which  tends  to  her  honor,  and 
I  have  pledged  myself,  and  study  as  much  as  can  depend  on  me,  to 
extend  the  devotion  to  this  dear  Mother  of  God." 

Soon  afterwards,  he  made  his  abjuration,  and  was  able  to  declare : 
"The  truths  which  I  had  most  difficulty  in  believing,  are  those  in 
which  I  now  find  the  greatest  consolation.  The  mystery  of  the  Euch- 
arist, which  appeared  to  me  so  incredible,  is  become  an  ever-flow- 
ing source  of  spiritual  delight;  confession,  which  I  considered  as  an 
unsupportable  yoke,  seems  infinitely  sweet,  by  the  tranquillity  which  it 
produces  in  the  soul." 

His  after-Hfe  is  thus  depicted  by  Dr.  Spalding,  in  his  "  Sketches 
of  Kentucky:"  "  Earnestly  desiring  to  make  good  use  of  his  new- 
found knowledge,  he  determined  to  devote  the  remainder  of  his  life 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  173 

to  the  enlightenment  of  those  who,  hke  himself,  had  long  taken  evil  for 
good,  darkness  for  light.  In  order  to  do  this  the  more  effectually,  he 
resolved  to  enter  the  Catholic  ministry.  Placing  himself  under  com- 
petent direction,  he  finished  the  prescribed  studies,  and  was  ordained 
priest  in  Paris,  most  likely,  in  the  year  1784.  Immediately  after  his 
ordination,,  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  entered  upon 
his  true  ministerial  life  in  Boston,  where  he  had  formerly  devoted 
his   misdirected   energies   to   the   propagation   of   a   false   theory   of 

religion. 

"  He  held  weekly  conferences  on  the  truths  of  the  Catholic  faith; 
and  his  discourses,  delivered  with  much  earnestness  and  eloquence, 
attracted  great  crowds  of  his  Protestant  fellow-citizens.  He  published 
a  detailed  and  well-written  account  of  his  conversion,  in  which  he 
clearly  and  forcibly  stated  the  motives  that  had  led  him  to  take  this 
important  step.  He  thus  endeavored  to  convey  his  own  convictions 
to  the  minds  of  his  countrymen,  both  from  the  pulpit  and  through  the 
press.  His  zeal  led  him  into  various  controversies  with  the  Protestant 
preachers ;  and  he  always  showed  himself  able  to  give  an  account  of 
'the  hope  that  was  in  him.'  Still,  he  had  the  mortification  to  find 
that  Americans,  who  are  so  easily  misled  by  novelties  of  whatever 
species,  are  very  slow  to  change  their  religious  opinions,  especially  in 
favor  of  what  is  old  and  painful  to  human  nature.  He  found  that 
conviction  and  conversion  were  two  different  things  ;  and  that,  though 
he  could  flatter  himself  that  he  had  brought  about  the  former  state  of 
mind  in  many,  he  was  cheered  by  but  few  evidences  of  his  having 
secured  the  latter." 

In  1799,  Father  Thayer  left  Boston  and  offered  his  services  to  Dr. 
Carroll,  in  any  position  to  which  he  might  assign  him.     Toward  the 
close  of  the  year  1799,  he  was  sent  to  Kentucky,  where  he  remained 
for   four   years,  "only   two   of  which,"  says  Dr.    Spalding,    "were 
devoted  to  missionary  duty."     He  left  the  State  and  the  country  in 
1803,  first  going  to  England,  where  he  labored  for  a  year  or  more, 
and,  subsequently,  to  Ireland,  where  he  devoted  the  last  years  of  his 
Ufe  to  the  welfare  of  the  poor  of  Limerick.     In  the  city  named,  and 
up  to  the  date  of  his  death,  which  took  place  in  1815,  he  lived  as  a 
member  of  the  family  of  Mr.  James  Ryan,  a  gentleman  of  high  stand- 
ing and  character,  a  pious  Catholic,  and  an  ardent  humanitarian.     It 
was   while  residing  in  Limerick,  that  Father  Thayer  conceived  the 
idea  of  founding  in  America  a  conventual   establishment  for  females. 
I'_  is  said  that  arrangements  to  this  effect  had  been  concluded  between 
himself  and  the  late  Cardinal  Cheverus,  who  was,  at  that  time,  bishop 
of  Boston,  some  short  time  before  the  priest  was  called  out  of  life.     It  is 
certain  that  four  of  the  daughters  of  his  friend  and  host  subsequently 
reached  Boston,  where,  with  the  approbation  and  active  assistance  of 
Dr.   Cheverus,  they  established   a  community  of  Ursuline   nuns,  of 
which  they  were  themselves  members.     At  a  later  era,  when  what- 
ever  was   material   of   the    Ursuline   establishment   in   Boston,    was 
destroyed  by  a  fanatical  mob,  it  is  not  likely  that  either  of  the  sisters 


174  THE   FIRST   CATHOLIC   MISSIONARIES. 

alluded  to  was  able  to  see  the  desecration  with  mortal  eyes.  * 
It  should  be  mentioned  here,  that  Father  Badin's  former  priestly 
correspondent  at  Vincennes,  Rev.  M.  Rivet,  was  now  dead.  He 
had  sickened  and  died  at  his  post  of  duty  the  previous  winter. 
Referring  to  the  death  of  this  admirable  priest,  Dr.  Spalding  says: 
"  He  had  won  the  respect  of  General  William  Henry  Harrison, 
afterwards  president  of  the  United  States,  who  was  then  residing  at 
Vincennes,  and  occupying  the  post  of  governor  of  the  Northwestern 
Territory. "  The  dying  priest  had  received  from  Governor  Harrison 
marked  attention  during  his  sickness,  and,  it  is  said,  "he  received 
his  last  breath."  The  death  of  Father  Rivet  left  but  three  priests  in 
the  entire  northwest,  including  Kentucky.  Those  were;  Rev. 
Donatien  Olivier,  at  Prairie  du  Rocher,  IlUnois ;  Rev.  Gabriel  Richard, 
at  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  Rev.  Stephen  Theodore  Badin,  in  Ken- 
tucky. 

*  I  have  in  my  possession  a  letter  written  in  1816,  by  Rev.  Simon  Gabriel 
Brute,  afterwards  first  bishop  of  the  See  of  Vincennes,  in  which  reference  is 
made  to  the  death  of  Father  Thayer,  and  the  services  he  had  rendered  the 
poor  of  Limerick.  The  writer  mentions,  as  a  fact,  that  the  deceased  priest  had 
left  what  remained  to  him  of  his  considerable  estate,  to  the  diocese  of  Boston, 


^>^- 


CATHOUCITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  1 75 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FATHER    BADIN   AGAIN   ALONB. 

In  the  year  1803,  the  Church  in  Kentucky  suffered  an  irreparable 
loss  in  the  sudden  and  unlooked-for  death  of  Father  Fournier.  Ever 
since  his  arrival  in  the  State,  he  had  been,  as  it  were,  the  right  hand 
of  Father  Badin,  taking  upon  himself  a  full  share  of  the  labor  of 
the  mission,  and  undergoing  all  manner  of  fatigue  and  solicitude,  in 
order  to  fulfill  toward  the  Catholic  body  every  duty  pertaining  to  his 
ministry.  The  death  of  this  model  priest,  and  the  subsequent  with- 
drawal of  Father  Thayer  from  the  mission,  left  Father  Badin  again 
alone  in  Kentucky.  From  the  spring  of  1803,  to  the  summer  of 
1805,  his  labors  were  so  multiplied  that  relaxation,  even  for  a  day, 
was,  with  him,  out  of  the  question.  He  literally  "lived  on  horse- 
back," departing  from  one  station,  when  his  work  was  done,  to  find 
at  another  a  repetition  of  the  labors  of  the  previous  day.  Happily, 
he  was  in  vigorous  health,  and  labor,  however  unremitting,  did  not 
appear  to  affect  him  detrimentally.  It  was  not  his  nature  to  be 
despondent,  and  hence  the  traditions  of  his  uniform  cheerfulness.  It 
is  not  to  be  implied,  however,  that  he  was  void  of  anxiety,  or  that  he 
had  not  cares  to  perplex  him,  and  sorrows  to  grieve  his  heart.  He 
tells  us  himself,  as  Dr.  Spalding  relates,  in  the  sketch  he  has  given 
us  of  his  life,  that  at  this  particular  time,  he  was  overwhelmed  with 
grief  on  account  of  the  death  of  his  friend  and  co-laborer.  Father 
Fournier;  that  his  own  lonely  position,  with  no  priest  nearer  to  him 
than  Prairie  du  Rocher,  in  Illinois,  and  Detroit,  in  Michigan,  was  the 
occasion  to  him  of  great  concern,  and  that  he  was  naturally  ' '  solici- 
tous for  the  churches,"  which  were  now  solely  dependent  upon  him- 
self for  ministerial  aid  and  consolation.  Of  the  missionaries  referred 
to  in  this  paragraph,  the  following  may  be  briefly  stated: 

Father  Olivier  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  95  years,  and,  at  the 
date  of  his  death,  January  29th,  1841,  was  said  to  be  the  oldest  mis- 
sionary priest  in  the  whole  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  He  was  for 
many  years  the  pastor  of  the  churches  at  Prairie  du  Rocher  and  Kas- 
kaskias,  lUinois;  but  his  missionary  field  covered  the  entire  territory  of 
the  Northwest.  Age  and  infirmity  forced  him  to  retire  from  the  active 
duties  of  the  ministry  about  the  year  1828,  and  the  remaining  portion 


176  FATHER    liADIN    AGAIN    ALONE. 

of  his  life  was  passed  at  the  seminary  of  the  Barrens,  in  Missouri,  by 
the  inmates  of  which  he  was  venerated  as  a  saint.  For  several  years 
previous  to  his  death,  he  had  been  deprived  of  his  sight;  "but,"  says 
the  writer  of  the  notice  of  his  death,  "notwithstanding  this  affliction, 
he  continued  during  the  greater  portion  of  that  period  to  offer  up  the 
Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  mass  with  a  truly  edifying  devotion." 

Father  Gabriel  Richard,  a  French  Sulpician  priest,  came  to  America 
after  the  French  revolution.  In  1798  he  was  sent  to  Michigan  by 
Bishop  Carroll,  where  he  labored  upon  the  missions  of  the  State  until 
the  date  of  his  death.  In  1823  Father  Richard  was  sent  as  a  delegate 
to  congress  from  Michigan.  While  exercising  his  ministry  in  Detroit, 
it  became  his  duty  on  a  certain  occasion  to  pronounce  sentence  of 
excommunication  against  one  of  his  parishioners,  who  had  been 
divorced  from  his  wife.  The  parishioner  prosecuted  the  priest  for 
defamation  of  character,  and  the  court  awarded  him  damages  in  the 
sum  of  one  thousand  dollars.  This  money  Father  Richard  could  not 
pay,  and  he  was  imprisoned  in  the  common  jail  for  the  default.  As  he 
had  already  been  elected  to  the  house  of  representatives,  he  went 
from  his  prison  direct  to  his  seat  on  the  floor  of  congress.  In  181 2, 
after  Hull's  surrender,  he  was  taken  prisoner.  After  his  release,  find- 
ing his  people  suffering  for  food,  he  purchased  wheat  and  gave  it  to  the 
destitute.  He  spoke  and  wrote  several  languages,  and  he  was  a  man 
of  superior  ability  and  rare  benevolence.  He  died  of  cholera,  during 
the  first  visitation  of  that  scourge  to  this  country  in  1832,  at  the  age  of 
68  years. 

The  Catholic  population  of  Kentucky  was  now  three  times  greater 
than  it  had  been  when  Father  Badin  was  first  appointed  to  the  mission; 
and  when  one  considers  how  wide  apart  were  the  homes  of  his  parish- 
ioners; how  difficult,  and  sometimes  dangerous,  were  the  ways  of  com- 
munication between  station  and  station,  and  how  next  to  impossible  it 
was  for  one  man  to  serve  so  many,  a  truthful  idea  may  be  had  of  his 
anomalous  position  during  the  two  years  and  more  that  preceded  the 
arrival  in  the  State  of  his  after  co-laborer.  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx. 
When,  as  not  unfrequendy  happened,  his  special  friends,  fearful  of  his 
health  under  such  burdensome  exactions,  would  beg  him  to  take  a  little 
rest,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  replying:  "I  look  for  no  repose  in  this 
life." 

It  is  doubtful  if  there  ever  was  a  priest  better  qualified  for  the 
peculiar  work  of  his  peculiar  mission  than  was  Father  Badin.  His 
people  were  poor,  but  not  the  poorest  among  them  ever  complained 
that  he  was  neglectful  of  their  spiritual  welfare.  His  rebukes  of  the 
master  and  mistress  for  neglect  of  duty  toward  their  slave  dependents 
were  deUvered  with  as  much  earnestness  as  were  his  counsels  to 
patience  and  obedience  addressed  to  the  latter.  He  lived  in  the  sight 
of  all  the  life  of  a  christian ;  zealous,  patient,  resigned,  humble.  He 
was  at  all  times  no  less  watchful  over  himself  than  he  was  observant  of 
whatever  was  calculated  to  weaken  the  faith  or  taint  the  morals  of  those 
who  had  been  committed  to  his  pastoral  care.     The  precepts  which  he 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  177 

was  in  the  habit  of  insisting  on  in  all  his  instructions  were  these:  morn 
ing  and  night  prayers  in  common ;  regularity  in  approaching  the  tribu- 
nal of  penance  and  the  holy  table ;  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  and 
frequent  repetition  of  her  rosary;  punctuality  in  hearing  mass  on 
Sundays  and  holidays  of  obligation ;  instruction  of  children  and  ser- 
vants in  the  principles  of  their  faith. 

His  regulations,  in  respect  to  the  duty  of  hearing  mass,  would 
likely  be  considered  somewhat  exacting  at  the  present  day.  He 
excused  only  those  who,  having  horses,  would  have  to  ride  more 
than  ten  miles  in  order  to  be  present  at  the  Holy  Sacrifice.  For  such 
as  had  to  walk  to  church,  the  exonerating  point  was  set  at  the  five- 
mile  limit.  * 

Alone  and  unaided.  Father  Badin  could  not  have  possibly  secured, 
to  their  full  extent,  the  great  results  which  followed  his  missionary 
labors  in  Kentucky.  He  had  earnest  helpers  among  the  laity.  In 
every  congregation  he  had  a  corps  of  catechists,  men  and  women, 
whom  he  had  trained  to  represent  ecclesiastical  authority  and  guid- 
ance over  the  children,  and  such  among  the  adults  as  were  little 
instructed  in  the  principles  and  practice  of  their  faith.  On  Sundays, 
in  the  absence  of  their  pastor,  the  greater  parts  of  the  congregations 
were  wont  to  repair  to  the  nearest  church,  or  station,  and  there 
engage  in  exercises  of  piety.  Often,  on  such  occasions,  in  lieu  of  a 
sermon,  one  of  the  catechists  would  read  a  chapter  from  some  work 
of  Catholic  piety ;  and  thus  were  formed  in  all  habits  of  punctuality 
in  the  performance  of  religious  duty  that  have  not  yet  lost  their 
influence  for  good  upon  their  children's  children. 

Even  among  those  who  had  been  brought  up  in  servitude.  Father 
Badin  had  his  trusted  helpers.  Conspicuous  among  these,  was 
"  Uncle  Harry,"  an  elderly  negro  servant  of  one  of  the  earliest  of  the 
colonists,  whose  whole  life  was  an  example  of  the  sublimest  christian 
virtue.     Dr.  Spalding  thus  refers  to  Uncle  Harry: 

"On  the  death  of  his  master,  he  became  the  property  of  infant 
heirs;  and  he  was  left  by  the  executor  of  the  estate  to  his  own  choice 
in  the  selection  of  his  employment.  He  determined  to  go  to  the  Salt 
Licks,  thinking  he  could  there  earn  more  by  his  labor  for  the  benefit 
of  the  young  heirs.  Father  Badin,  to  whom  he  had  applied  for 
advice,  endeavored  to  dissuade  him  from  his  purpose,  and  repre- 
sented to  him  the  hardships  he  would  have  to  undergo ;  the  distance 

*  The  frivolous  excuses  by  which  so  many  Catholics  of  the  present  day 
attempt  to  justify  their  absence  from  church  on  the  days  prescribed  as  of 
obligation,  were  almost  wholly  unknown  among  our  Catholic  progenitors  of 
three-quarters  of  a  century  ago.  Sacrifices  of  convenience  and  comfort  were 
cheerfully  made  in  those  days  for  the  privilege  of  kneeling  before  God's  holy 
altar,  and  of  worshiping  the  truly  present  Deity  reposing  thereon.  In  those 
times,  the  early  hours  of  Sunday  mornings  found  the  roads  leading  to  the 
churches  literally  alive  with  detached  parties,  mostly  on  horseback,  but  many 
on  foot,  moving  decorously  toward  a  common  center,  where  the  holy  mass  was 
to  be  offered  up  for  the  living  and  the  dead, 

12 


178  FATHER    BADIN    AGAIN    ALONE. 

he  would  be  from  church,  and  the  danger  to  which  his  salvation  would 
be  exposed. 

"  '  Uncle  Harry'  replied  to  this  last  consideration,  with  admirable 
simplicity  of  faith :  '  God  would  protect  him  from  danger,  and  the 
Blessed  Virgin  would  take  care  of  him.  '  Father  Badin  yielded.  At  the 
Licks  '  Uncle  Harry '  was  a  model  of  piety  for  all.  When  any  one  of 
his  fellow-servants  was  sick,  it  was  he  that  was  always  called  for.  On 
these  occasions,  he  did  everything  in  his  power  to  console  and  instruct 
the  sick  person,  by  the  bed-side  of  whom  he  was  wont  to  recite  his 
beads,  and  to  say  all  the  prayers  he  knew.  Sometime  afterwards  he 
was  pubhcly  sold,  and  purchased  by  a  man  who  was  not  a  CathoHc. 
He  obtained  permission  to  see  Father  Badin,  whom  he  induced  to 
purchase  him,  promising  that  his  labor  should  indemnify  him  for  what- 
ever expense  he  might  incur.  A  year  or  two  later  Father  Badin  paid 
him  a  visit.  He  was  found  laboring  in  the  field,  and  apparently  much 
dejected.  Being  asked  the  reason  of  his  sadness,  he  answered,  that  he 
was  fearful  lest  he  should  die  before  he  could  repay  his  kind  master  the 
amount  he  had  expended  for  his  purchase.  It  is  needless  to  say  that 
he  was  soon  comforted. 

"  He  said  prayers,  morning  and  night,  with  the  other  servants,  all  of 
whom  had  for  him  the  greatest  respect.  He  gave  them  the  most  com- 
fortable beds,  and  often  spent  the  night  in  prayer,  taking  but  a  brief 
repose  on  the  hard  floor.  In  the  church,  he  always  knelt  as  immovable 
as  a  statue,  and  was  often  there  for  hours  before  the  rest  of  the  congre- 
gation. His  whole  life  appeared  to  be  one  continual  prayer ;  and  he  died 
as  he  had  lived,  praying.  One  morning  he  was  found  dead,  sitting 
upright  on  a  stool,  his  hands  clasped  in  prayer,  holding  his  beads,  and 
his  countenance  irradiated  with   a  smile."     [Sketches,  pp  11 6-1 17.] 

Father  Badin  was  well  known  to  most  of  the  public  men  of  Ken- 
tucky, by  many  of  whom  he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem.  Among 
his  earlier  non-Catholic  friends  may  be  named:  Richard  M.  Johnson, 
afterwards  vice-president  of  the  United  States;  Wm.  T.  Barry,  after- 
wards senator  in  congress,  postmaster  general  and  minister  to  Spain; 
Judge  John  Rowan,  afterwards  judge  of  the  court  of  appeals  and 
senator  in  congress;  Gen.  Robert  Todd,  Judge  George  Robertson 
and  Robert  Alexander,  of  Lexington;  Col.  Joe  Daviess;*  Judge 
George  M.  Bibb;  Hon.  John  Pope^  Worden  Pope,  Esq.;  and  Judges 
Stephen  Ormsby  and  John  P.  Oldham,  of  Louisville.  It  appeared 
a  real  pleasure  to  these  non-Catholic  gentlemen,  and  to  many  like 

*  His  first  acquaintance  with  Col.  Joe  Daviess,  than  whom,  in  his  day,  there 
were  few  more  deservedly  popular  men  in  Kentucky,  was  the  result  of  an  acci- 
dent. Col.  Daviess  had  missed  his  way  while  traveling,  and  accidentally  called 
at  St.  Stephen's  for  direction.  The  acquaintance  thus  began,  soon  ripened  into 
a  warm  mutual  friendship.  Col.  Daviess  had  never  before  seen  a  Catholic 
piest,  and  he  was  astonished  to  find  in  Father  Badin  a  man  so  thoroughly 
intelligent  and  polite.  The  priest  loaned  him  several  Catholic  works,  and  he 
promised  to  make  himself  better  acquainted  with  the  Catholic  doctrine.  Col. 
Daviess  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  November  7th,  181 1. 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  I79 

them  in  different  parts  of  the  State,  to  have  Father  Badin  a  guest 
in  their  houses;  and,  not  unfrequently,  he  was  liberally  aided  by  them 
in  his  efforts  to  provide  church  accommodations  for  the  poorer  of  his 
congregations. 

In  his  intercourse  with  non-Catholics,  Father  Badin  followed  a  rule 
that  rarely  failed  to  win  for  him  their  confidence  and  respect.  He 
was  always  courteous,  and  there  was  neither  boldness  nor  condescen- 
sion in  his  manner  of  addressing  them.  He  met  them  simply  as 
equals.  He  never  obtruded  upon  them  either  his  opinions  or  his  con- 
victions; but  when  asked  the  reasons  for  the  hope  that  was  in  him,  he 
was  as  careful  to  state  the  exact  truth  as  he  was  to  guard  his  tongue 
against  language  that  was  in  the  least  calculated  to  give  offence.  It 
was  only  towards  the  rudely  impertinent  that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  giv- 
ing full  play  to  his  uncommon  powers  as  a  wit  and  satirist.  In  such 
cases,  he  rarely  failed  to  send  his  adversaries  discomfitted  from  the 
field.      Here  are  two  cases  in  point: 

Once,  when  a  Protestant  minister  and  one  of  his  friends  were  riding 
along  a  country  road,  they  espied  in  the  distance,  approaching  them 
in  the  direction  from  which  they  were  riding,  the  well-known  form  of 
Father  Badin.  He  was  reading  his  office — the  reins  fallen  from  his 
hands  and  loosely  dangling  from  his  horse's  neck.  When  the  parties 
met,  the  Protestant  minister  addressed  him  politely,  inquired  after  his 
health,  and  they  were  soon  engaged  in  a  conversation  which  culmi- 
nated in  the  following  dialogue : 

''Father  Badin,"  said  the  minister,  "you  are  yet  a  strong  and 
vigorous  man,  and  moderately  good-looking  ;  why  don't  you  marry?  " 

"  I  am  married — I  have  long  been  married,"  said  the  priest. 

"Is  it  possible!"  exclaimed  the  minister.  "I  always  thought 
that  you  were  a  bachelor.     Whom  did  you  marry  ?" 

"  I  was  married  to  the  Holy  Church  of  God  when  I  became,  by 
virtue  of  ordination,  one  of  her  ministers,"  said  Father  Badin. 

'*  O,"  said  the  minister,  "  I  too  am  married  to  the  church;  but  I 
have  a  woman  for  my  wife." 

"Ah,"  said  Father  Badin,  "You  are  married  to  the  church,  and 
you  are  married  to  a  woman!  You  have  two  wives,  then.  All  I 
have  to  say  is,  that  one  or  the  other  of  them  must  be  a  s 1." 

Father  Badin  was  once  met  by  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  on  the 
road  leading  from  Bardstown  to  Fairfield.  The  priest  had  his  saddle 
strapped  upon  his  back,  and  was  trudging  along  on  foot. 

"Where's your  horse,  Father  Badin?  "  asked  the  minister. 

"  He  was  taken  sick  and  died  on  the  road,"  answered  the  priest. 

"Did  you  give  him  absolution  before  he  died?"  questioned  the 
minister. 

"O  no,"  answered  Father  Badin;  "it  would  have  been  useless; 
the  silly  animal  turned  Presbyterian  ///  articulo  mortis,  and  went  straight 
to  hell." 

The  reader  will  not  understand  Father  Badin  as  implying  by  this 
answer  that  he  was  ever  in  the  habit  of  passing  judgment  upon  the 


l8o  FATHER    BADIN    AGAIN    ALONE. 

question  of  any  deceased  person's  salvation.  Catholics  never  do  this, 
since  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  measure  either  the  mercy  of  God  or 
the  disposition  of  a  man  at  the  moment  of  his  death.  His  answer,  the 
wit  of  which  will  not  be  denied,  was  meant  simply  as  a  proper  rebuke 
to  a  most  impertient      question. 

It  will  not  surprise  Catholics  to  learn  that  the  number  of  converts 
brought  into  the  church  by  baptism,  during  Father  Badin's  public  min- 
istry in  Kentucky,  were  reckoned  by  hundreds.  His  own  example 
and  that  of  the  great  majority  of  those  for  whose  spiritual  elevation  he 
was  constantly  laboring,  were  ever  present  incentives  to  similar  upright- 
ness of  walk  before  God  for  all  such  as  had  opportunities  to  witness 
their  every-day  manner  of  life.  In  very  many  cases,  conversion  was 
the  result  of  zeal  displayed  by  certain  pious  laymen  and  women;  and, 
not  unfrequently,  the  pastor's  first  knowledge  of  any  such  conversion 
came  with  the  presentation  of  the  party  before  him  sufficiently  instructed 
for  baptism. 

Among  the  most  noted  of  Father  Badin's  converts,  may  be  named 
Judge  James  Twyman,  a  soldier  of  tried  courage  in  the  Indian  wars  of 
the  State,  and  afterwards  a  lawyer  of  great  distinction.  He  was  at 
once  a  reasoning  and  a  reasonable  man,  and  when  he  had  once  con- 
vinced himself  of  the  truth  of  a  propostion,  it  was  not  his  habit  to  shirk 
the  responsibility  of  its  open  and  prompt  acceptance.  After  having 
had  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  explained  to  him  by  Father  Badin,  he 
sought  for  other  light  through  the  medium  of  books;  and,  with  the 
removal  of  doubt,  he  presented  himself  for  baptism  with  proper  chris- 
tian humility.  * 

Another  of  Father  Badin's  converts  was   a   Mrs.  Onan,  a 

woman  of  strong  practical  sense,  and  having  an  excellent  memory. 
Though  she  was  wholly  ignorant  of  letters,  she  had,  so  to  speak, 
almost  the  entire  Bible  at  her  fingers'  ends.  After  her  conversion. 
Father  Badin  was  in  the  habit  of  occasionally  saying  mass  at  her 
house.  Her  defection,  as  they  called  it,  was  very  unpalatable  to  her 
old  Protestant  friends,  and  the  preachers  among  them  were  indefatig- 
able in  their  endeavors  to  convince  her  that  she  had  blundered  in 
changing  her  religion.  When  they  sought  to  overwhelm  her  by  dis- 
plays of  their  scriptural  knowledge,  she  met  their  onslaughts  by  fling- 

*0n  a  certain  occasion,  while  he  was  attending  court  in  the  town  of  Wash- 
ington, Mason  county,  Judge  Twyman  was  sitting  at  the  table  in  the  public 
tavern  of  the  place  with  a  number  of  his  professional  brethren  and  others, 
when  the  conversation  happened  to  turn  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and, 
eventually,  on  what  some  of  the  company  were  pleased  to  call  "  the  stupidity 
of  Catholics  in  worshiping  images,  and  in  paying  divine  honors  to  the  Virgin 
Mary."  During  a  lull  in  the  table-talk,  which,  under  the  excitement  of  the 
theme,  had  been  somewhat  boisterous,  and  decidedly  abusive  of  the  "Romans" 
and  their  religion,  Judge  Twyman  arose  to  his  feet  and  exclaimed  :  "  Look  at 
me !  Do  you  take  me  for  a  fool !  I  am  a  Roman  Catholic  !  I  was  raised  a  Pro- 
testant; and  I  embraced  Catholicism,  only  after  long  and  careful  examination!  " 
The  announcement  created  a  sensation,  and  not  another  word  was  said  touch- 
ing either  Catholics  or  their  religion. 


CATttOLlCITV    IN    KENTUCKY.  l8l 

ing  in  their  faces  other  passages  of  the  Bible ;  and  she  often  did  this  to 
their  manifest  confusion.* 

Father  Badin  had  litde  respect  for  pubHc  oral  controversy  as  a  means 
of  enlightenment  on  the  subject  of  religion.  But  in  the  state  of  pub- 
lic sentiment,  which  was  then  largely  hostile  to  the  Catholic  Church, 
it  will  not  be  thought  surprising  that  he  was  forced  at  times  to  act  on 
the  defensive.  He  was  often  "challenged  to  appear  in  public  debate 
with  the  more  pugnacious  of  the  Protestant  ministers  of  the  day ;  and, 
on  a  few  occasions,  he  was  known  to  lend  an  unwilling  ear  to  their 
solicitations.  Vastly  more  learned  than  any  of  them,  and  far  better 
versed  in  biblical  literature,  his  victories  were  invariably  assured  and 
easy.  It  was  a  habit  with  him,  when  he  happened  to  hear  that  a  par- 
ticular Catholic  doctrine  had  been  the  subject  of  discourse  from  some 
neighborhood  Protestant  pulpit,  to  instruct  his  own  people  upon  the 
point  that  had  been  controverted,  so  that  the  intelligent  among  them 
might  be  able  to  give  to  honest  inquirers  a  satisfactory  explanation  of 
the  doctrine  impugned. 

He  had  ordinarily  too  much  to  do  to  bandy  words  with  the  Protes- 
tant ministers  of  his  acquaintance ;  but  he  never  shirked  their  advances 
nor  treated  them  with  discourtesy.  When,  however,  they  made  too 
great  exhibition  of  either  ignorance  or  insolence,  none  knew  better 
than  he  how  to  put  a  stopper  upon  their  wordy  or  offensive  outpourings. 
An  apt  inuendo,  a  sharp  stroke  of  wit,  or  a  cutting  satire  delivered  in 
a  single  sentence,  was  generally  all  that  was  necessary  to  induce  them 
to  defer  to  a  more  fitting  opportunity  their  predetermined  and  prear- 
ranged onslaughts  upon  "the  Romish  priest."  The  anecdotes  that 
follow  will  give  the  reader  a  fair  idea  of  his  capabilities  as  a  wit : 

On  a  certain  occasion,  a  preacher  who,  in  addition  to  his  clerical 
calling,  pretended  that  he  was  able  to  discover  the  presence  of  water 
in  the  earth  by  the  use  of  the  divining-rod,  asked  him  pompously, 
profanely  using  the  words  of  our  blessed  Lord:  "  Who  do  men  say 
that  I  am?"  Father  Badin  answered  immediately:  "  They  say  that 
you  are  a  preacher  and  a  water-wizard." 

Father  Badin  had  stopped  at  Danville,  on  another  occasion,  with 
the  intention  of  visiting  the  family  of  the  late  Daniel  Mcllvoy,  the 
only  Catholic  resident  of  the  town.  A  Mr.  Vardiman,  a  well-known 
Protestant  minister  of  the  day,  was  then  in  the  place,  and  on  the  eve- 
ning before  had  preached  a  sermon  in  ridicule  of  Catholic  practices,  and 
had  been  especially  severe  on  that  of  the  rosary  or  beads.     Vardiman 

*  On  the  occasion  of  a  visit  paid  by  Father  Badin  to  this  lady  sometime  dur- 
ing the  year  1808,  she  informed  him  that  a  Baptist  preacher,  living  in  the 
neighborhood,  had  declared  from  his  pulpit  on  the  Sunday  previous,  that 
he  was  able  to  prove  from  the  written  word  of  God  that  the  "Romans" — 
by  which  term  was  implied  the  Catholics — had  actually  crucified  the  Savior  of 
the  world.  The  poor  man  had  confounded  the  Roman  soldiers  serving  under 
Pilate  with  the  modern  "  Romans  "  who  had  captured  Mrs.  Onan.  This  good 
lady  wanted  to  go  at  once  and  refute  the  absurd  charge;  but  Father  Badin  per- 
suaded her  that  it  would  be  best  for  her  to  stay  at  home,  to  say  her  prayers,  and 
tQ  permit  the  preachers  to  be  as  absurd  as  they  pleased. 


l82  FATHER    BADm    AGAIN    ALONE. 

had  often  met  Father  Badin  before,  and  seeing  him  enter  the  house  of 
Mr.  Mcllvoy,  determmed  to  have  a  talk  with  him.  He  was  perceived 
before  reaching  Mr.  Mcllvoy' s  door,  and  that  gendeman  had  barely 
time  to  inform  Father  Badin  of  the  sermon  of  the  previous  evening, 
when  he  entered  the  room.  With  true  Irish  hospitality,  Mr.  Mclvoy 
set  refreshments  before  his  visitors,  including  a  bottle  of  brandy, 
remarking  incidentally  that  he  believed  the  latter  to  be  a  good  article. 
Father  Badin  took  up  the  bottle,  shook  it  for  a  moment,  and  holding 
it  up  to  the  light  remarked,  with  a  sly  look  at  his  host,  "Ah  this  is 
good  Catholic  brandy;  I  see  that  it  has  the  beads. '^ 

A  characteristic  anecdote  of  Father  Badin  runs  thus:  A  church 
had  been  long  needed  in  a  certain  Catholic  neighborhood,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  make  an  effort  to  secure  enough  to  build  it  from  the  heads  of 
families  in  the  congregation.  Having  written  out  proposals  for  sub- 
scriptions, and  headed  the  paper  with  his  own  name,  he  handed  it  to  a 
gentleman  of  known  liberahty  by  whom  it  was  signed,  and  after  whose 
name  appeared  figures  constituting  a  respectable  sum  of  money.  To 
one  after  another  of  his  parishioners  the  hst  was  presented  by  the  priest, 
until  all  had  signed  it;  but  where  he  had  expected  subscriptions  of 
tens,  the  record  called  only  for  units.  Exhibiting  the  list  afterwards  to 
his  single  parishioner  who  had  shown  reasonable  interest  in  the  contem- 
plated work,  that  gentleman  remarked:  "Why,  Father  Badin,  one 
might  suppose  that  the  people  whose  names  are  here  were  heretics  and 
not  Catholics,  so  little  do  they  give  evidence  of  christian  charity."  To 
this  the  priest  made  answer:  "I  don't  know  if  they  be  tainted  with 
heresy  or  not;  but  of  one  thing  I  am  quite  certain — they  are  not  of  the 
sect  of  the  Donatists." 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  the  first  Catholic  settlers  in  Kentucky 
were  not  proverbial  for  their  liberality  to  the  Church.  But  there  are 
excuses  for  them  to  which  much  weight  should  be  attached.  It  is  to  be 
remembered,  in  the  first  place,  that  they  and  their  forefathers  of  the 
old  colony  of  St.  Mary's  had  been  served  by  priests  whose  stipends 
were  paid  out  of  funds  raised  for  the  purpose  in  Europe.  The  calls 
made  upon  them  for  money  to  be  expended  for  religious  purposes  had 
been  infrequent  and  for  trifling  sums.  In  their  new  homes,  they  rightly 
considered  that  the  first  requisite  of  their  isolated  situation  was  a  legi- 
timate pastor;  but  it  required  years  for  them  to  learn  the  full  extent  of 
their  obligations  in  respect  to  his  proper  maintenance  and  that  of  the 
altar  at  which  he  served.  In  the  second  place,  the  emigrants  were 
very  generally  poor,  at  least  in  the  sense  that  they  had  very  little 
money. 

Upon  the  declaration  of  peace,  after  the  war  of  1812,  there  was 
great  rejoicing  in  Kentucky.  In  many  of  the  Protestant  churches 
extraordinary  services  of  thanksgiving  were  held  in  commemoration  of 
the  happy  event.  Father  Badin  happened  to  be  in  Scott  county  in  the 
height  of  the  excitement,  and  a  number  of  his  parishioners  suggested 
to  him  the  propriety  of  holding  a  similar  service  according  to  the  Cath- 
olic ritual. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  1 83 

He  agreed  at  once ;  and  a  day  was  appointed,  and  notification  given 
to  the  neighborhood.  A  commodious  school-house,  near  the  Great 
Crossings,  was  fitted  up  for  the  occasion;  and,  at  the  appointed  hour, 
a  large  crowd  was  in  attendance,  mostly  made  up  of  Protestants  or 
non-Catholics.  Conspicuous  among  these  were  Richard  M.  Johnson 
and  William  T.  Barry.  At  the  close  of  the  mass  of  thanksgiving, 
Father  Badin  turned  to  those  present  and  said :  "  Now,  my  friends,  you 
will  kneel  down  with  me,  and  we  will  give  thanks  to  the  good  Lord  for 
His  mercies."  The  Catholics  present,  of  course,  came  to  their  knees 
at  once ;  but  these  did  not  number  one  in  ten  of  the  audience.  Again 
the  priest  lifted  up  his  voice  and  said :  ' '  All  you  who  are  christians 
will  kneel  down  with  me  and  thank  the  Lord  for  His  mercies !  "  Thus 
apostrophized,  the  greater  number  of  the  standers  fell  upon  their  knees. 
But  there  was  a  goodly  number  still  standing,  and  among  them  were 
the  parties  above  named.  Fixing  his  eyes  upon  those  leaders  of 
societv  and  political  action,  Father  Badin  exclaimed:  "All  you  who 
are  gentlemen  will  kneel  down  with  me  and  return  thanks  to  the  Lord 
our  God  who  has  remembered  us  in  mercy ! "  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  there  was  no  more  faltering  in  that  assemblage.* 

*This  anecdote  comes  to  me  from  Patrick  Joyce,  Esq.  of  Louisville,  a 
Protestant  'riend,  who  had  it  from  one  who  was  present  on  the  occasion  referred 
to  in  the  text. 

Among  my  earliest  recollections  of  persons,  there  are  few  that  remain  to  the 
present  time  more  distinct  than  those  that  refer  to  Father  Badin.  He  was  often 
at  the  house  of  my  father,  in  Bardstown,  when  I  was  a  child;  and,  as  he  took 
occasion  to  tell  me  a  quarter  of  a  century  later,  the  two  had  been  devoted 
friends.  It  is  quite  certain  that  I  have  no  memory  of  the  time  when  I  did  not 
know  him.  I  am  not  sure,  however,  that  the  picture  I  propose  to  give  of  his 
person,  is  not  to  be  referred  raiher  to  what  I  have  heard  concerning  his  appear- 
ance than  to  my  own  early  impressions.  In  1819,  the  time  to  which  I  allude,  I 
was  not  yet  six  years  old,  and  Father  Badin  had  entered  upon  his  fifty-second 
year.  He  was  a  little  under  the  average  height  of  men,  and  though  compactly 
built,  I  doubt  if  his  average  weight  was  over  a  hundred  and  forty  pounds.  His 
face  was  healthfully  florid  ;  his  eyes,  hazel  in  color,  and  kindly  in  expression,  were 
often  seen  flashing  with  humor;  and  his  hair,  slightly  streaked  with  gray,  with 
here  and  there  an  independent  lock  that  appeared  half  disposed  to  curl,  hung 
disorderedly  about  his  forehead  and  ears.  He  was  impulsive  in  both  speech  and 
action,  and  not  a  little  given  to  jesting  when  in  the  company  of  his  friends. 
There  was  at  this  time  no  indecision  in  his  movements,  and  no  appearance  of 
loss  of  physical  energy. 


X84  I^KV.    CHARLES   NERINCKX. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

REV.    CHARLES   NERINCKX.  i 

By  many  persons,  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx  is  regarded  equally  enti- 
tled with  Rev.  Father  Badin,  to  the  honor  and  distinction  of  having 
consolidated  the  Catholic  faith  in  Kentucky.  His  name  is  to  this  day 
associated  in  the  minds  of  the  Catholic  people  of  the  State  with  the 
idea  conveyed  by  the  term  robusttiess.  He  is  still  looked  upon  by 
numbers  of  the  faithful  of  the  country,  as  having  h^Qn,  par  excellence, 
the  missionary  of  his  day  in  the  west;  as  having  imbibed  in  a  greater 
degree  than  others,  the  spirit  of  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  and  as 
having  labored  unceasingly,  as  did  his  great  prototype,  to  render  his 
ministry  profitable  to  those  to  whom  he  had  been  sent.  It  is  not  the 
purpose  of  the  writer  to  give  here  any  extended  sketch  of  the  life  of 
this  extraordinary  priest.  That  has  already  been  admirably  done  by 
Rev.  C.  P.  Maes,  whose  "Life  of  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx"  has  been 
before  the  public  since  1880.  Besides,  elsewhere  in  this  history,  and 
in  many  places,  his  labors  in  connection  with  many  of  the  early 
missions  of  the  State,  have  been  abundantly  referred  to. 

Charles  Nerinckx  was  the  oldest  of  fourteen  children  born  to  their 
parents,  Sebastian  Nerinckx  and  Petronilla  Langendries,  of  the  village 
of  Herffelingen,  in  Belgium.  The  father  was  a  physician  of  some 
note,  and  he  was  still  more  notable  for  his  many  christian  virtues. 
The  mother  is  compared,  by  the  biographer  of  her  son,  to  the 
"valiant  woman"  of  Holy  Writ.  That  the  comparison  is  just,  is 
implied  by  the  fact  that  two  of  her  sons  became  priests,  and  three  of 
her  daughters  nuns.  Soon  after  the  birth  of  their  first  child  and  son, 
October  2d,  1761,  the  family  removed  to  Ninove,  in  East  Flanders, 
where,  as  the  author  of  the  "  Life  of  Father  Nerinckx,"  tells  us,  "the 
couple  lived  secluded  and  without  ostentation;  distinguished,  if  at  all, 
from  their  neighbors,  more  by  the  earnestness  and  priest-like  zeal 
which  the  doctor  brought  to  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  and  the 
unobtrusive  piety  and  conscientious  care  with  which  the  young  mother 
governed  her  household,  than  by  any  exterior  show."  Charles 
Nerinckx  was  sent,  first  to  the  college  of  Enghein,  near  Ninove,  and 
afterwards  to  that  of  Gheel.  The  third  school  entered  by  him  was 
the  Catholic  University  of  Louvain,  whence,  in  1781,  he  became  a 
student  in  the  theological  seminary  of  Mechlin.     His  ordination  took 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  1 85 

place  toward  the  end  of  the  year  1785;  and,  a  year  later,  he  was 
appointed  vicar  of  the  Metropolitan  parish  of  St.  Rumoldus,  Mech- 
lin. In  1794,  he  was  promoted  to  the  pastorship  of  Everberg- 
Meerbeke,  where  he  entered  upon  his  work  with  such  earnestness  as  to 
soon  bring  about  many  needed  reforms.  He  remodeled  the  church,  and 
changed  the  aspect  of  the  parish  from  one  of  recognized  disorder  and 
irreligion,  to  one  in  which  was  to  be  seen  regularity  and  a  high  degree 
of  practical  piety.  In  1797,  the  armies  of  the  French  revolution 
reached  Belgium,  and  all  was  confusion.  Warned  that  an  order  for 
his  arrest  had  been  issued,  he  fled  by  night,  disguised  as  a  peasant, 
and  was  enabled  to  secrete  himself  in  the  hospital  of  St.  Blase,  Dender- 
monde,  where  his  aunt.  Mother  Constantia  Langendries,  was  of  the 
sisterhood  in  charge.  For  four  years,  says  his  biographer,  Father 
Nerinckx  devoted  himself  in  secret  to  labors  in  the  interests  of 
religion  and  humanity.  Unknown,  except  to  the  members  of  the 
community,  and  to  those  to  whom  he  was  introduced  by  them, 
mosdy  patients  in  the  institution,  his  ministrations  bore  abundant 
fruits.  After  his  mass  for  the  community,  which  was  said  at  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  visited  the  wounded  prisoners  shut  up  in 
the  hospital,  and  awaiting  execution.  He  administered  to  them  the 
last  sacraments,  and  blessed  them  from  his  secret  hiding-place,  as 
they  passed  through  the  portals  of  the  hospital  to  unmerited  death. 
Often,  too,  at  the  peril  of  his  life,  he  visited,  by  stealth,  his  abandoned 
parish  of  Meerbeke,  administering  the  sacraments  to  his  forlorn 
people,  and  encouraging  them  to  bear  their  trials  with  patience.  He 
was  often  in  proximate  danger  of  discovery,  but  trustful  in  the  protec- 
tion of  Providence,  he  persevered,  taking  his  rest  in  the  day  and 
laboring  at  night.  This  was  continued  for  four  years,  and  then 
there  came  a  change  that  left  him  free  to  labor  in  his  native  land,  but 
not  untrammelled  by  conditions  that  he  looked  upon  as  burdensome  to 
conscience. 

As  early  as  the  year  1800,  Father  Nerinckx  had  thoughts  of  devot- 
ing himself  to  the  foreign  missions.  On  the  20th  ot  November,  1803, 
he  applied  to  Bishop  Carroll,  by  letter,  for  admission  to  the  ranks  of 
his  clerical  force,  and  upon  the  receipt  of  that  prelate's  assurance 
of  welcome,  he  made  preparation  for  his  voyage  to  America.  On  the 
14th  of  August,  1804,  he  embarked  for  the  United  States  from  Amster- 
dam, and  on  the  14th  of  October  he  arrived  at  Baltimore  and  was 
kindly  received  by  Bishop  Carroll. 

The  hapless  condition  of  the  Catholic  people  in  Kentucky  was  at 
this  time  a  subject  of  grief  and  embarrassment  to  Bishop  Carroll.  For 
more  than  two  years  his  vicar  in  that  distant  mission  had  been  over- 
whelmed with  work.  With  none  to  assist  him  for  that  length  of  time, 
he  had  vainly  striven  to  stretch  his  ministry  so  as  to  make  it  available 
to  all.  There  was  no  neglect,  no  lack  of  energy  on  his  part,  but  the 
field  was  too  great  to  be  gone  over  by  any  one  man,  and  the  number 
of  the  faithful  too  many  to  enable  any  one  priest  to  minister  to  the 
spiritual  needs  of  all.     People  were  left  for  nionths  without  any  oppor- 


l86  REV.   CHARLES    NERINCKX. 

tunlty  of  hearing  mass ;  they  were  even  dying  without  the  grace  of  the 
Sacraments,  and  there  was  no  help  for  it.  Father  Badin  had  repeat- 
edly implored  his  superior  to  send  him  an  assistant ;  but,  anxious  as 
had  been  Bishop  Carroll  to  do  so,  he  had  hitherto  been  wholly  unable 
to  comply  with  his  wishes.  The  coming  of  Father  Nerinckx  under 
such  circumstances,  was  regarded  by  him  as  providential ;  and  when 
the  good  ecclesiastic  was  told  of  the  urgency  of  the  case,  he  did  not 
hesitate  for  a  moment,  but  announced  his  readiness  to  go  at  once  to 
the  assistance  of  his  over-worked  brother  priest  in  the  wilds  of 
Kentucky. 

Father  Nerinckx  reached  the  humble  residence  of  Father  Badin  on 
the  1 8th  of  July,  1805,  and  at  once  the  two  priests  became  fast  friends 
and  energetic  co-workers  in  the  wide  field  of  missionary  duty  to  which 
they  had  been  assigned.  The  Belgian  priest  was  at  this  time  in  the 
45th  year  of  his  age,  and  knowing  little  as  yet  of  the  spoken  language 
of  the  country,  it  is  presumable  that  most  of  his  time  for  a  few 
months  after  his  arrival  at  St.  Stephen's  was  given  to  the  study  of 
English.  He  never  did  acquire  a  correct  pronunciation  of  the  lan- 
guage, but  he  was  soon  able  to  make  himself  understood,  and  for  the 
rest,  the  man  and  his  manners  were  all  sufficient  to  impress  favorably 
all  listeners  to  his  sermons  and  exhortations. 

Nominally,  the  residence  of  Father  Nerinckx  was  with  Father 
Badin,  at  St.  Stephen's,  until  the  arrival  of  Bishop  Flaget  in  Kentucky 
in  the  summer  of  181 1.  In  fact,  he  was  only  to  be  found  there  when 
his  associate  was  engaged  on  one  or  another  of  his  distant  missions. 
For  the  rest  of  the  time  he  was  a  true  nomad,  here  to-day  and  there 
to-morrow,  but  always  where  his  services  were  most  needed.  His  first 
winter  in  Kentucky  was  spent  in  preaching  the  jubilee,  and  the  fruits 
of  his  labors  were  of  sufficient  importance  to  fill  his  heart  with  joy  and 
thankfulness  to  God.  A  characteristic  letter  written  by  him  early  in 
December,  1805,  and  copied  by  Rev.  C.  P.  Maes  in  the  history  he 
has  given  us  of  his  life,  should  have  in  it  much  of  interest  to  Catholics 
of  the  present  day  in  Kentucky : 

' '  On  the  second  of  December,  we  opened  the  first  jubilee  ever  held 
in  this  part  of  the  New  World.  About  i  p.  m.,  we  walked  in  proces- 
sion from  the  parish  church,  now  called  Holy  Cross,  to  the  house 
where  the  Trappists  live,  a  distance  of  nearly  a  mile.  I  had  the  hap- 
piness of  carrying  the  most  blessed  Sacrament,  and  gave  benediction 
from  an  altar  built  alongside  the  street  (road).  The  priests  of  the 
Trappist  community  assisted,  and  the  people  showed  much  devotion. 
The  good  work  is  eminently  successful,  but  it  is  impossible  to  do  jus- 
tice to  it ;  it  is  as  much  beyond  our  strength  as  the  sun  is  above  our 
heads.  We  find  out  scores  of  people  of  twenty  years  and  over  who 
never  made  their  first  communion.  Early  rising,  hard  work  and  late 
meals  tell  on  us  all,  and  we  are  so  lean  that  we  will  soon  be  able  to 
worry  through  the  narrow  gate  of  heaven.     God  grant  it !  " 

In  April,  1806,  Fathers  Nerinckx  and  Badin  visited  Post  Vincen- 
nes,  where  they  remained  for  seven  days  engaged  in  missionary  work. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  187 

Before  this  time,  Father  Nerinckx  had  serious  thoughts  of  joining  the 
Trappists.     Happily  for  the  thousands  who  were  afterwards  benefitted 
by  his  ministry,  he  was  dissuaded  from  his  purpose  by  the  remon- 
strances of  Bishop  Carroll  and  Father  Badin.     He  had  not  been  ten 
years  in  the  State  before  he  was  known  by  the  tide  of  the  "church 
builder."     Dr.  Spalding  tells  us  that  he  put  up,  or  caused  to  be  \mt  up, 
ten  churches  during  the  nineteen  years  he  was  connected  with  the  mis- 
sions of  the  State.     These  were :  Holy  Mary's,  on  the  Rolling  Fork ; 
St.  Charles',  on  Hardin's  creek;  St.  Augustine's,  in  Lebanon,  and  the 
renewed  church  of  Holy  Cross,  all  in  the  present  county  of  Marion  ;  St. 
Anthony's  and  St.  Romuald's,  in  Breckinridge  county;  St.  Clare's,  in 
Hardin   county;  St.  Patrick's  in   Mercer   county;  St.   Bernard's   on 
Casey  creek,  in  Adair  county,  and  St.  Augustine's,  in  Grayson  county. 
The  traditions  respecting  Father  Nerinckx  that  have  come  down  to 
the  present  time  and  are  common  among  Catholics  living  in  the  cen- 
tral parts  of  the  State,  represent  him  as  a  wonder  of  zeal,  of  piety  and 
of  physical  and  intellectual  energy.     According  to  these  traditions,  he 
gave  to  his  work  the  full  measure  of  his  time  and  the  utmost  strength 
of  his  faculties.     He  was  so  much  a  stranger  to  sloth  that  he  gave  to 
repose  but  half  its  dues,  and  this  grudgingly.     No  sooner  did  he  find 
his  work  done  at  one  church  or  station  than  he  was  off  to  another.  * 
He  appeared  to  court  the  things  that  were  less  agreeable  to  the  natural 
man.    Toil  was  the  element  in  which  he  lived,  and  the  more  he  found 
to  do,  the  more  he  also  appeared  to  give  himself  up  to  his  work,  and 
to  praise  God  for  having  given  him  the  strength  to  compass  it.    A  ride 
of  fifty  miles  without  breaking  his  fast  was  with  him  a  common  occur- 
rence; and  then,  it  might  be,  after  having  partaken  of  a  cup  of  milk 
and  a  corn  dodger,  or  probably  as  much  bread  and  a  slice  of  bacon, 
cold  from  the  dinner  of  the  day,  he  would  hear  confessions  till  far  in 
the  night,  and  be  up  to  resume  his  work  by  day-break  in  the  morning. 
He  was  Uttle  dainty  in  respect  to  the  food  he  ate,  eating  but  to  sustain 
life,  and  often  preferring  to  endure  hunger  rather  than  to  give  trouble 
to  others,  f     Reaching  a  station  after  the  household  was  asleep,  he 

*  Father  Nerinckx  was  of  the  average  height  of  men,  but  heavily  and  com- 
pactly built.  His  weight,  added  to  the  speed  at  which  he  traveled  and  the 
length  of  his  journeys,  would  have  been  too  much  for  ordinary  equine  resist- 
ance. Satisfied  himself  of  this  fact,  he  was  on  the  constant  look-out  for  a 
horse  that  would  enable  him  to  go  swiftly  on  sick  calls,  and  to  fulfill  the  least 
and  greatest  of  his  engagements.  He  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure,  in  the 
early  years  of  his  missionary  career  in  Kentucky,  an  animal  that  never  failed 
him,  no  matter  how  exacting  were  the  tasks  required  of  his  heels.  In  time  the 
ubiquitous  priest  was  a  no  more  familiar  object  in  the  Catholic  settlements  of 
Central  Kentucky  than  was  his  famous  horse,  Printer.  Anecdotes  of  this 
animal's  extraordinary  performances  were  rife  in  the  State  sixty  years  ago  ;  but 
since  my  present  business  is  not  with  the  horse,  but  his  master,  I  will  have  to 
forego  their  repetition  here. 

t  Writing  to  his  parents  in  1807,  he  thus  describes  his  bodily  ailments  and 
their  cause :  "  I  feel  that  my  strength  of  body  is  diminishing,  and  my  vigor  of 
mind  giving  way  under  the  constant  pressure  of  hard  work.  I  am  frequently 
troubled  with  diarrhoea  and   indigestion,  owing   to   reasons  which   I  cannot 


l88  REV.    FATHER    NERINCKX. 

would  Stable  his  horse  and  take  his  own  rest  under  no  more  favorable 
conditions ;  and  when  the  inmates  of  the  house  arose  next  morning, 
they  would  find  him  up,  and  either  saying  his  office  or  making  his  med- 
itation before  mass. 

Father  Nerinckx  was  an  austere  man,  but  he  was  singularly  free 
from  moroseness.  Whatever  he  did  or  said,  few,  if  any,  ever  misin- 
terpreted his  motives.  It  was  plain  to  all  that  he  was  at  once  forget- 
ful of  self  and  mindful  of  his  neighbor.  His  very  severities,  and  no 
one  could  be  more  severe  on  occasion,  appeared  to  be  drawn  from  him 
by  the  jealous  regard  he  had  for  truth  and  the  honor  of  his  Divine 
Master.  His  estimate  of  his  own  capabilities  was  modest  in  the  extreme. 
Eminently  successful  as  a  pastor  of  souls  in  his  own  country,  and 
equally  so  as  a  missionary  priest  in  Kentucky,  he  appeared  to  be  filled 
with  distrust  of  the  adequateness  of  his  labors;  and  when,  in  1808,  he 
was  informed  of  his  appointment  to  the  See  of  New  Orleans,  he  rested 
not  till  he  had  secured  release  from  the  designated  honor.  He  was 
ready  to  accept  the  labors  of  the  Louisiana  mission,  but  he  shrank 
from  the  idea  of  episcopal  responsibility  in  giving  to  them  shape  and 
direction. 

Anecdotes  of  Father  Nerinckx's  great  physical  strength  are  quite 
numerous.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  labor  of  his  hands  was  equal  to 
that  of  any  other  two  twice  told  in  the  building  of  every  church  in 
Kentucky  with  whose  construction  his  name  has  been  connected.  His 
adventure  with  a  rough  character  named  Hardin  is  well  told  by  Dr. 
Spalding.  It  would  seem  that  the  priest  was  in  the  habit  of  speaking 
plainly  of  breaches  of  decorum  in  church,  and  one  day  he  animad- 
verted severely  against  the  ill  conduct  of  a  knot  of  young  men  who 
were  disturbing  the  solemnity  of  the  place  and  the  occasion.  One  of 
them,  the  party  named,  took  serious  offense  at  the  reprimand,  and 
vowed  vengeance  against  the  priest.  He  was  a  stalwart  fellow,  and  not 
a  little  of  a  bully,  and  he  took  occasion  to  waylay  the  priest  and  to 
demand  his  submission  to  a  drubbing.  Before  Father  Nerinckx  was 
aware  of  his  motive,  however,  he  had  seized  the  bridle  of  his  horse, 
and  by  a  dexterous  use  of  his  knife,  parted  one  of  the  stirrup-leathers 
that  hung  from  his  saddle-flaps.  To  the  young  man's  imperious  demand 
that  he  should  dismount  and  engage  with  him  in  a  fist-fight  the 
priest  answered  mildly,  as  became  him ;  he  assured  him  that  he  had 
not  intended  personal  offense  by  the  language  he  had  used ;  and  he 
begged  him  to  remember  that  he  was  a  minister  of  religion,  and  that  it 
would  he  wholly  unbecoming  in  him  to  accept  his  challenge.  The 
bully  would  not  be  put  off,  and  the  priest  was  forced  to  dismount. 
Avoiding  the  blow  struck  at  him  by  the  infuriated  man.  Father  Ner- 
inckx clasped  him  in  his  arms,  and,  with  more  of  gentleness  than  the 
occasion  demanded,  laid  him  flat  on  the  ground.     The  fellow  did  not 

avoid :  among  others,  long  fastings  and  very  irregular  meals.  Many  a  day  I 
have  only  one  very  late  meal,  entirely  different  from  the  food  I  was  used  to." 
[Life  C.  N.  p  128.] 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  189 

care  to  experiment  further  with  a  man  whose  hug  was  resistless,  and 
upon  his  promise  to  behave  himself  for  the  future,  he  was  permitted  to 
rise  and  go  about  his  business. 

In  rail-making,  as  is  well  known  by  woodsmen,  the  first  insertion 
into  the  log  of  the  iron  wedge  used  for  splitting  it  apart,  can  ordinarily 
be  accomplished  only  by  gentle  taps  of  the  maul,  delivered  upon  the 
head  of  the  wedge.  A  hard  blow  at  this  early  stage  of  the  operation 
is  almost  sure  to  end  disastrously,  as  many  a  discomfitted  tyro  in  the 
business  has  found  out  to  his  cost.  One  day,  when  the  country  was 
new  to  him.  Father  Nerinckx  witnessed  for  the  first  time  the  operation 
of  splitting  rails  on  the  farm  occupied  by  Mr.  Basil  Mattingly.  Observ- 
ing the  singularity  of  the  process,  he  asked  to  be  permitted  to  attack 
the  wedge  without  the  preliminary  of  easy  tapping  as  described.  ' '  But 
the  wedge  will  rebound,  Father  Nerinckx,  and  it  may  strike  and  hurt 
you,"  cautioned  Mr.  Mattingly.  The  priest  persisted,  and  having  struck 
the  edge  of  the  instrument  through  the  bark  until  it  stood  upright,  he 
took  the  maul  in  hand  and  with  a  single  blow  drove  it  more  than  one- 
half  its  length  into  the  stiff  wood.  There  was  no  rebound  of  course, 
because  there  could  not  be;  and  Mr.  Mattingly  was  afterwards  in 
the  habit  of  declaring  that  in  all  his  experience  he  had  never  witnessed 
an  exhibition  of  such  wonderful  physical  power. 

Dr.  Spalding  tells  us  that  though  Father  Nerinckx  had  charge  of 
but  six  congregations,  the  stations  served  by  him  were  many,  and  that 
these  were  "scattered  over  the  whole  extent  of  Kentucky."  Wherever 
he  could  learn  that  there  were  Catholic  settlers,  however  few,  there  he 
established  a  station.  The  labors  he  thus  voluntarily  assumed  would 
now  be  esteemed  incredible.  He  was  a  swift  rider,  and  he  was  never 
known  to  waste  an  hour  of  his  time,  but  it  ordinarily  took  him  six 
weeks  to  make  the  circuit  of  his  churches  and  stations. 

The  terms  "rest,"  "recreation,"  "sociality,"  had  no  meaning  for 
one  who  had  given  himself  altogether  to  God  and  to  the  interests  of 
the  souls  purchased  by  the  blood  of  His  Son.  He  lived  and  labored 
as  if  the  words  of  the  beloved  disciple  were  ever  before  his  eyes  in 
letters  of  fire:  "  I  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that  sent  me  whilst  it 
is  yet  day;  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work."  He  recked  not 
of  personal  danger  at  any  time  when  it  was  question  of  priestly  duty. 
More  than  once  when  he  had  been  called  to  the  sick,  he  swam  rivers 
at  flood-tide,  and  on  one  such  occasion  he  was  swept  from  his  horse's 
back  and  only  saved  himself  from  drowning  by  a  fortunate  grasp  he 
made  at  the  tail  of  the  noble  animal  he  was  riding. 

Wherever  he  went,  his  confessional  was  thronged  with  penitents. 
His  very  appearance  was  a  suggestion  of  God's  mercy  and  goodness 
to  sinners.  Then  it  was  his  habit  before  entering  the  confessional 
to  address  those  who  had  assembled  for  the  reception  of  the  sacrament 
on  its  nature,  conditions  and  the  dispositions  with  which  it  should  be 
approached.  Austere  elsewhere,  in  the  sacred  tribunal  he  was  kind 
and  tender  and  patient.  It  is  still  of  tradition  in  those  parts  of  Ken- 
tucky in  which  he  labored  that  it  was  a  rare  thing  to  find  one  of  his 


igo  REV.  CHARLES   NERINCKX. 

penitents  backsliding  into  grievous  sin ;  and  it  is  quite  certain  that  the 
present  descendants  of  those  who  were  once  his  penitents  are  among 
the  most  pious  and  exemplary  of  their  respective  congregations. 

One  of  the  most  noteworthy  characteristics  of  Father  Nerinckx  was 
his  attentiveness  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  "little  ones  of  Christ" — 
the  children  and  servants  of  the  congregations  served  by  him.  With 
these  he  took  infinite  pains,  firmly,  yet  gently,  leading  them  by  the 
pathway  of  knowledge  to  the  love  of  their  religion,  and  to  a  rightful 
appreciation  of  duty.  It  is  said  that  his  manner  of  dealing  with  chil- 
dren was  most  winning,  and  that  the  affection  they  had  for  him  was 
everywhere  remarkable.  "In  Kentucky,  as  in  Belgium,"  says  Dr. 
Spalding,  ' '  he  sought  to  inculcate  a  tender  devotion  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  Under  her  invocation  was  dedicated  the  first  church  built  by 
him  in  Kentucky,  that  of  Holy  Mary's.  His  churches  were  generally 
built  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  the  two  arms  of  which,  with  one  half  of 
the  body,  were  occupied  respectively  by  the  men  and  the  women,  who 
were  always  kept  separate.  After  mass,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  practic- 
ing a  devotion  that  was  as  beautiful  as  it  was  touching  and  impressive. 
In  the  center  of  the  Church,  and  surrounded  by  the  children  of  the 
congregation,  he  would  place  himself  on  his  knees,  and  with  arms 
extended  in  the  shape  of  a  cross,  the  attending  children  assuming  the 
same  position,  he  would  recite  prayers  in  honor  of  the  five  wounds  of 
our  divine  Lord.  The  parents  often  joined  with  their  children  in  this 
moving  devotion.  After  this,  he  would  lead  his  little  congregation 
into  the  adjoining  graveyard,  where  he  caused  them  to  visit  and  pray 
over  the  graves  of  their  deceased  relatives  and  friends." 

Quoting  from  letters  of  Bishop  Flaget,  Dr.  Spalding  inserts  the  fol- 
lowing in  his  sketch  of  the  life  of  the  renowned  missionary  :  "  the  con- 
tinual traveling  which  M.  Nerinckx  was  obliged  to  undergo,  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year,  and  exposed  to  every  inconvenience,  would  have 
terrified  the  most  enterprising  pioneers.  .  .  .  He  made  two  journeys 
to  Europe,  and  the  valuables  he  secured  for  the  Church  of  Kentucky, 
were  equivalent  to  the  sum  of  $15,000.* 

"Nothing  could  exceed  his  devotion  to  the  Holy  Sacrament  of  our 
altars.  Never  did  he  permit  a  day  to  pass  without  celebrating  mass, 
when  that  was  possible ;  and  a*  rule  of  his  monasteries  is,  to  keep  up, 
even  during  the  night,  the  perpetual  adoration  by  a  succession  of  two 
sisters  to  two  sisters  before  the  Holy  Sacrament.  This  good  man  had 
also  great  filial  piety  toward  Mary,  the  Mother  of  Jesus.  .  .  .  Often 
did  the  pious  ejaculation,  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  teaching  to 
others,  escape  from  his  own  lips :  '  Oh,  suffering  Jesus !  Oh,  sorrowful 
Mary  ! '  In  all  the  churches  attended  by  him  he  established  the  society 
of  the  Holy  Rosary  and  the  confraternity  and  sisterhood  of  the  Scap- 
ular ;  and  almost  all  the  Catholics  of  his  congregations  are  still  enrolled 

*  A  single  one  of  the  pictures  presented  to  him  for  the  cathedral  of  the  dio- 
cese, and  now  to  be  seen  in  that  of  the  Assumption,  Louisville,  is  intrinsically 
.worth  more  than  half  this  sum. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  19I 

in  one  or  more  of  these  pious  societies.  .  .  .  Nothing  could  be  more 
edifying  than  his  piety  toward  the  dead.  He  never  permitted  a  week 
to  pass  without  offering  up  the  mass  for  their  repose." 

Father  Nerinckx  was  a  wonderful  man ;  and  he  was  alike  wonder- 
ful in  what  may  not  be  inappropriately  termed  the  audacity  of  his 
courage  and  in  his  extraordinary  humility.  He  was  a  giant  to  labor, 
and  a  child  to  receive  and  profit  by  instruction.  But  his  labors  in  the 
field  of  missionary  enterprise,  great  beyond  computation  as  they  were, 
were  dwarfed  by  a  single  work  of  his,  the  beneficial  results  of  which 
have  gone  on  increasing  to  the  present  day.  He  was  the  founder  of 
the  institute  of  Friends  of  Mary  at  the  Foot  of  the  Cross,  better  known 
in  his  own  lifetime,  as  the  Sisterhood  of  Loretto.  Had  he  done  noth- 
ing else  for  Catholicity  in  the  United  States,  this  one  consummation 
of  his  zeal  and  charity  were  still  enough  to  perpetuate  his  fame  with 
the  Catholic  people  of  thf  country.  This  noble  institute,  still  guided 
by  the  spirit  he  infused  into  its  rules,  has  now  its  arms  stretched  out 
till  its  finger  tips,  so  to  speak,  are  touching  the  sea  to  the  West ;  and, 
wherever  the  sisterhood  has  been  established,  its  members  are  to  be 
found  teaching  the  young  of  their  sex  what  they  owe  to  heaven,  to 
their  parents  and  to  themselves. 

We  come  now  to  the  facts,  alleged  and  ascertained,  which  induced 
Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx  to  abandon  the  diocese  in  1824,  and  which 
shortly  preceded  his  death.     There  was,  undoubtedly,  divergence  of 
opinion  between  Rev.  G.  I.  Chabrat,  local  superior  of  the  convent  of 
Bethania,  near  Fairfield,   a  branch  establishment  of  the  Loretto  insti- 
tute, and  himself  in  regard  to  the  rules  he  had  promulgated  for  the 
government  of  the  community.     Father  Chabrat  looked  upon  these 
rules  as  unbearable  because  of  their  severity,  and  he  repeatedly  called 
the  attention  of  Bishop  Flaget  to  them  with  a  view  to  their  modifica- 
tion.    On  the  other  hand,  as  is  alleged,  the  sisters  were  themselves 
opposed  to  the  change.     They  had  memory  of  their  associates  who  had 
already  reached  heaven  by  the  way  of  mortification,  and  they  seemed 
to  fear  that  their  own  progress  toward  perfection  would  be  impeded  in 
proportion  to  their  deviation  from  the  paths  they  trod.     Dr.  Chabrat, 
says  the  biographer  of  Father  Nerinckx,  was  trying  to  arrogate  to  him- 
self the  right  of  altering,  at  Bethania,  the  rules  of  the  society ;  he  cen- 
sured the  piety  of  its  ecclesiastical  superior  as  visionary  and  over-done ; 
he  urged  his  removal;   and,   in  1824,    "  he  wrote  to  Bishop  Flaget  a 
lengthy  letter  in  which  he  enumerated  all  his  complaints  against  him 
and  his  style  of  piety,  censuring  him  for  excessive  rigor  in  his  govern- 
ment of  the  community,  and  for  unnecessary  severity  in  the  direction 
of  souls.      The  bishop  was   much   embarrassed,  for   he    held   both 
priests  in  great  esteem.     He  made  known  to  the  superior,  however, 
the  complaints  that  had  been  made  against  him,  but  left  his  future 
course  to  his  own  prudence." 

Under  the  circumstances  related,  Father  Nerinckx  concluded  that 
it  would  be  best  for  all  concerned  that  he  should  leave  Kentucky  and 
devote  the  remainder  of  his  days  to  his  former  and  abandoned  project 


192  REV.    CHARLES   NERINCKX. 

of  Indian  conversion.  He  left  Loretto  on  horseback  on  the  i6th  of 
June,  1824,  accompanied  by  Brother  James  Van  Rysselberghe,  whom 
he  had  brought  with  him  to  the  country  in  1821,  and  he  reached  the 
convent  of  Bethlehem,  in  Perry  county,  Missouri,  where  had  been 
established,  the  year  before,  a  branch  house  of  his  beloved  sisterhood 
of  Loretto,  on  the  20th  of  July  following.  He  told  the  sisters  he  had 
come  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  days  with  them,  and  to  have  his 
bones  rest  in  their  graveyard. 

The  remnant  of  life  that  was  left  to  him  after  his  removal  to  Mis- 
souri was  not  idly  spent.  He  arranged  with  the  Indian  agents  in  St. 
Louis  for  the  education  of  twelve  Indian  girls  at  Bethlehem,  the 
government  to  pay  for  tuition.  A  house  was  even  put  up  for  their 
accommodation,  but  the  Indians  never  occupied  it.*  On  his  return 
way  to  Bethlehem  he  heard  of  a  settlement  of  Catholics  that  had  not 
been  visited  by  a  priest  for  more  than  two  years.  Reaching  a  house 
to  which  he  had  been  directed,  he  had  the  Catholic  people  of  the 
neighborhood  called  together ;  and,  says  his  biographer,  he  was 
engaged  with  them  from  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  till  three  in  the 
afternoon,  giving  them  instructions,  hearing  their  confessions  and 
administering  to  them  the  holy  communion.  He  wound  up  this  last 
day  of  his  active  ministry  by  inducing  those  present  to  take  up  a  sub- 
scription for  the  building  of  a  church,  toward  which  he  subscribed 
himself  ten  dollars,  and  those  immediately  interested  not  far  from  a 
thousand.  That  evening  he  was  taken  so  severely  ill  that  he  was 
obliged  to  give  up  the  idea  of  saying  mass  the  following  morning. 
The  morning  of  the  day  after,  he  did  say  mass,  and,  soon  afterwards, 
still  accompanied  by  Brother  Rysselberghe,  he  rode  twelve  miles  to  St. 
Genevieve,  to  the  residence  of  Rev.  A.  Dahmen,  pastor  of  the  con- 
gregation, where  he  was  received  with  the  greatest  kindness  and 
affection.  He  heard  mass  on  Sunday,  August  8th,  and  on  that  day  and 
part  of  the  next  he  appeared  to  be  better.  From  Monday  noon  to 
Thursday  he  gradually  grew  worse,  and  on  that  day,  the  12th  of  the 
month,  he  received  the  last  sacraments  from  the  hands  of  Father 
Dahmen  and  peacefully  fell  asleep  in  Christ. 

The  announcement  of  his  death  in  Kentucky  was  the  occasion  of 
general  sorrow  among  Catholics.  He  was  personally  known  by  the 
greater  number  of  these,  and  where  that  was  not  the  case,  there  were 
none  who  had  not  knowledge  of  his  reputation  for  sanctity.  The  fact 
of  his  death  was  announced  from  the  pulpit  of  the  cathedral.  Bards- 
town,  by  Bishop  Flaget  himself,  and  as  he  told  the  story  of  his  life  and 
death,  of  the  services  he  had  rendered  to  the  diocese,  and  of  the  chris- 
tian virtues  that  ennobled  his  character,  his  eyes  overflowed  and  the 
tones  of  his  voice  were  indicative  of  deep  anguish.  The  cathedral 
congregation  had  seen  less,  possibly,  of  Father  Nerinckx  than  any 
other  in  the  State ;  but  a  stranger  in  their  presence  that  day  would  have 

*  Father  Nerinckx's  biographer  tells  us  that  this  breach  of  contract  was 
owing  to  the  death  of  the  priest  a  few  days  later. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  1 93 

thought  that  the  dead  priest  had  been  bound  to  them  by  long-established 
pastoral  ties.  Among  the  people  of  his  own  congregations  there  was 
felt  much  keener  sorrow,  but  to  this  was  added  a  sentiment  that  was 
akin  to  triumph.  They  had  been  served  by  a  saint!  — thus  they  reas- 
oned— and  they  had  now  an  intercessor  in  heaven  who  would  pity  them 
because  they  had  been  his  children.  His  orphaned  daughters  of  Mary 
were  inconsolable.  They  prayed  for  him,  to  be  sure,  and  they  offered 
up  their  communions  for  his  eternal  repose ;  but  there  was  not  one  of 
them  that  did  not  believe  in  her  heart  that  she  was  more  in  need  of 
prayers  than  he.  They  had  before  treasured  the  rules  he  had  given 
them,  but  they  now  esteemed  them  a  legacy  that  was  beyond  price. 
But  it  was  not  in  Kentucky  alone  that  the  death  of  the  laborious  and 
saintly  Nerinckx  was  regarded  with  peculiar  sorrow,  and  that  the  life 
that  preceded  it  was  held  to  have  been  patterned  after  that  of  the  Great 
Model  of  perfection,  Christ  himself.  The  odor  of  his  sanctity  had 
penetrated  the  whole  western  land,  and  the  faithful  and  generally  over- 
worked clergy  had  been  encouraged  to  perseverance  by  his  example.* 
In  December,  1833,  the  body  of  Father  Nerinckx  was  exhumed  by 
Brother  Charles  Gilbert  and  removed  to  Kentucky.  It  now  rests  in  the 
center  of  the  conventual  graveyard  of  the  Loretto  sisterhood,  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  former  St.  Stephen's,  where  the  missionary  first 
had  his  home  in  Kentucky  with  Father  Badin,  and  where  a  monument 
of  white  marble  covers  his  grave. 

*  Sixty  years  ago  it  was  no  uncommon  belief  among  the  Catholic  people  of 
Kentucky  that  Father  Nerinckx  had  power  given  him  of  God  to  work  miracles. 
To  this  day  marvelous  things  are  related  of  him  in  this  connection  in  the  locali- 
ties wherein  he  was  best  known.  Without  vouching  for  the  absolute  truth  of 
the  relations,  I  care  not  to  express  my  personal  conviction  that  there  is  enough 
in  them  to  give  pause  to  doubt.  The  idea  that  the  Church  of  Christ,  since  the 
last  of  the  apostles  of  our  blessed  Lord  was  transferred  from  earth  to  heaven, 
has  suffered  privation  of  all  the  attestation  of  its  divine  character  that  is  to  be 
derived  from  miraculous  events,  is  wholly  unacceptable  to  Catholic  christians. 
These  know  and  feel  that  for  the  honor  and  glory  of  God  and  the  welfare  of 
souls  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  His  Son,  there  is  not  a  day  that  passes  in  which 
divine  power  is  not  manifested  in  the  sight  of  men  in  ways  that  are  not  to  be 
comprehended  by  the  finite  mind.  They  believe  that  now,  just  as  was  the  case 
when  the  shadow  of  St.  Peter  fell  upon  the  sick  and  they  were  cured  of  their 
maladies,  God  deigns  to  invest  certain  of  His  servants  with  power  to  work 
wonders  in  His  name.  Father  Nerinckx  was  undoubtedly  a  man  of  very  great 
sanctity,  and  when  it  is  said  of  such  a  one,  as  his  biographer  declares  it  to 
have  been  the  case  with  the  saintly  missionary,  that  his  hands  raised  in  blessing 
over  those  who  had  been  bitten  by  venomous  reptiles  was  all  sufficient  to 
destroy  the  poison  that  was  commingling  with  their  blood,  the  consistent 
Catholic  will  discover  in  the  fact  nothing  repugnant  to  his  faith-enlightened 
reason. 


«3 


194  THE   TRAPPISTS    IN    KENTUCKY. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   TRAPPISTS    IN    KENTUCKY. 

The  first  attempt  of  the  Order  of  Our  Lady  of  La  Trappe  to  estab- 
lish itself  in  America  was  made  in  the  year  1804.  In  that  year,  in 
order  to  escape  persecution,  its  French  members  were  obHged  to  flee 
their  country,  and  a  colony  of  them,  under  the  leadership  of  Father 
Urban  Guillet,  came  to  America  and  settled  at  Pigeon  Hills,  near  Cona- 
wago,  Pennsylvania.  This  colony  was  composed  of  eight  priests, 
seventeen  laybrothers,  and  a  number  of  boys  who  had  been  taken  in 
charge  by  the  Order  in  France,  to  be  reared  religiously  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  one  or  another  of  the  useful  trades.  After  a  residence 
of  a  single  year  at  Pigeon  Hills,  the  entire  colony  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky and  settled  on  lands  about  one  mile  removed  from  Holy  Cross 
church,  in  Nelson  county.  Writing  of  their  arrival  in  Kentucky,  under 
date  of  November —  1805,  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx  thus  speaks  of  their 
journey  from  Pennsylvania:  "  The  Trappists  have  had  a  sad  and 
expensive  journey ;  most  of  them  have  been  sick,  and  two,  to  whom  I 
gave  the  last  sacraments,  have  died  in  their  present  residence.  .  .  . 
Had  I  remained  with  them  I  would  have  arrived  here  a  month  and  a 
half  later,  and,  most  likely,  sick  of  the  same  fever.  ...  In  my  opin- 
ion. Father  Urban,  their  superior,  is  not  a  man  in  the  right  place." 

It  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  the  manner  of  living  adopted  by  the 
severe  Order  of  La  Trappe  was  wholly  unsuited  to  the  exigencies  that 
were  natural  to  the  position  in  which  these  religious  found  themselves 
at  the  time.  The  clearing  of  their  lands,  and  the  erection  of  proper 
buildings  in  which  to  live,  involved  waste  of  energy  that  was  not  to 
be  renewed  by  the  use  of  lentils  for  food,  and  only  lentils.  Besides, 
the  people  of  the  settlement  had  not  yet  learned  the  process  of  stor- 
ing vegetables  and  fruits  for  winter  use,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that, 
owing  to  their  inability  to  procure  what  was  allowable  under  their  rules, 
their  aliment  was  meagre  in  both  quantity  and  quality  during  the  fall 
and  winter  months  immediately  following  their  appearance  in  the  State. 

Under  such  circumstances,  it  is  little  wonderful  that  there  was  suf- 
fering in  the  home  of  the  Trappists  on  Pottinger's  creek,  and  that  there 
should  have  appeared  amongst  them  many  cases  of  severe  and  even 
fatal  illness. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  1 95 

But  not  void  of  happy  results  was  the  short  Stay  of  the  Trappists 
in  Kentucky.  They  established  a  school  for  boys  in  which  these  were 
taught,  in  addition  to  the  elementary  branches  of  useful  knowledge,  how 
to  make  themselves  favorites  of  God  and  exemplars  of  christian  piety. 
They  reconciled  sinners  to  God,  and  they  visited  the  sick  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  their  monastery.  People  were  taught  by  them,  without  any 
formulary  of  words,  to  measure  values :  the  world  to  come  with  that 
present;  the  joys  of  heaven  with  the  pleasures  of  sense;  the  narrow  way 
that  leads  to  life  with  the  broad  thoroughfare,  trod  by  many  feet,  whose 
end  is  destruction. 

It  is  a  happy  circumstance  for  Catholicity  in  Kentucky  that  very 
many  of  those  who  were  to  become  in  time  fathers  of  families  were 
indebted  for  their  christian  education  and  training  to  the  monks  of 
La  Trappe.  What  they  learned  of  their  faith  from  the  mouths  of  these 
religious  was  scarcely  more  valuable  to  them  in  after-life  than  was  the 
memory  they  retained  of  their  contempt  for  the  world  and  their  absorp- 
tion in  divine  things.  Removing  to  other  parts  of  Kentucky,  as  many 
of  them  did,  and  some  to  other  States  of  the  Union,  they  carried  with 
them  memories  of  sanctified  life,  familiar  to  their  perceptions  in  boy- 
hood, that  were  invaluable  to  them  as  reminders  that  it  is  only  by  the 
way  of  the  cross  that  heaven  is  to  be  reached  and  felicity  secured. 

The  extreme  rigor  of  the  rule  of  the  Order  of  La  Trappe,  in  no  wise 
relaxed  by  its  followers  in  Kentucky,  is  thus  described  by  Dr.  Spalding: 
"  They  observed  a  perpetual  silence;  they  slept  on  boards,  with  nothing 
but  a  blanket  for  covering  and  a  canvass  bag  stuffed  with  straw  for 
a  pillow;  their  hours  for  repose  were  from  8  p.  m.  till  midnight;  they 
took  but  one  meal  a  day,  and  they  neither  ate  meat  nor  fish,  nor  eggs 
nor  butter.  Their  life  was  thus  a  continued  penance  and  prayer."  He 
goes  on  to  say  that  the  climate  of  Kentucky  was  not  compatible  with 
such  austerities,  and  that  five  of  the  fathers  and  three  of  the  laybrothers 
"fell  victims  to  disease  and  were  buried  in  Holy  Cross  church-yard." 

Father  Urban  was  undoubtedly  a  man  of  great  sanctity;  but  just  as 
undoubtedly  his  judgment  was  faulty.  After  three  years  he  became 
possessed  of  the  notion  that  it  was  his  duty  and  that  of  his  brethren, 
to  labor  for  the  conversion  and  civilization  of  the  Indians.  He  would 
go  further  west,  build  a  monastery  upon  the  plains,  and  gather  the 
nomads  about  it  to  learn  of  him,  and  others  of  his  associates,  the  perfec- 
tion of  Christianity.  The  impracticability  of  the  scheme  never  once 
presented  itself  to  his  mind.  While  he  knew  nothing  whatever  of 
Indian  nature  and  habit,  he  was  unable  to  resist  the  impulse  by  which 
he  was  moved  to  attempt  his  evangelization.  In  the  spring  of  1809,  he 
caused  to  be  built  on  the  banks  of  the  Beech  Fork  of  Salt  river,  about 
three  miles  from  Bardstown,  a  flat-boat,  and  having  launched  his  craft 
and  placed  upon  it  all  the  movables  of  the  establishment,  he  and  his 
brethren  embarked  on  the  frail  vessel  and  proceeded  to  the  Ohio  river, 
and  down  that  stream  as  far  as  the  present  town  of  Cairo.  After  many 
delays  and  discouraging  difficulties,  their  boat  was  towed  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  St.  Louis,  and  thence  up  that  stream  and  the  Missouri  river 


1^6  THE    TRAPPISTS    IN    KENTUCKY. 

to  the  landing  nearest  the  town  of  Florissant,  where  Father  Urban  had 
determined  they  should  remain.  A  year  later  they  again  removed,  this 
time  to  Looking-glass  prairie,  a  point  on  the  Mississippi  about  six  miles 
above  St.  Louis,  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  where  a  Mr.  Jarot,  a  resident  of 
Kahokias,  had  presented  them  with  a  farm.  The  striking  feature  of 
this  farm  was,  that  upon  it  stood  a  number  of  Indian  mounds,  to  one  of 
which,  larger  than  the  rest,  from  the  time  the  monks  of  La  Trappe 
held  possession  of  the  place,  was  given  the  name  of  Monks'  Mound. 
On  the  open  prairie,  around  the  bases  of  these  artificial  hills,  the  Trap- 
pists  built  up  a  little  village.* 

The  good  monks  were  not  here  given  opportunity  to  carry  out 
their  design  of  Indian  conversion.  There  were  red  men  in  plenty,  to 
be  sure,  all  along  the  banks  of  the  upper  Mississippi,  and  sometimes 
they  came  almost  to  their  very  doors;  but  they  were  all  hostile  and 
dangerously  so.  "The  monks,"  says  Dr.  Spalding,  "were  never 
molested  in  their  establishment,  but  many  persons  were  killed  and 
scalped  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  place ;  and  the  youths  belong- 
ing to  the  establishment  were  often  compelled  to  join  parties  of  white 
people  who  were  organized  for  the  pursuit  and  chastisement  of  the 

savages,  "t 

For  more  than  a  year  of  their  residence  in  Illinois,  there  was  war 
between  the  whites  and  the  savages  of  the  Northwest.  Dr.  Spalding 
relates  that  on  the  occasion  of  the  defeat  of  the  Indians  at  Tippecanoe, 
Nov.  7th,  1 8i  I,  by  the  forces  under  Gen.  Wm.  Henry  Harrison,  the 
Trappists,  though  two  hundred  miles  from  the  scene  of  strife,  distinctly 
heard  the  reports  of  the  cannon  fired  during  the  batde.  This  anomaly 
is  explained  by  abnormal  atmospheric  conditions  at  the  time  of  the 
action.  With  their  hopes  frustrated  in  regard  to  the  conversion  of  the 
Indians;  with  the  strife  between  the  whites  and  Indians,  soon, to  be 
followed  by  the  conflict  of  1812  between  Great  Britain  and  her  savage 
aUies  and  the  United  States;  with  even  severer  trials  from  the  presence 
of  sickness  and  death  in  their  own  ranks  than  they  had  been  called 
upon  to  endure  in  Kentucky,  the  Trappists  became  gradually  more 
and  more  satisfied  that  the  time  was  not  yet  ripe  for  the  successful 
establishment  of  their  Order  in  America.  The  discouragement  felt  by 
themselves  was  communicated  to  their  superiors  in  Europe,  and  the 
survivors  were  finally  called  home.| 

I  *'<In  excavating  for  the  foundations  of  their  houses,"  says  Dr.  Spalding, 
"  the  monivs  discovered  bones,  idols,  beads,  implements  of  war,  and  many  other 
Indian  antiquities." 

tDr.  Spalding  adds  to  the  above  :  "  The  savages  appeared  to  feel  awe  of 
the  monks.  They  often  paused  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Trappists'  chapel  while 
the  monks  where  chanting  the  praises  of  God  in  the  midst  of  the  bones  of  their 
fathers." 

J  The  establishment  was  broken  up  in  March,  1813,  and  the  greater  num- 
ber of  its  members  proceeded  by  keel-boat  down  the  Mississippi  to  its  junction 
with  the  Ohio,  and  up  the  latter  river  to  Pittsburg,  whence  they  finally  reached 
the  seaboard  and  sailed  for  France,    Their  journey  np  the  Ohio  was  botb 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY,  I97 

But  the  white-robed  monks  of  La  Trappe  came  to  Kentucky  at  a 
later  day,  and  this  time  their  superior,  Rev.  Father  Maria  Eutropius, 
proved  himself  a  man  of  determination,  no  less  than  of  prudence  and 
courage.  He  and  his  associates  formed  a  colony  sent  to  America  from 
the  Abbey  of  Melleray,  near  Nantes,  Loire  Inferieure,  France,  and  they 
settled  on  a  farm  previously  purchased  by  the  order  from  the  sister- 
hood of  Loretto,  and  formerly  occupied  by  them  as  the  seat  of  a 
nunnery  and  female  academy,  which  was  then,  and  is  still  known  by  its 
title  of  Gethsemani.  The  farm  referred  to  has  an  area  of  sixteen 
hundred  acres;  it  lies  in  Nelson  county,  near  the  line  of  the  Knoxville 
branch  of  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  railroad,  and  the  grand  estab- 
lishment which  is  now  its  commanding  feature  may  be  reached  in  three 
hours  from  Louisville.  It  was  near  the  close  of  the  year  1848  that  the 
second  and  successful  attempt  was  made  to  establish  in  Kentucky  a 
house  of  the  Order  of  La  Trappe.  A  little  less  than  three  years  there- 
after the  late  Most  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding,  then  bishop  of  Louisville, 
thus  wrote  of  the  young  establishment  at  Gethsemani  and  of  those  from 
whose  coming  he  augured  happy  results  for  his  diocese. 

"The  religious  belonging  to  this  community,  whose  lives,  like  those 
of  all  who  belong  to  the  '  More  Strict  Observance  of  the  Cistercian 
order,'  are  passed  in  solitary  silence,  labor  and  prayer,  employ  the  time 
not  given  to  religious  exercises  in  manual  labor.     They  work  at  various 
handicraft  trades  and  as  tillers  of  the  soil.     Men  who  are  not  encum- 
bered by  wives  or  children,  or  by  obligations  to  labor  for  the  support 
of  others,  may  be  received  as  novices,  providing  they  accept  the  rule 
and  are  willing  to  abide  by  the  established  customs  of  the  monastery. 
The  superior  of  the  community,  Rev.  Father  Maria  Eutropius,  went 
to  Rome  last  year  to  recommend  the  new  colony  to  the  fatherly  protec- 
tion of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff.     He  was  most  kindly  received  by  his 
Holiness,  who  was  pleased  to  place  in  his  hands  a  rescript  bearing  date 
July  2 1  St,  1850,  by  which  the  new  monastery,  before  ranked  only  as  a 
Priory,  was  raised  to  the  dignity  and  concomitant  privileges  of  an 
Abbey.     Upon  his  return,  Father  Eutropius  was  unanimously  elected 
Abbot  of  Gethsemani,  first  of  that  name,  and  the  first  election  to  the 
office  of  Abbot  on  the  continent  of  America.     The  proceeding  was 
afterwards  confirmed  by  Rome,  and  full  power  was  granted  to  the 
Bishop  of  Louisville  to  consecrate  the  Abbot-elect  in  accordance  with 
the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  Church. 

"  The  fathers  have  already  established  a  school  for  the  gratuitous 
education  of  male  children  of  any  denomination,  and  there  are  now 
inore  than  sixty  children  being  taught  therein  reading,  writing,  arithme- 
tic and  English  grammar.     Every  Sunday  they  give  religious  instruc- 

fatiguing  and  dangerous,  hut  it  ended  without  any  serious  mishaps.  The 
prior  at  the  time,  Father  Maria  Joseph  Durand,  remained  for  some  time  after 
the  departure  of  his  brethren  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  holy  ministry  at 
St.  Charles,  Missouri.  Quite  a  number  of  the  young  men  who  wer^  attached 
to  the  establishment,  remained  in  the  United  States  and  prosecuted  the  trades 
they  had  learned  under  their  monkish  masters. 


198  THE   TRAPPISTS    IN    KENTUCKY. 

tion  to  a  large  congregation  composed  of  people  living  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  church.  Their  offices  and  religious  ceremonies  are  conducted 
with  much  decorum;  their  exterior,  denoting  as  it  does  the  very  spirit 
of  mortification,  does  not  hide  from  the  looker-on  the  lively  joy  that 
inflames  their  countenances;  and  altogether,  edification  has  been  the 
result  of  their  appearance  in  Kentucky,  as  well  for  Protestants  as  for 
Catholics.  Among  the  former  there  have  been  instances  of  those  '  who 
came  to  scoff,  and  remained  to  pray.' " 

The  remainder  of  the  account  given  by  Bishop  Spalding  may  be 
condensed  into  short  space.  They  are  cramped,  he  tells  us,  for  room, 
in  respect  to  both  church  accommodation  and  family  living.  They 
are  in  need  of  funds  to  build  a  suitable  church  and  a  monastery  expan- 
sive enough  for  their  needs.  They  had  been  obliged  hitherto  to  con- 
tent themselves  with  a  number  of  log-cabins,  mostly  disconnected, 
that  had  formerly  sufficed  for  the  lesser  wants  of  the  former  owners  of 
the  place,  the  sisters  of  Loretto.  Their  church  was  too  contracted  to 
admit  the  attendance  of  others  than  the  members  of  the  community. 
On  extraordinary  occasions,  in  order  to  afford  the  people  of  the 
neighborhood  opportunity  to  hear  mass,  they  were  under  the  necessity 
of  erecting  an  altar  in  the  open  air.  He  thus  concludes  :  "When  it  is 
considered  that  these  humble  followers  of  the  God-man  are  filled  with 
but  zeal  and  charity,  the  first  for  God's  glory  and  the  last  for  the  wel- 
fare of  their  fellow-men,  it  may  be  easily  imagined  with  what  anxiety 
they  wait  for  the  necessary  means  of  realizing  their  hopes  —  the  funds 
requisite  for  the  building  of  a  church  and  monastery.  .  .  .  If  unceas- 
ing industry,  heart-felt  piety  toward  God  and  habitual  charity  toward 
God's  creatures  meet  with  just  reward,  even  in  this  world,  it  may 
be  expected  that  their  church  and  monastery  will  soon  rise  in  the 
wilderness  of  Gethsemani,  beacon-lights  to  guide  erring  sinners  on  the 
way  to  salvation." 

The  thirty-four  years  that  have  elapsed  since  the  above  was  written 
have  witnessed  a  wonderful  transformation  at  the  Abbey  of  Geth- 
semani. The  buildings  since  put  up  are  on  a  magnificent  scale. 
Including  church,  convent  and  guest-house,  they  form  one  immense 
square,  and  the  approach  to  the  pile  is  through  an  avenue  of  trees  and 
shrubbery,  in  the  center  of  which  is  a  life-size  statue  in  white  marble 
of  Mary  Immaculate.  The  church  is  a  beautiful  Gothic  structure,  so 
arranged  as  to  form  two  chapels,  one  for  the  community  and  one  for  the 
congregation.*  The  lay -brothers  of  the  Order  cultivate  the  large  farm 
attached  to  the  Abbey,  and  they  have  charge  also  of  a  flouring  mill, 
to  which  the  neighboring  farmers  are  in  the  habit  of  repairing  with  their 
grists  for  grinding. 

One  feature  of  the  establishment  is  worthy  of  special  mention ;  and 
that  is,  the  facilities  it  affords  to  the  thoughtless  and  the  sm-laden  for 

*  For  many  years  the  laics  who  attend  church  at  the  Abbey  have  been 
served  by  Father  Louis  Hoste,  a  venerable  secular  priest,  formerly  of  the  dio- 
cese of  Nashville,  who  is  passing  the  closing  years  of  his  long  and  useful  life  at 
Gethsemani. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  199 

temporary  retirement  from  the  world,  and  reflection  on  ''the  one  thing 
necessary,"  the  affair  of  their  salvation.  It  has  become  a  habit  with 
many  persons,  clergymen  as  well  as  laics,  to  avail  themselves  yearly  of 
the  privilege  here  offered  them  of  engaging,  under  wise  direction,  in  the 
exercises  of  the  spiritual  retreat. 

In  185 1  there  were  connected  with  the  Abbey  of  Gethsemani  nine 
priests  and  forty-two  lay-brothers,  eleven  of  the  latter  being  novices. 
In  religion,  the  names  of  the  priests  were :  Rev.  Maria  Eutropius, 
abbot ;  Rev.  Maria  Paulinus,  prior ,  Rev.  Maria  Euthemius,  sub-prior ; 
Rev.  Maria  Emmanuel,  procurator ;  Rev.  Maria  Jerome,  secretary ; 
Rev.  Maria  Joseph,  master  of  novices ;  Revs.  Maria  Placidus  and 
Maria  Theotimus,  choir-masterr^  and  Rev.  Maria  Basil,  master  of 
German  novices.  In  1852,  Rev.  Maria  Benedict  succeeded  Rev. 
Maria  Paulinus  in  the  office  of  prior,  and  Father  Maria  Simon  in  that 
of  confessor  of  laics.  The  number  of  fathers  attached  to  the  abbey 
was  at  that  time  eleven. 

The  statistics  of  the  institution  for  the  year  1883,  are  as  follows  : 
Rt.  Rev.  M.  Benedict,  abbot;  Rev.  M.  Edward,  prior;  Rev.  Em- 
manuel, Rev.  Benoit,  Rev.  Stanislaus,  Rev.  William,  Rev.  Augustin, 
Rev.  Henry,  Rev.  Maurus,  Rev.  Aloysius,  Rev.  L.  Hoste.  Ten 
professed  choir  religious,  four  novices,  three  oblates ;  twenty-two  lay 
brothers,  three  novices,  four  oblates ;  and  several  boarders,  clergymen 
and  laymen. 


200  THE   DOMINICANS   IN    KENTUCKY. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   DOMINICANS    IN    KENTUCKY.* 

The  remote  cause  of  the  appearance  in  Kentucky  of  the  Domini- 
can fathers  is  to  be  ascribed  to  the  revolutionary  troubles  in  Europe, 
which  reached  Bornheim,  in  Belgium,  sometime  during  the  year  1803, 
where  there  was  then  a  flourishing  college  of  the  Order  under  the 
direction  of  the  fathers  of  the  English  Dominican  Province  of  Belgium. 
The  college  was  seized  and  plundered  by  the  French  revolutionary 
troops,  the  fathers,  with  a  single  exception,  escaping  to  England  under 
the  lead  of  the  president  of  the  institution.  Rev.  Thomas  Wilson.  The 
procurator,  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick,was  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison; 
but,  for  the  reason  that  he  was  an  American  citizen,  he  was  soon  after- 
wards released. 

Upon  their  arrival  m  England,  Father  Wilson  and  his  brethren  peti- 
tioned their  general  to  be  sent  to  America.  The  request  was  granted ; 
and  Father  Fenwick,  for  the  reason  that  he  was  an  American  by  birth, 
was  appointed  superior.  With  the  least  possible  delay  their  prepara- 
tions were  made,  and  the  colony,  comprising  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick, 
Rev.  Thomas  Wilson,  Rev.  William  Raymond  Tuite  and  Rev.  Robert 
Angier,  at  once  embarked  for  the  United  States. 

In  due  time  the  four  fathers  reached  the  American  shores  and  pre- 
sented themselves  before  Bishop  Carroll,  by  whom  they  were  received 
with  becoming  kindness,  and  with  hearty  thanks  for  having,  in  the 
presence  of  their  own  severe  trials,  bethoughi  themselves  of  his 
necessities  and  those  of  his  widely  scattered  people, 

"•■■  It  is  to  be  regretted  that,  in  the  preparation  of  the  matter  contained  in  this 
chapter,!  have  been  unable  to  secure  any  assistance  whatever  from  members  of 
the  Order  of  Preachers  in  the  United  States.  This  renowned  Order  would  seem 
to  be  governed  by  rigid  rules  respecting  the  dissemination  of  facts  relating  to 
its  houses  and  missions.  Were  it  not  so,  I  cannot  but  think  that  my  earnest 
endeavor  to  secure  more  exact  information  in  regard  to  the  lives  and  labors  of 
members  of  the  Order  in  Kentucky  than  was  open  to  me  outside  of  its  own 
archives  would  have  been  met  otherwise  than  by  kind  resistance.  So  much  I 
am  constrained  to  say,  not  in  any  complaining  spirit,  and  certainly  not  in 
deprecation  of  a  rule  of  procedure  adopted  by  the  organization,  if  there  be 
such,  of  the  wisdom  of  which  I  am  clearly  incompetent  to  judge,  but  in  apology 
to  my  readers  for  the  meagerness  of  my  recital  touching  so  important  a  factor 
as  that  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic  in  the  religious  history  of  the  State. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  201 

Father  Fenwick  and  his  associates  were  anxious  to  begin  at  once 
the  establishment  of  a  house  of  their  Order  in  the  United  States,  but 
circumstances  prevented  the  immediate  reahzation  of  their  wishes.  For 
two  years  after  their  arrival  in  Baltimore,  they  were  employed  on  the 
missions  of  Maryland  and  the  neighboring  States.  Long  before  the 
end  of  this  term,  however,  they  had  asked  and  received  advice  from 
Bishop  Carroll  upon  the  question  of  a  suitable  point  for  their  proposed 
new  province.  Up  to  this  time  there  had  been  no  abatement  of  the 
tide  of  emigration  from  Maryland  to  Kentucky  which  had  set  in  just 
twenty  years  before ;  and  Bishop  Carroll  well  knew  the  needs  of  that 
distant  mission.  He  had,  to  be  sure,  already  sent  Father  Nerinckx  to 
the  assistance  of  Father  Badin;  but  he  knew  that  not  even  a  half  dozen 
priests  could  adequately  discharge  toward  the  greatly  augmented  Cath- 
olic population  of  the  State  the  functions  of  their  sacred  ministry. 
Kentucky  was  the  point  to  which  he  directed  the  eyes  of  Father  Fen- 
wick and  his  companions.  There  they  would  be  afforded,  even  from 
the  beginning,  a  field  of  missionary  enterprise  commensurate  with  their 
zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  a  fitting  spot  for  the  foundation  of  a 
house  of  their  venerable  Order  which  would  assuredly,  in  time,  extend 
its  happy  influence  in  other  directions. 

In  deciding  upon  the  question  of  locality  for  the  new  Dominican 
province.  Father  Fenwick  would  seem  to  have  been  influenced  by 
three  leading  considerations.  The  first  of  these  was  undoubtedly  the 
expressed  desire  of  Bishop  Carroll  that  he  and  his  companions  should 
set  up  their  tabernacles  in  Kentucky.  The  second  had  its  origin  in 
his  abounding  Christian  charity :  He  had  pity  for  those  who  were 
struggling  in  the  wilderness  without  the  grace  of  the  sacraments  to  sus- 
tain them.  The  third  was  divinely  human  :  Many  of  the  emigrants 
had  been  known  to  him  in  his  own  early  youth,  and  some  of  them 
were  of  his  own  kindred. 

In  order  to  fully  satisfy  himself  as  to  the  availability  of  the  State 
for  the  establishment  he  contemplated,  Father  Fenwick  first  came  to 
Kentucky  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  i8o5.'  After  having  visited  his 
ne.arer  relations  among  the  Maryland  emigrants,  then  settled  in  Scott 
and  Frankhn  counties,  he  turned  his  face  toward  the  principal  Catho- 
lic settlements  of  the  State,  in  Nelson  and  Washington  counties.  In 
the  last  named  county  he  found  many  acquaintances  and  several  rela- 
tives, among  the  latter  being  Mr.  Basil  Clark  and  Mrs.  Rebecca  Hill, 
wife  of  Thomas  Hill,  of  whom  mention  has  been  already  made. 

Having  passed  some  time  with  these  and  others  of  his  old  neigh- 
bors of  St.  Mary's  county,  Maryland,  during  which  he  never  lost  sight 
of  the  main  object  of  his  journey  to  Kentucky,  Father  Fenwick  at 
length  secured  by  purchase  the  farm  upon  which  he  and  his  corn- 
panions  afterwards  built  the  church  and  convent  of  St.  Rose.  This 
property,  with  the  grist-mill  upon  it,  which  was  its  main  feature, 
belonged  to  a  Mr.  John  Waller,  a  Protestant,  and,  as  some  say, 
a  preacher  of  some  reputation  in  the  early  annals  of  Kentucky.  The 
money  paid  for  the  property  was  derived  from  Father  Fenwick's  patri- 


202        /  THE    DOMINICANS  IN  KENTUCKY. 

mony.*  Immediately  after  the  execution  of  the  legal  forms  by  which  he 
became  the  owner  of  the  property  mentioned,  Father  Fenwick 
returned  to  Maryland  in  order  to  arrange  for  the  transfer  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Order  and  their  effects  to  Kentucky.  This  was  happily 
accomplished  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  1806,  when  the  con- 
struction of  a  church  on  the  land  previously  secured  was  at  once 
begun. 

The  new  establishment  was  called  St.  Rose,  after  St.  Rose  of  Lima, 
the  first  of  the  Dominican  Order  in  America  whose  name  had  been 
enrolled  on  the  Church's  calendar  of  saints.  Begun  in  1806,  the 
church  of  St.  Rose  was  not  finished  until  1808.  Then  immediately 
followed  the  building  of  a  convent.  The  costly  character  of  these 
works,  costly  for  the  times,  at  least,  not  only  rendered  their  progress 
slow,  but  exhausted  the  resources  of  the  good  fathers  long  before  their 
completion.  When  their  straits  were  greatest,  they  learned  that  a 
legacy  had  been  left  them  by  a  former  member  of  their  Order,  Rt. 
Rev.  Luke  R.  Concanen,  who  had  been  appointed  first  bishop  of  the 
See  of  New  York,  and  whose  death  had  taken  place  at  Naples  on  the 
eve  of  his  embarkation  for  America.  This  legacy  comprised  two 
thousand  dollars  in  money  and  a  valuable  library  of  several  hundred 
volumes.  But  before  the  news  of  this  bequest  had  reached  them,  the 
fathers  had  established  a  school,  into  which  they  had  gathered  a  large 
number  of  pupils  from  the  surrounding  Catholic  settlements. 

The  plan  of  education  adopted  by  the  fathers  was  well  suited  to 
the  remunerative  capabihties  of  the  patrons  of  the  school,  few  of  whom 
were  able  to  pay  their  tuition-bills  in  ready  money.  These  bills  were 
ordinarily  paid  in  kind.  Then  there  was  an  industrial  feature  added, 
which  at  once  reduced  the  fees  to  parents  and  furnished  the  Fathers 
with  young  and  willing  hands  to  aid  them  in  the  necessary  work  of  con- 
struction and  farm  improvement  and  culture.  The  pupils  were  required 
to  devote  four  hours  each  day  to  such  manual  labor  as  was  not  unsuited 
to  their  years  and  strength.  During  the  time  occupied  in  building  the 
church  of  St.  Rose,  the  fathers  took  upon  themselves  the  care  of  St. 
Ann's  congregation,  and  thus  relieved  Fathers  Badin  and  Nerinckx  of 
a  part  of  the  heavy  burden  they  had  been  previously  carrying. 

*  Fifteen  years  later,  Father  Fenwick,  then  Bishop  Fenwick,  who  was  at 
the  time  seeking  charitable  aid  in  Europe  for  the  support  of  the  missions  of  his 
diocese  of  Cincinnati,  thus  wrote  to  Father  Badin  : 

"  I  wish  you,  also,  my  dear  sir,  to  contribute  your  mite  for  relieving  my 
distresses.  .  ,  .  You  know  a  little  of  my  exertions,  sacrifices  and  labors  in 
Kentucky  ;  that  I  devoted  my  whole  paternal  estate,  and  all  I  could  collect, 
scrape  up  and  save ;  that  I  really  debarred  myself  of  comforts,  and  even  neces- 
saries; that  I  undertook  long  and  painful  jaunts  to  found  and  promote  the 
establishment  of  St.  Rose ;  and  behold  I  am  now  deprived  of  all  right  and  claim 
on  the  Order,  being  taken  out  of  it.  I  was  obliged  by  my  rule  and  vows  to 
render  an  account  of  all  property,  even  of  books  and  furniture,  that  I  had  been 
allowed  to  use," — (Biographical  Notice,  published  in  1848.)  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion among  the  Catholic  people  of  Washington  county  that  the  consideration 
paid  for  the  St.  Rose  farm  was  an  even  half  bushel  of  silver  money. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KKNTUCKY.  203 

Having  founded  the  establishment  of  St.  Rose,  Father  Fenwick 
began  to  tire  of  his  position  of  authority.  He  felt,  as  the  truly  hum- 
ble before  God  are  apt  to  feel  under  such  circumstances,  that  he  was 
fitter  to  follow  than  to  lead,  to  render  obedience  than  to  issue  com- 
mands. Under  the  pressure  of  these  sentiments,  he  wrote  to  the  gen- 
eral of  the  Order,  begging  that  official  to  relieve  him  of  his  office  and  to 
appoint  in  his  stead  his  associate,  Father  Thomas  Wilson.  Both  of 
his  requests  were  granted :  Father  Wilson  was  appointed  provincial 
usque  ad  revocationefn,  and  Father  Fenwick  took  his  coveted  place  in 
the  ranks  of  the  subordinates  of  the  establishment. 

Father  Wilson's  administration  of  the  foundation  of  St.  Rose  was  in 
all  respects  admirable.  He  seemed  to  have  felt  in  advance  that  the 
great  coming  want  of  the  country,  in  respect  to  Catholic  interests, 
would  be  a  properly  trained  and  educated  clergy ;  and  his  grand  idea 
was  to  make  the  institution  over  which  he  had  been  placed  a  source 
of  supply  to  the  ranks  of  the  priesthood.  His  first  thought,  after  his 
appointment  to  the  office  of  provincial,  referred  to  the  establishment 
of  a  noviciate,  and  from  that  moment  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  work 
of  searching  after  and  inducting  into  the  institution  proper  subjects  for 
the  sacred  ministry.  For  the  most  part  he  found  these  subjects  in  the 
school  that  had  been  previously  established. 

The  noviciate  of  St.  Rose  dates  from  the  latter  part  of  the  year 
1808,  or  the  beginning  of  that  of  1809.  The  novices  drawn  from  the 
school  still  continued  to  labor  as  before ;  but  their  studies  were  differ- 
ent, as  was  also  their  manner  of  life.  They  were  now  subjected  to  the 
rules  of  the  Order  and  its  conventual  dress.  As  was  afterwards  the 
case  at  the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  there  was  no  species  of  labor, 
whether  in  connection  with  the  farm  or  the  establishment  itself,  to  which 
the  hands  of  the  young  aspirants  to  the  priesthood  did  not  become 
accustomed. 

In  his  life  of  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  Father  Maes  introduces  a  let- 
ter written  in  1807  by  that  renowned  missionary  priest,  in  which  occurs 
this  passage :  ' '  The  fathers  of  St.  Dominic  have  already  ten  or  twelve 
students,  out  of  whom  they  may  perhaps  gain  a  few  to  increase  their 
community.  This  appears  to  be  their  only  object,  they  do  not  intend 
to  serve  on  the  missions."  It  is  not  unlikely  that  Father  Fenwick  and 
his  companions  did  not  at  first  contemplate  pastoral  engagements 
beyond  the  parish  in  which  they  were  located.  But,  if  such  was 
indeed  their  idea,  it  is  quite  certain  that  they  soon  abandoned  it. 
Father  Fenwick  made  long  journeys  in  the  interests  of  religion  in  both 
Kentucky  and  Ohio,  and  at  an  early  day  after  their  arrival  in  the 
State,  Eastern  Kentucky  was  largely  dependent  upon  the  fathers  of 
St.  Rose  for  pastoral  service.  In  later  times,  they  went  to  the  assist- 
ance of  the  bishops  of  Cincinnati  and  Nashville,  both  of  whom,  but 
for  their  kindly  aid,  had  vainly  endeavored  to  conserve  in  their  fullness 
the  spiritual  interests  of  their  widely  scattered  flocks. 

Father  Wilson  was  not  over  forty-five  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  Kentucky.     He  was  a- very  learned  man;  more  erudite,  possibly, 


204  THE    DOMINICANS    IN    KENTUCKY. 

than  any  divine  that  had  preceded  him  to  the  shores  of  America.  He 
was  withal,  amiable,  modest,  retiring  and  highly  polished  in  his  man- 
ners. His  zeal  was  quiet,  but  constant ;  and  he  was  assiduous  in  both 
prayer  and  study.  His  place  was  with  the  novices,  and  by  these  he  was 
revered  and  loved  for  his  saintly  life  and  for  the  unvarying  interest  he 
displayed  in  their  advancement  in  knowledge  and  virtue. 

On  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  December,  i8i  i,  a  remarkable  event  took 
place  at  St.  Rose.  This  was  the  ordination  of  a  priest.  Dr.  Benedict 
Joseph  Flaget,  the  newly  consecrated  bishop  of  Bardstown,  who  had 
only  reached  his  diocese  the  preceding  spring,  had  brought  with  him  to 
Kentucky  a  young  French  cleric,  Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat,  who 
was  already  in  sub-deacon's  orders.  During  the  intervening  months, 
the  young  man  had  been,  no  doubt,  gradually  qualified  to  take  his 
place  in  the  ranks  of  the  working  clergy  by  that  admirable  master  of  the 
science  of  theology,  Rev.  John  B.  David.  With  the  exception  of  the 
Dominican  church,  there  was  at  the  time  no  other  in  the  State  of  suf- 
ficient capacity  to  accommodate  a  great  number  of  persons  —  Catholics 
everywhere  being  anxious  to  witness  the  ceremony — and  hence  Bishop 
Flaget  gladly  avail&d  himself  of  Father  Wilson's  suggestion  that  the 
ordination  should  take  place  at  St.  Rose.^ 

As  will  have  been  seen,  it  was  to  the  zeal  and  liberality  of  an 
American  priest,  sustained,  it  may  be  by  patriotic  impulse,  that  is  to  be 
ascribed  the  establishment  of  the  Order  of  Preachers  in  the  United 
States.  Its  after  expansion,  and  the  happy  results  of  its  foundation, 
now  to  be  seen  in  the  heart  of  the  country,  and  extending  from  sea- 
board to  seaboard  across  its  face,  are  to  be  attributed,  in  a  great 
degree,  at  least,  to  the  wise  direction  given  to  the  httle  community  of 
St.  Rose  by  its  second  provincial  three  quarters  of  a  century  ago.  It 
was  not  often  that  more  than  two  of  the  fathers  were  employed  within 
the  precincts  of  the  St.  Rose  establishment,  and  these,  in  addition  to 
their  duties  in  the  novitiate  and  in  the  school,  were  burthened  with  the 
charge  of  the  congregation,  one  of  the  largest  in  Kentucky  at  the 
time,  and  with  the  care  of  several  neighboring  missions,  f 

Fathers  Fenwick  and  Angier  found  ample  employment  in  traversing 
the  State  after  what  the  former  was  in  the  habit  of  denominating  "  stray 
sheep."  In  addition  to  the  older  Catholic  settlements  in  Nelson  and 
Washington  counties,  there  were  minor  settlements  in  Scott,  Madison, 
Fayette,  Jefferson,  Bullitt  and  Breckinridge  counties,  and  isolated  Cath- 
olic families  living  in  almost  all  the  other  organized  counties  of  the 
State.  Many  of  these  settlements  and  families  had  rarely  or  never  been 
visited  by  a  priest.  Father  Fenwick  saw  and  appreciated  the  danger 
to  which  these  hapless  persons  were  exposed,  and  he  sought  to  lessen  or 

*  This  was  the  first  ordination  to  the  priesthood  witnessed  in  the  whole 
territory  of  the  West.  The  assisting  clergy  were,  no  doubt,  Fathers  Wilson. 
Fenwick,  Tuite  and  Angier,  of  the  Dominican  Order,  and  Fathers  David,  Badin, 
Nerinckx  and  O'Flynn,  of  the  secular  priesthood. 

fin  their  conduct  of  the  school,  no  doubt.  Fathers  Wilson  and  Tuite  were 
largely  assisted  by  the  more  advanced  in  learning  among  the  novices. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  205 

avert  it.  With  the  approbation  of  his  superior,  he  became  an  itinerant, 
and  from  that  time  to  the  date  of  his  installation  as  first  bishop  of  the 
See  of  Cincinnati,  he  may  be  said  to  have  literally  lived  in  the  saddle. 
His  zeal  was  as  restless  as  it  was  earnest.  It  was  a  common  thing  with 
him  to  ride  a  distance  of  fifty  miles,  sustained  by  the  mere  hope  that  he 
might  be  of  spiritual  service  to  some  out-dweller  in  the  wilderness, 
whose  name,  casually  heard,  was  associated  in  his  mind  with  that  of 
some  Catholic  family  he  had  known  in  Maryland.  He  traversed  and 
retraversed  Kentucky,  in  all  directions,  everywhere  accomplishing  his 
purpose,  which  was  but  to  give  opportunity  to  isolated  Catholic  families 
of  reconciling  themselves  with  God  through  the  worthy  reception  of  the 
sacraments.  He  had  a  wonderful  gift  of  persuasion,  and  being  able  to 
adapt  himself  and  his  discourse  to  the  individual  pecuHarities  of  his 
hearers,  he  was  rarely  known  to  fail  in  his  endeavors  to  infuse  into 
them  something  of  his  own  spirit. 

The  ministry  of  the  Dominican  fathers  of  St.  Rose  came  in  time  to 
be  regarded  as  lenient,  just  as  that  of  Fathers  Badin  and  Nerinckx  was 
by  many  looked  upon  as  severe.  It  is  certain  that  the  latter,  in  their 
private  correspondence,  expressed  their  fears  lest  the  disciplinary  relax- 
ation noticed  might  prove  harmful  to  the  Catholic  people  of  the  settle- 
ments. This  idea  of  theirs  was  not  verified  by  after  events.  The 
congregation  of  St.  Ann,  the  first  over  which  pastoral  supervision  was 
exercised  by  the  Dominican  fathers,  and  that  of  St.  Rose,  by  which  it 
was  succeeded  in  1808,  and  which  is  still  subject  to  their  care  and  guid- 
ance, has  at  no  time  been  regarded  otherwise  than  as  a  model  aggrega- 
tion of  Catholic  christian  souls.  As  early  as  the  year  1826,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  jubilee  preached  that  year  in  Kentucky,  it  exceeded  all 
others  in  the  State  in  the  number  of  those  who  approached  the 
sacraments  of  penance  and  the  Holy  Eucharist.  Whereas  the  highest 
number  of  communicants  in  any  one  of  the  other  congregations  of  the 
diocese  on  the  occasion  referred  to,  was  but  four  hundred  and  ninety- 
five,  (that  of  Holy  Cross,)  no  fewer  than  eight  hundred  received  holy 
communion  in  the  single  church  of  St.  Rose. 

In  his  many  journeys  in  Kentucky,  Father  Fenwick  was  necessarily 
thrown  much  into  the  company  of  Protestants;  and  he  learned  by 
degrees  to  appreciate  the  principal  obstacles  to  their  conversion.  To 
remove  these  obstacles,  without  incurring  the  suspicion  of  intrusiveness, 
was  always  one  of  the  most  painstaking  of  his  employments.  In 
countries  denominated  christian,  there  have  been  few  missionary  priests 
who  were  more  successful  than  Father  Fenwick  in  inducing  returns  to 
Catholic  unity.* 

The  missions  of  the  State  of  Ohio  were  the  fruits  of  Father  Fen- 
wick's  earnest  toil.     His  first  visit  to  the  State  was  in  the  year  18 10. 

*  Though  Father  Fenwick,  from  and  after  the  year  1810,  was  jn  the  habit  of 
paying  regular  twice  a  year  visits  to  Ohio,  he  only  removed  permanently  to  that 
State  in  1818.  In  his  letter  to  Rev.  S.  T.  Badin,  written  in  1823,  from  which  a 
passage  has  already  been  quoted,  he  says :  "  I  think  we  may  count  two  or  three 
hundred  converts  since  I  have  resided  in  Ohio." 


206  THE   DOMINICANS   IN    KENTUCKY. 

Near  the  town  of  Somerset,  he  found  three  Cathohc  families,  of  German 
extraction,  numbering  in  all  about  twenty  persons.*  He  afterwards 
traversed  the  greater  part  of  the  State  with  the  single  object  of  search- 
ing after  and  finding  the  dispersed  "sheep  of  the  Catholic  fold."  Few 
points  were  reached  by  him  in  these  wearing  journeys  in  which  he  did 
not  find  one  or  more  families  of  Catholics. 

Father  Thomas  Wilson  was  fitted  by  nature  and  grace,  as  well 
M  as  by  culture,  for  the  position  to  which  he  had  been  appointed. 
He  commanded  both  admiration  and  respect,  the  first  on  account  of 
his  great  learning  and  acknowledged  talents,  and  the  last  because  of 
his  adherence  to  the  right  on  all  occasions,  and  the  virtues  he  practiced 
in  the  sight  of  men.  It  were  impossible  that  between  such  a  precep- 
tor and  his  pupils  there  should  not  have  grown  up  affection  on  the  one 
hand  and  reverence  on  the  other.  That  he  loved  them  was  shown  by 
his  solicitude  in  everything  that  concerned  them,  and  most  especially 
in  their  advancement  in  the  knowledge  of  divine  things ;  and  that  he 
was  held  by  them  in  the  most  profound  reverence  is  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  in  their  after-lives  they  never  appeared  weary  of  rehearsing 
his  praises. 

Notwithstanding  the  many  and  great  disadvantages  attending  their 
course  of  study,  Father  Wilson  was  enabled,  in  1816,  to  present  before 
the  Bishop  of  Bardstown  four  of  his  novices  for  priestly  ordination. 
These  were :  Rev.  Richard  P.  Miles,  afterwards  first  bishop  of  Nash- 
ville, Rev.  Samuel  H.  Montgomery,  Rev.  William  T.  Willett  and  Rev. 
Stephen  Montgomery.  Shortly  afterwards  another  was  added  to  the 
list  in  the  person  of  Rev.  N.  D.  Young,  a  nephew  of  Father  Fenwick.f 

It  is  necessary  here  to  speak  somewhat  in  detail  of  those  to  whom 
Catholics  are  indebted  for  the  foundation  of  the  Order  ol  St.  Dominic 
in  the  United  States. 

Edward  Fenwick  was  born  in  St.  Mary's  county,  Maryland,  in  1768. 
He  was  of  distinguished  English  ancestry,  and  his  own  parents  were 
wealthy  and  of  the  highest  respectabihty.  In  1784,  his  mother,  then 
a  widow,  sent  him  to  Flanders  for  his  education.  He  entered  upon 
his  studies  at  the  college  of  Bornheim,  and  having  finished  his  course, 
he  sought  admission  to  the  Order  with  the  view  of  becoming  a  priest. 

*  These  persons  were  occupied  in  clearing  lands,  and  they  had  not  seen  a 
priest  for  ten  years.  Father  Fenwick  heard  at  a  great  distance  the  stroke  of  the 
axe  interrupting  the  silence  of  the  forest,  and  following  the  sound,  he  was  over- 
joyed to  find  that  the  workers  were  Catholics.  The  joy  of  these  people  at  see- 
ing a  Catholic  priest  was  so  great  that  the  good  missionary  could  never  recall  the 
circumstance  without  experiencing  the  greatest  consolation — [Catholic  Tele- 
graph, Vol.  Ill,  p  86.] 

t  The  after-life  of  Father  Dominic  Young,  though  for  the  most  part  passed 
in  the  State  of  Ohio,  would  be  a  theme  both  pleasant  and  profitable  for  Catho- 
lic biography.  He  established  a  house  of  his  Order  near  Somerset,  in  the  State 
named,  where  he  had  previously  labored  with  wonderful  missionary  success. 
He  lived  to  be  the  patriarch  of  his  Order  in  the  United  States,  if  not  of  the 
entire  prieshood  of  the  country,  and  it  can  be  said  of  him  that  no  man  ever 
labored  with  greater  earnestness  in  the  cause  of  religion. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  207 

This  Idea,  as  has  been  seen,  he  carried  out,  and  circumstances  brought 
him  again  to  his  native  land,  after  an  absence  of  twenty-one  years. 
What  he  did  for  reUgion  and  his  Order  in  Kentucky  has  already  been 
referred  to.  In  1810,  and  often  subsequently,  he  visited  Ohio,  and 
to  him  and  his  nephew.  Rev.  N.  D.  Young,  is  to  be  ascribed  the  credit 
of  having  laid  the  foundations  of  Catholicity  in  that  State. 

In  1822,  Father  Fenwick  was  named  bishop  of  Cincinnati.  This 
appointment,  no  doubt,  was  brought  about  by  the  direct  appeal  to 
Rome  of  Bishop  Flaget,  who  is  known  to  have  felt  most  keenly  the  need 
there  was  of  another  bishop  in  the  west,  and  who  knew,  too,  how 
admirably  fitted  for  the  position  was  his  friend  and  co-worker,  who 
had  so  often  come  to  his  relief  in  bearing  religious  consolation  to  his 
spiritual  children  living  north  of  the  Ohio  river.  It  was  with  extreme 
reluctance  that  the  humble  Dominican  father  accepted  the  dignity 
proffered.  He  was  unable  to  see,  what  was  plain  to  others,  wherein 
he  was  worthy  of  such  distinction.  His  consecration  took  place  in  the 
church  of  St.  Rose  on  the  13th  day  of  December,  1822,  and  he  left 
immediately  afterwards  for  the  seat  of  the  spiritual  authority  he  exer- 
cised so  wisely  for  a  littte  more  than  ten  years. 

The  late  Rev.  John  B.  Hutchins,  who  was  present  at  the  conse- 
cration of  Bishop  Fenwick,  and  who,  in  company  with  Rev,  Vincent 
Badin,  then  in  deacon's  orders,  and  his  own  foster  brother,  afterwards 
Father  C.  D.  Bowlin,  O.  S.  D. ,  followed  the  newly  consecrated  pre- 
late to  Cincinnati,  described  to  the  writer  several  years  ago  many  inci- 
dents connected  with  this  second  episcopal  consecration  that  had 
taken  place  in  the  west.  The  church  was  much  too  small  to  afford 
even  standing  room  for  the  crowds  that  had  flocked  thither  with  the 
hope  of  witnessing  the  ceremony.  The  lay  choir  on  the  occasion  was 
under  the  direction  of  Rev.  R.  P.  Miles,  who  was  esteemed  then  quite 
a  musical  prodigy.  The  ceremony  was  taken  part  in  by  the  greater 
number  of  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  of  Bardstown,  and  when  it  was 
concluded,  dinner  was  served  to  their  guests  by  the  hospitable  fathers 
of  St.  Rose.  It  was  at  this  entertainment  that  the  newly  consecrated 
prelate,  in  answer  to  a  congratulatory  speech  of  Bishop  Flaget,  thus 
addressed  his  consecrator :  "The  Holy  Father,  your  Lordship,  has 
appointed  me  a  diocese,  and  you  have  to-day,  by  divine  authority, 
made  me  a  bishop.  But  where  am  I  to  find  priests  to  help  me  bear 
my  message  of  peace  over  the  immense  field  that  has  been  assigned 
me  ?"  There  was  an  appeal  in  his  words  that  went  straight  to  the 
heart  of  the  venerable  prelate  addressed,  but  no  answer  came  from  his 
lips.  After  a  brief  silence,  a  young  cleric  arose,  and,  with  a  modest 
bow  to  his  ordinary,  thus  delivered  himself:  "If  you  will  permit  me, 
bishop,  I  will  go  to  Cincinnati  with  Father  Fenwick."  Dr.  Flaget 
was  touched,  and  he  then  and  there  consented  to  the  transfer.  The 
cleric  alluded  to  was  Rev.  Vincent  Badin,  not  yet  in  priest's  orders,  a 
brother  of  "  the  apostle  of  Kentucky  "  of  that  name,  and  his  ordina- 
tion to  the  priesthood  took  place  a  few  weeks  later  in  Bishop  Fenwick's 
own  modest  cathedral  of  Cincinnati. 


2o8  THE   DOMINICANS    IN    KENTUCKY. 

Bishop  Fenwick  was  confronted  from  the  first  with  labors  and 
vicissitudes  to  which  before  he  had  been  a  stranger.  He  was  called,  as 
he  well  knew,  to  discomfort  and  toil — to  the  building  up  of  a  church 
without  resources,  either  in  hand  or  prospective,  and  with  assistance 
little  adequate  to  the  immensity  of  the  undertaking.  Repressing  his 
human  fears  as  best  he  could,  and  placing  all  his  reliance  on  the  pro- 
tection and  guidance  of  heaven,  he  grappled  with  the  work  before  him, 
and  finally,  after  having  been  permitted  to  see  the  dawn  of  a  better 
day  for  the  diocese  and  his  charge,  he  laid  down  his  burden  and  his 
life  together  on  the  26th  day  of  September,  1832.  He  died  of  chol- 
era at  Wooster,  Ohio,  and  his  last  words  were :  "  Co7)ie  I  Lei  us  go  to 
Calvary  P' 

Of  the  four  fathers  who  formed  the  nucleus  whence  has  been 
developed  the  Order  of  Preachers  as  it  exists  in  the  United  States  at  the 
present  day,  the  more  admired  of  the  people,  as  well  as  of  the  clergy 
of  Kentucky,  was  certainly  Father  Thomas  Wilson.  With  the  laity 
of  all  classes,  this  was  due  to  the  fact  that  he  was  a  man  of  superior 
natural  gifts  and  an  eloquent  preacher.  The  more  pious  among  them, 
to  be  sure,  had  other  reasons  for  their  admiration.  They  were  the 
witnesses  of  his  exhaustive  ministerial  labors,  of  his  habits  of  prayer 
and  mortification,  and  of  his  tenderness  toward  those  who  sought 
rehef  at  his  hands,  whether  from  troubles  of  body  or  soul.  By  the  sec- 
ular clergy  of  the  diocese  he  was  esteemed  for  all  these  reasons  and 
many  more.  He  was  a  man  of  varied  learning  and  an  accompfished 
theologian,  and  not  even  Father  David  was  esteemed  more  capable 
than  he  of  advising  them  when  they  were  in  doubt  as  to  proper  modes 
of  ptocedure  in  particular  emergencies. 

What  he  did  for  secular  education  in  the  congregation  of  St.  Rose 
and  far  beyond  its  limits,  and  what  he  did  for  the  Church  in  Kentucky 
in  supplying  it  with  zealous  priests  to  uphold  and  continue  God's 
work  in  the  land  of  his  adoption,  must  in  the  future,  as  in  the  present 
and  the  past,  make  his  name  a  by-word  of  honor  among  Catholic 
christians  all  over  the  country.  Dr.  Spalding  tells  us  that  this  admirable 
priest,  but  a  short  time  before  his  death,  was  known  to  have  in  his 
possession  writings  of  his  own  on  various  religious  subjects  that  it  had 
been  the  hope  of  his  associates  to  see  one  day  in  print.  No  such 
manuscripts  having  been  found  among  his  effects,  it  was  supposed  that 
in  the  excess  of  his  humility  he  had  destroyed  them.  The  death  of 
Father  Wilson  took  place  at  the  convent  of  St.  Rose  in  the  summer  of 
1824,  when  he  was  in  the  63rd  year  of  his  age. 

Of  Father  William  Raymond  Tuite  and  his  labors,  the  writer's 
knowledge  is  confined  to  the  simple  fact  that  he  was  a  most  amiable 
and  praiseworthy  priest.  It  is  his  impression,  however,  that  for  many 
years  after  the  establishment  of  the  convent  of  St.  Rose  he  was 
employed  in  the  offices  of  the  public  ministry,  with  occasional  hours 
devoted  to  teaching.  He  remembers  having  heard  him  spoken  of  by 
a  friend,  years  ago,  as  one  toward  whom  naturally  tended  the  affection 
of  his  parishioners  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Rose,  and  as  having  lived 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  209 

a  life  filled  with  merits,  and  having  died  the  death  of  the  just.     The 
date  of  his  death  is  given  by  Dr.  Spalding  as  "  1836  or  1837." 

Father  Robert  Angier,  after  a  residence  of  some  years  at  St.  Rose, 
where  he  was  most  likely  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  boys'  school 
therewith  established  by  Father  Wilson,  was  given  charge  of  the  mis- 
sions of  Scott,  Mercer,  Fayette  and  other  counties  north  and  east  of 
the  Kentucky  river.  For  further  particulars  concerning  him  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  chapter  on  the  ' '  Catholic  Settlement  of  Scott 
County." 

About  the  yeari825,  the  Order  of  preachers  in  the  United  States 
was  re-enforced  by  the  arrival  in  the  country  of  three  Spanish  Domini- 
cans, driven  from  their  own  country  by  its  then  irreligious  and  semi- 
infidel  rulers,  whose  after-service  in  the  cause  of  religion  has  made 
their  names  familiar  in  clerical  circles  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the 

other.     These   were :     Rev. Munoz,  Rev.  Francis  Cubero  "and 

Rev.  Joseph  S,  Alemany,  all  men  of  exalted  character,  acknowledged 
talents  and  unaffected  piety;  and  all,  at  one  time  or  another,  connected 
with  the  estabUshments  in  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  and  with  the  missions 
of  the  last  named  State.  In  1828,  Father  Munoz  was  named  prior  of 
the  convent  of  St.  Rose,  over  which  institution  he  exercised  a  most 
healthful  influence.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  which  took  place  a  year 
or  two  later,  he  was  the  chief  assistant  of  the  first  bishop  of  Cincinnati. 
Father  Cubero's  labors  were  mostly  confined  to  Ohio  until  the  year 
1872,  when  he  retired  to  the  convent  of  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna  near 
that  of  St.  Rose,  of  which  institution  he  was  chaplain  until  called  out 
of  life  ten  years  later.  Of  the  venerable  Dr.  Alemany,  the  only  sur- 
vivor of  the  three,  who  has  filled  for  so  many  years  the  archiepiscopal 
See  of  San  Francisco,  it  is  not  necessary  that  anything  should  be  here 
said.  His  admirable  work  in  the  field  committed  to  his  charge  speaks 
more  loudly  in  his  praise  than  can  tongue  or  pen.  God  grant  that  he 
may  long  survive  to  edify  those  he  has  so  earnestly  endeavored  to 
serve. 

But  for  the  fact  that  the  writer  has  little  data  upon  which  to  base 
biographical  notices  of  numbers  of  the  deceased  members  of  the  St. 
Rose  establishment  of  the  Order  of  Preachers,  it  would  be  to  him  a 
grateful  task  to  refer  here  to  many  among  those  with  whom  his 
acquaintance  was  more  or  less  intimate.  Of  one  of  them.  Rev.  Rich- 
ard P.  Miles,  afterwards  first  bishop  of  the  See  of  Nashville,  he  finds 
among  his  unpublished  personal  and  descriptive  papers,  written  more 
than  twenty  years  ago,  the  following  : 

"  Richard  P.  Miles  was  born  in  Prince  George  county,  Mary- 
land, May  17,  1791.  His  father,  Nicholas  Miles,  removed  with  his 
family  to  Kentucky  when  the  boy  was  but  four  years  of  age.  In  the 
year  1807,  he  was  sent  to  St.  Rose's  academy,  in  Washington  county, 
a  school  but  that  year  established  by  the  Dominican  fathers.  He 
afterwards  attached  himself  to  the  Order  as  a  candidate  for  the  priest- 
hood. His  ordination  took  place  in  the  year  18 16,  and  from  that  time 
to  the  day  of  his  death  he  was  actively  engaged  in  ministerial  and 

14 


2IO  THE   DOMINICANS    IN    KENTUCKY. 

administrative  labors.  His  consecration  as  bishop  of  Nashville  took 
place  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown,  on  the  i6th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1838.  The  prelates  present  on  this  occasion  were  :  Rt.  Rev. 
Joseph  Rosati,  consecrator ;  Rt.  Rev.  Simon  Gabriel  Brute,  bishop  of 
Vincennes;  Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  David,  and  Rt.  Rev.  Guy  Ignatius 
Chabrat,  of  the  Kentucky  episcopate.  The  sermon  was  preached  by 
Very  Rev.  John  Timon,  C.  M.,  afterwards  bishop  of  Buffalo. 

' '  My  personal  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Miles  began  in  the  year 
1837,  the  year  before  his  consecration,  when  I  had  occasion  to  call 
upon  him  at  his  convent  of  St.  Rose.  His  hearty  and  cheerful  wel- 
come, and  the  readiness  he  evinced  to  serve  me,  are  among  the  most 
pleasant  memories  of  my  young  manhood.  In  the  earlier  years  of  his 
ministry  he  was  regarded  as  the  most  talented  controversialist  of  his 
order  in  the  State,  and  I  have  it  from  good  authority  that  he  rarely 
declined  a  challenge  to  discuss  matters  of  christian  dogma  with  the 
belligerent  Protestant  ministers  of  his  day.  Much  of  his  time,  previ- 
ous to  his  episcopal  appointment,  was  spent  at  the  house  of  his  order 
in  Somerset,  Ohio.  Once  he  served  as  prior  of  the  convent  of  St. 
Rose,  and  for  one  term  he  was  provincial  of  the  order  in  the  United 
States. 

"  After  the  Reverend  Robert  A.  Abell,  I  have  known  a  no  more 
entertaining  conversationalist  among  the  clergy  of  Kentucky  than  was 
Dr.  Miles.  With  his  intimate  friends,  and  on  proper  occasions,  he  was 
somewhat  given  to  jesting.  I  have  memory  of  an  exhibition  made 
by  him  of  that  peculiarity  of  his  mind  at  my  own  table  about  ten  years 
ago,  where  he  was  dining  with  Dr.  M.  J.  Spalding,  bishop  of  Louis- 
ville. The  two  were  relating  to  us  the  incidents  of  a  trip  they  had 
made  a  short  time  before  to  St.  Louis.  On  their  return  journey, 
owing  to  some  accident  to  the  boat  upon  which  they  were  passengers, 
they  were  compelled  to  stop  for  the  half  of  an  afternoon  and  the  fol- 
lowing night  in  the  city  of  Evansville.  Leaving  the  boat  together, 
they  determined  to  call  on  their  old  friend,  Father  Anthony  Deydier, 
of  the  church  of  the  Assumption.  The  apparition  of  two  bishops  at 
once  in  the  apartments  of  that  venerable  priest  set  him  thinking  how 
he  might  best  do  them  honor.  '  You  must  lecture  before  my  people 
to-night,'  said  he  to  Dr.  Spalding.  '  I  want  them  to  see  and  hear 
you.'  'But  how  will  you  get  them  together?'  asked  the  bishop. 
'  Never  do  you  mind  about  that,'  repHed  the  priest.  '  Only  say  that 
you  will  oblige  me  in  this,  and  my  word  for  it  you  will  have  an  audi- 
ence.' Having  consented  to  the  arrangement.  Father  Deydier  pro- 
ceeded to  'scare  up  his  people,'  as  Bishop  Miles  expressed  it,  and  the 
two  prelates  to  take  a  walk  through  the  growing  little  city.  Returning 
from  their  walk,  an  hour  later,  their  attention  was  attracted  to  an 
oddly  dressed  negro  fellow  who  was  vigorously  swinging  a  bell  and 
shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice  :  '  O  yes  !  O  yes !  The  great  Bishop 
Sprawlding  is  a  gwyin'  to  lecter  to-night  at  Priest  Dydiee's  church!  He 
knows  how  to  talk  for  sure!  Jest  come  along  and  have  the  har  lifted 
oflf  your  heads !     Twenty-five  cents  to  hear  the  great  Doctor  Sprawld- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  211 

ing!'  The  bishop  of  Louisville  did  not  laugh  when  he  heard  this 
announcement ;  the  bishop  of  Nashville  did ;  and  when  the  latter 
repeated  it  at  my  own  table,  and  described  the  antics  of  his  episcopal 
friend's  avant  courier,  as  he  called  him,  their  relative  demeanor,  as  I 
conceived,  presented  undistinguishable  differences  from  that  described 
as  having  marked  their  bearing  that  day  on  the  streets  of  Evansville. 
"  But  there  was  another  recital  in  store  for  us,  brought  out,  as  I 
then  thought,  by  Bishop  Miles'  love  of  fairness.  '  I  have  had  my  joke 
at  your  expense,  Dr.  Spalding,'  said  he,  'and  now  I  will  tell  you  one 
that  bears  a  little  hardly  on  myself.  You  know  how  fond  I  am  of 
music;  but  you  do  not  know  how  strongly  I  affect  the  old-time  refrains 
sung  by  the  negroes  at '  'house-raisings, "  and  '  'corn  shuckings. "  Shortly 
after  I  went  to  Nashville,  a  couple  of  my  parishioners,  knowing  my 
predilection  for  this  style  of  singing,  persuaded  me  to  accompany  them 
one  evening  to  a  concert  to  be  given  by  a  troupe  of  negro  minstrels. 
Without  takmg  time  to  think  of  the  impropriety  of  the  proceeding  in 
one  so  situated,  I  accompanied  them  to  the  hall.  We  were  early,  and 
taking  our  places  in  a  corner  the  farthest  removed  from  the  stage, 
we  conversed  in  whispers  and  awaited  the  rise  of  the  curtain.  The 
weather  was  cold,  and  wrapped  in  my  cloak  and  muffler,  I  congra- 
tulated myself  upon  the  likelihood  that  I  would  remain  unnoticed, 
even  though  there  might  be  some  there  who,  knowing  me,  might  feel 
scandalized  at  my  presence  in  such  a  place.  For  some  reason,  the 
concert  was  delayed  for  many  minutes  beyond  the  time  announced  for 
it  to  begin,  and  many  persons  in  the  audience  showed  their  impatience 
by  noisy  demonstrations.  They  stamped  and  yelled  and  whistled, 
and  fairly  turned  the  place  into  a  pandemonium.  In  a  lull  of  the 
uproar,  a  rough  fellow — I  had  never  before  set  eyes  on  him  to  my 
knowledge — arose  and  cried  out,  "I  move  that  Bishop  Miles  be 
requested  to  open  this  meeting  with  prayer !  "  You  can  imagine  what 
I  felt  of  shame  and  regret  that  I  had  allowed  myseb'  to  be  drawn  to  a 
place  where  such  impropriety  was  possible.'  Bishop  Miles  laughed, 
indeed,  when  he  had  finished  his  narrative,  but  it  was  evident  to  us 
all  that  he  had  not  yet  learned  to  enjoy  his  joke. 

"  In  person.  Bishop  Miles  was  tall — fully  six  feet  in  height — and  of 
a  moderately  full  habit.  His  features  were  significant  of  character  more 
than  comeliness,  I  am  told  that  he  could  be  stern  on  occasion,  but  it 
so  happened  that  I  never  saw  him  in  any  such  mood.  To  me  he 
always  appeared  either  pleasantly  interesting,  or  in  the  highest  degree 
entertaining.  He  had  a  warm  heart,  and  his  sympathy  was  easily 
evoked.  His  death  took  place  in  the  city  of  Nashville  on  the  first  day 
of  February,  i860." 

A  character  among  the  Dominicians  of  Kentucky  was  the  late 
Very  Rev.  M.  D.  O'Brien.  Without  any  claim  to  strong  intellec- 
tuality, much  less  to  brillancy,  and  with  but  little  claim  to  learning,  and 
none  at  all  to  personal  attractiveness  in  a  worldly  sense,  it  is  doubtful 
if  there  ever  was  a  priest  in  the  State  whose  ministry  was  effective  of 
results  more  wonderful.     Marvellous  are  the  stories  told  of  conver- 


212  THE   DOMINICANS    IN    KENTUCKY. 

sions  and  reclamations  wrought  through  his  instrumentality.  It  was 
as  if  a  child  had  been  endowed  with  the  might  of  the  athlete,  a  weak- 
Hng  in  reason  with  intelligence  to  lead  aright  the  intellectually  strong. 
Father  O'Brien  was  born  in  1802,  in  Nenah,  Tipperary  county,  Ire- 
land. He  was  educated  at  St.  Rose,  where  he  was  ordained,  and  his 
death  took  place  in  Louisville  on  the  15th  of  December,  1870. 

Of  Father  Polin,  who  died  on  the  24th  of  December,  1839,  the 
writer  has  heard  in  his  day  much  that  would  interest  his  readers  could 
he  trust  to  his  memory  for  the  details.  He  was  a  man  of  scholarly 
attainments,  and  before  entering  upon  his  noviciate  at  St.  Rose,  he  had 
been  a  school  teacher.  In  their  boyhood,  the  sons  of  Judge  John 
Kelly,  an  Irish  Catholic  of  distinction  living  in  Springfield  before  and 
after  the  year  1820,  had  him  for  their  preceptor. 

In  one  respect,  the  establishment  of  St.  Rose  has  had  a  remarkable 
record  of  late  years.  It  has  lost  more  of  its  members  by  their  atten- 
tion to  the  sick  during  the  prevalence  of  epidemic  diseases  than  any 
other  in  the  whole  country.  These  deaths  occurred,  for  the  most  part, 
in  the  city  of  Memphis,  where  the  Order  of  Preachers  has  charge  of 
the  extensive  parish  of  St.  Peter's. 

The  Episcopacy  of  the  country,  from  first  to  last,  has  drawn  from 
the  Order  of  St.  Dominic  five  of  its  members.  These  were  and  are  in 
the  order  of  their  consecration  : 

Rt.  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick,  first  bishop  of  Cincinnati ;  consecrated 
December  13,  1822;  died  September  26,  1832. 

Rt.  Rev.  Richard  Pius  Miles,  first  bishop  of  Nashville ;  consecrated 
September  16,  1838;  died  February  i,  i860. 

Most  Rev.  Joseph  Sadoc  Alemany,  present  archbishop  of  San 
Francisco;  consecrated  bishop  of  Monterey  June  30,  1850;  afterwards 
transferred  to  San  Francisco. 

Rt.  Rev.  James  Whelan,  consecrated  second  bishop  of  Nashville  in 
May,  1859;  resigned  four  years  later,  and  since  deceased. 

Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Grace,  second  and  present  bishop  of  the  See 
of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota;  consecrated  July  24,  1859. 

These  prelates  were  all,  at  one  time  or  other,  connected  with  the 
establishment  of  St.  Rose. 

At  the  present  day,  the  Dominicans  have  two  houses  in  Kentucky 
— one,  the  first  estabUshed  in  the  United  States— that  of  St.  Rose,  near 
Springfield,  and  the  other,  that  of  St.  Louis  Bertrand,  in  Louisville; 
one  in  Ohio,  that  of  St.  Joseph's,  near  Somerset;  one  in  New  York, 
that  of  St.  Vincent  Ferrer's,  Lexington  Avenue;  one  in  Tennessee,  that 
of  St.  Peter's,  Memphis ;  one  in  Washington  City,  that  of  St.  Dominic's, 
and  one  in  New  Jersey,  that  of  South  Orange  Avenue,  Newark. 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  213 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   DIOCESE   OF    BARDSTOWN. 

It  was  early  in  the  year  1807  that  Bishop  Carroll's  first  movement 
was  made  toward  a  division  of  episcopal  authority  in  the  United  States. 
He  wrote  the  Holy  See,  suggesting  the  erection  of  four  additional  Sees 
in  the  country,  one  to  be  located  in  Boston,  one  in  New  York,  one  in 
Philadelphia  and  one  in  Bardstown.  In  recommending  a  proper  per- 
son for  the  occupancy  of  the  See  last  named,  he  was  measurably 
influenced,  no  doubt,  by  the  wishes  of  his  vicar  in  Kentucky,  Rev. 
Stephen  Theodore  Badin.  Writing  to  the  cardinal  prefect  of  the 
propaganda,  under  date  of  June  17,  1807,  he  thus  speaks  of  his  own 
and  his  vicar's  choice  of  a  bishop  for  Kentucky : 

"For  several  years  he  (Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget)  was  stationed 
at  a  placed  called  Post  Vmcennes,  lying  between  the  waters  of  the  Ohio 
and  the  lakes  of  Canada,  where  with  the  greatest  industry  and  the 
most  hearty  good  will  of  all,  he  labored  in  promoting  piety,  until,  to 
my  great  regret,  he  was  recalled  to  fill  some  office  in  the  seminary. 
He  is  at  least  forty  years  of  age,  of  a  tender  piety  towards  God,  of 
most  bland  manners;  and  if  not  profoundly,  at  least  sufficiently  imbued 
with  theological  knowledge." 

All  of  Bishop  Carroll's  recommendations  were  adopted  by  Rome. 
The  Sees  named  were  created,  and  to  the  ecclesiastics  suggested  by 
him  were  sent  bulls  for  their  consecration.  Those  of  Bishop  Flaget 
were  dated  April  8,  1808,  and  they  reached  the  hands  of  Bishop  Car- 
roll in  September  of  the  same  year.  When  he  heard  of  his  appointment, 
the  bishop-elect  was  temporarily  stationed  at  Emmittsburg,  Maryland. 
The  news  filled  him  with  perturbation,  no  less  than  with  astonishment. 
Hastening  to  Baltimore,  he  went  direct  to  the  seminary,  where  he  fell 
into  the  arms  of  his  after-life  long  associate  of  the  Kentucky  mission, 
Rev.  John  B.  David.  They  had  scarcely  embraced  when  Father 
David  removed  his  doubts  and  increased  his  dismay  by  thus  address- 
ing him:  "They  told  me  that  I  was  to  be  bishop  of  Bardstown  ;  I  did 
not  believe  it,  but  I  determined,  should  this  happen,  that  I  should 
invite  you  to  accompany  me  to  Kentucky.  The  case  being  happily 
reversed,  I  tender  to  you  my  services  without  reserve."* 

Wholly  regardless  of  distinction  in  the  church,  and  entertaining  a 
most  modest  estimate  of  his  own  merits  and  capabilities,  the  bishop- 

*  Life  of  Bishop  Flaget  by  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding,  p  60. 


214  "^^^    DIOCESE   OF    BARDSTOWN. 

elect  felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  seek  to  be  relieved  of  the  responsibility 
that  had  come  to  him  unsought  and  unheralded.  In  order  to  avert 
what  he  feared  would  prove  a  misfortune  to  the  Church  of  the  young 
republic,  he  besought  his  Sulpician  brethren  to  come  to  his  relief,  and 
by  their  united  action  to  induce  Bishop  Carroll  to  recommend  to  the 
Holy  See  a  change  in  the  person  of  its  representative.  As  a  result  of 
this  appeal,  a  delegation  from  the  society,  headed  by  its  American 
superior,  M.  Nagot,  waited  on  the  bishop  and  urged  his  favorable 
consideration  of  their  prayer  that,  through  his  recommendation,  another 
than  the  one  appointed  might  be  substituted  for  the  bishopric  of 
Bardstown.  They  told  him  that,  before  they  had  conceived  it  to  be 
their  duty  to  ask  this  favor  at  his  hands,  they  had  prayed  for  divine 
direction,  and  the  deliverance  they  sought  for  their  brother  had  come 
of  the  effect  of  prayer  created  in  their  own  minds. 

Bishop  Carroll  was  as  unmoved  by  their  solicitations  as  he  had 
previously  been  by  those  of  the  bishop-elect.  "Gentlemen,"  said  he, 
"  you  tell  me  you  have  prayed!  Think  you,  then,  that  before  pro- 
posing your  brother  I  did  not  pray  ?  That  the  Cardinals  who  surround 
the  Holy  Father,  and  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  himself,  did  not  pray  ?  I 
tell  you  plainly  that  M.  Flaget  must  accept !" 

But  Dr.  Flaget,  honestly  entertaining  the  idea  that  he  had  no  tal- 
ent for  direction,  and  that  he  was  otherwise  wholly  unfitted  for  the 
post  to  the  occupancy  of  which  he  had  been  called,  still  resisted.  He 
wrote  to  the  superior  of  the  Sulpician  Order  in  France,  M.  Emery,  to 
whom  he  stated  his  reasons  for  declining  the  position,  and  upon  whose 
kind  offices  he  relied  for  the  relief  he  had  hitherto  vainly  sought  at  the 
hands  of  the  head  of  the  Church  in  America.  He  waited  so  long  for 
an  answer  to  this  letter  that  he  grew  impatient,  and,  with  the  consent 
of  his  brethren,  embarked  for  France  in  the  fall  of  1809.  On  pre- 
senting himself  before  M.  Emery,  his  confidence  in  the  tenableness  of 
the  position  he  had  taken  was  wholly  destroyed.  The  first  words 
addressed  to  him  by  the  stern  superior  were  these:  "  My  lord,  you 
should  have  been  already  in  your  diocese !  Know  you  not  that  the 
Pope  has  commanded  your  acceptance  of  his  appointment?"  The 
contest  was  ended;  his  conscience  was  clear,  and  he  recognized  in  the 
command  of  Christ's  Vicar  on  earth  the  expression  of  God's  will.  In 
his  new  position  he  would  give  to  the  Church  all  that  had  been  vouch- 
safed him  by  heaven,  whether  of  strength  or  zeal  or  prudence,  and  for 
the  rest,  he  had  faith  in  God's  direction  to  lead  him  aright,  and  in  His 
strength  to  enable  him  to  bear  the  heavy  weight  of  responsibility  that 
had  been  laid  upon  his  shoulders. 

The  bishop-elect  of  Bardstown  reached  Baltimore  on  his  return 
journey  to  America  and  the  seat  of  his  future  labors  early  in  July  of 
the  year  1810.  He  was  accompanied  by  six  ecclesiastics,  but  one  of 
whom  was  in  priest's  orders.* 

♦Bishop  Flaget's  companions  on  his  return  voyage  to  America  were:  Rev. 
Simon  Gabriel  Brute,    afterwards   first  bishop   of  the    diocese    of  Vincennes ; 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  »I5 

The  forty  days  preceding  his  consecration,  which  took  place  in  Balti- 
more on  the  feast  of  St.  Charles  Borromeo,  November  4th,  1810,  were 
passed  by  the  bishop-elect  of  Bardstown  in  the  exercises  of  a  spiritual 
retreat.  At  his  consecration  three  prelates — all  there  were  then  in 
the  country — took  part  in  the  ceremony.  These  were  :  Rt.  Rev.  John 
Carroll,  bishop  of  Baltimore,  consecrator,  and  Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  Che- 
verus  (afterwards  Cardinal  Cheverus ),  bishop  of  Boston,  and  Rt. 
Rev.  Michael  Egan,  bishop  of  Philadelphia,  assistants. 

Before  following  Bishop  Flaget  to  Kentucky,  it  is  important  that  the 
reader  shall  be  made  acquainted  with  the  principal  events  chronicled 
by  his  biographer  in  the  sketch  he  has  left  us  of  his  life  previous  to  the 
date  of  his  consecration.* 

"Benedict  J.  Flaget  was  born  of  respectable  parents  at  Contour- 
nat,  a  village  in  the  commune  of  St.  Julien,  near  the  town  of  Billom, 
France,  on  the  8th  of  November,  1764.  He  was  the  youngest  of  three 
sons ;  and  he  survived  his  two  elder  brothers,  both  of  whom,  however, 
lived  to  a  very  advanced  age.  At  the  age  of  about  two  years,  he  was 
left  an  orphan;  when  a  pious  aunt  took  charge  of  him  and  his  brothers, 
and  devoted  herself  assiduously  to  rearing  them  up  piously,  and  bestow- 
ing upon  them  the  blessings  of  a  christian  education.  God  bestowed  an 
abundant  benediction  upon  her  exertions ;  and  her  three  nephews  all 
became  distinguished  members  of  society,  and  two  of  them  bright  and 
shining  lights  in  the  Church  of  God. 

"  Having  thus  become  an  orphan  himself  at  so  early  a  period  of 
his  life,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ever  afterwards  cherished  sentiments 
of  the  most  lively  sympathy  for  those  left  by  Providence  in  a  similar 
condition.  It  was  the  object  dearest  to  his  heart  to  provide  for  their 
temporal  and  spiritual  comfort.  He  often  spoke  most  feelingly  on  the 
subject,  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life;  and  nothing  was  more  grateful 
to  his  feelings,  than  to  see  assembled  around  him  those  little  ones,  for 
whom  he  had  been  able  to  provide  a  shelter  in  establishments  erected 
under  his  auspices. 

"  He  never  forgot  the  good  aunt,  who  had  taken  the  place  of  his 
mother.  In  a  letter  to  one  of  his  brothers,  written  nine  years  after  his 
arrival  in  America,  he  speaks  of  her  in  the  following  terms : 

"  My  heart  bounds  at  the  very  remembrance  of  my  aunt.  If  she 
be  yet  living — and  I  hope  that  God  has  preserved  her  life  till  now — I 
cast  myself  on  her  neck ;  I  water  it  with  my  tears ;  words  fail  me  to 
express  to  her  my  gratitude.  .  .  .  The  idea  that  she  is  with  you  and 
your   virtuous  wife,    assures   me   as   to    her  well-being.  .  .  ,     Now 

Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat,  in  sub-deacon's  orders,  afterwards  coadjutor  of 
Bardstown ;   M.  Anthony  Deydier,  afterwards  for  many  years  pastor  at  Evans- 

ville,  Indiana;   M.  Derigaud,  who  followed  his  chief  to   Kentucky,   and 

was  raised  by  him  to  the  priesthood  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1817;  and  two 
young  men  who  afterwards  attached  themselves  to  the  Society  of  Jesus  at  their 
establishment  in  Georgetown. 

*  "Sketches  of  the  Life,  Times  and  Character  of  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph 
Flaget:     By  M.  J.  Spalding,  D.  D.     Louisville,   1852." 


2l6  THE   DIOCESE   OF    BARDSTOWN. 

that  the  Americans  have  free  intercourse  with  the  French,  please  see 
some  banker  at  Clermont,  who  has  business  transactions  with  a  mer- 
chant at  Bordeaux  or  Havre,  in  order  that  I  may  be  able  to  contribute 
something  to  the  comfort  of  this  good  aunt.  I  would  despoil  myself 
to  clothe  her;  I  would  deprive  myself  of  nourishment  to  feed  her;  and 
I  would  thus  be  doing  only  what  she  has  done  a  thousand  times  for  me. 
I  think  I  do  not  flatter  myself  on  this  point;  my  heart  is  not  ungrate- 
ful ;  it  seeks  but  the  occasion  to  manifest  its  gratitude.    * 

"  Having  conceived,  from  his  most  tender  years,  an  ardent  wish 
to  devote  himself  to  the  service  of  God  in  the  holy  ministry,  and  hav- 
'  ing  taken  all  the  precautions,  dictated  by  christian  prudence,  to  be 
enabled  to  decide  wisely  in  a  matter  of  so  much  importance,  he  at 
length  determined  to  embrace  the  ecclesiastical  state.  In  order  to 
enjoy  greater  facilities  for  pursuing  the  course  of  studies  required  for 
this  subhme  vocation,  at  the  age  of  about  seventeen  he  was  sent  to  the 
episcopal  city  of  Clermont.  Here  he  made  his  course  of  philosophy, 
and  attended  the  class  of  theology  for  two  years,  in  the  university; 
boarding,  in  the  meantime,  with  two  young  men  of  wealth,  towards 
whom  he  discharged  the  office  of  private  tutor,  in  consideration  of  their 
defraying  his  expenses. 

"It  was  here,  also,  that  he  had  the  happiness  of  receiving  the  sac- 
rament of  confirmation  from  the  hands  of  Monseigneur  De  Bonald, 
bishop  of  Clermont,  whose  age  and  infirmities  had  not  permitted  him 
to  visit  Billom.  He  was,  at  the  time,  in  his  eighteenth  year.  Having 
long  cherished  a  tender  devotion  towards  St.  Joseph,  the  special  patron 
of  youth  and  especially  of  orphans,  he  took  his  name  in  confirmation. 
He  received  the  sacrament  with  sentiments  of  the  most  lively  faith,  and 
with  those  emotions  of  tender  piety  for  which  he  was  always  distin- 
guished. He  was  thereby  greatly  strengthened  in  his  purpose  of  devot- 
ing his  whole  life  to  the  service  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  his 
neighbor. 

"  The  congregation  of  the  Sulpicians,  so  celebrated  for  their  ability 
in  training  youth  for  the  ecclesiastical  state,  were  then  conducting  in 
Clermont  a  seminary  for  the  higher  clerical  studies.  The  young  can- 
didate for  the  ministry  was  forcibly  struck  by  the  learning,  piety,  and 
strict  observance  of  this  body  of  priests;  and  he  determined  to  place 
himself  under  their  direction.  He  accordingly  entered  their  sem- 
inary, having  obtained  a  free  scholarship  established  by  Bishop  De 
Bonald.  Under  the  enlightened  guidance  of  this  venerable  prelate, 
he  pursued  his  ecclesiastical  studies  with  great  confidence;  and  without 
his  advice  he  took  no  important  step. 

"He  was  so  much  pleased  bj-  che  manner  of  life  followed  by  his  new 
instructors,  that,  with  the  permission  of  Bishop  De  Bonald,  he  resolved 
to  apply  for  admission  into  their  congregation.  They  likewise  had 
conceived  a  high  opinion  of  his  piety  and  other  good  qualities;  and  his 
application  was  favorably  received.     He  became  a  member  of  their 

♦Letter,  May  i8,  1801.     French  Life,  pp  8,  9. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  217 

congregation  on  the  ist  of  November,  1783;  when  he  had  almost 
completed  his  twentieth  year.  He  now  continued  his  studies  with 
renewed  ardor,  and  daily  advanced  in  the  path  of  perfection. 
Obedience,  to  which  he  had  been  trained  from  his  infancy,  had  become 
a  settled  habit  with  him ;  and  it  now  cost  him  comparatively  but  little, 
no  matter  how  painful  to  nature  the  object  of  the  command. 

"At  the  canonical  age,  he  received  the  holy  order  of  sub-deacon- 
ship;  and  thereby  bound  himself  irrevocably  to  the  service  of  the 
Church  at  her  holy  altars. 

"  Having  remained  for  nearly  two  years  under  the  instruction  of  the 
Sulpicians  at  Clermont,  and  completed  the  course  taught  in  that  semi- 
nary, and  not  having  as  yet  reached  the  age  required  for  the  priest- 
hood, he  was  sent  to  the  solitude  of  Issy,  near  Paris,  to  prepare  himself 
for  ordination.  Here  he  remained  about  three  years;  continuing  his 
studies,  and  grounding  himself  more  in  the  sublime  principles  and  dif- 
ficult practices  of  the  spiritual  life. 

"These  were,  perhaps,  the  happiest  years  of  his  life.  He  always 
viewed  religious  solitude  as  '  a  paradise  upon  earth ' ;  and  he  never 
tired  of  being  near  the  holy  altar,  and  paying  his  homage  to  Jesus, 
reposing  thereon  in  the  sacrament  of  His  love.  The  office  of  sacris- 
tan, with  which  he  was  charged,  afforded  him  the  opportunity  he  so 
much  coveted ;  and  it  was  here  that  he  grew  up,  under  the  shadow  of 
the  altar,  in  that  tender  and  abiding  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
which,  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  his  long  life,  he  always  so  warmly 
cherished  and  so  constantly  practiced. 

* '  The  Rev.  Gabriel  Richard,  afterwards  for  so  many  years  an 
American  missionary,  stationed  chiefly  at  Detroit,  was  then  superior 
of  the  seminary  at  Issy ;  and  here  both  these  distinguished  ecclesias- 
tics imbibed  in  solitude  that  spirit  of  prayer  and  fortitude  which  fitted 
them  to  become  apostles  in  the  new  world. 

"After  his  promotion  to  the  priesthood  at  Issy,  Monsieur  Flaget 
was  sent  by  his  superiors  to  the  seminary  of  Nantes;  where  he 
was  for  two  years  professor  of  dogmatic  theology.  He  here  also 
filled,  for  a  time,  the  office  of  procurator  during  the  illness  of  the 
incumbent. 

"The  professor  of  moral  theology  in  the  seminary  of  Nantes  having 
been  appointed  superior  of  that  of  Angers,  asked  that  Monsieur 
Flaget,  for  whom  he  had  conceived  a  special  friendship,  might  be  per- 
mitted to  accompany  him  to  the  latter  city,  as  professor  of  dogma. 
The  request  was  granted.  In  a  few  months,  however,  the  storm  of 
the  French  revolution  broke  out  with  fury  in  that  portion  of  France ; 
and  the  seminary  of  Angers  was  closed.  The  professors  sought 
shelter  in  private  families,  or  wherever  they  were  most  safe  against  the 
rage  of  the  infuriated  Jacobins,  who  thirsted  for  the  blood  of  every 
priest  of  God. 

"In  this  sad  emergency.  Monsieur  Flaget  applied  for  counsel  to 
Monsieur  Emery,  the  superior  general  of  the  society,  and  under  his 
advice  he  retired  for  a  time  to  the  bosom  of  his  family  at  Billom. 


2l8  THE   DIOCESE   OF    BARDSTOWN. 

This  occurred  in  the  year   1791,  when  he  was  in  tne  twenty-eighth 
year  of  his  age. 

"  While  all  was  confusion  and  bloodshed  around  him,  strong  in  faith 
and  in  hope,  he  possessed  his  soul  in  peace.  His  heart  was  indeed 
torn  with  anguish  by  the  news  of  desecrated  temples,  of  violated 
altars,  of  priests  massacred  while  faithfully  ministering  to  God,  and  of 
holy  virgins  immolated  in  the  cloister ;  but  his  confidence  that  God 
would  protect  His  Church  never  for  a  moment  faltered.  He  infused 
much  of  his  own  serenity  amidst  the  storm  into  the  minds  of  others. 
Better  days  were  coming." 

We  have  already  seen  how  Dr.  Flaget,  having  determined  to  devote 
his  life  to  the  missions  of  America,  reached  Baltimore  in  1792,  and 
together  with  his  companions,  Revs.  John  B.  David  and  Stephen  T. 
Badin,  was  welcomed  to  the  country  by  the  then  vicar  apostolic  of  the 
London   district,  Dr.    John   Carroll.     Six   months   later,  he   may  be 
said  to  have  begun  his  missionary  life  by  his  acceptance,  at  the  hands 
of  Dr.  Carroll,  of  the  charge  of  Vincennes  post,  an  important  military 
station  in  the  territory  of  the  Northwest.     The  journey  to  the  seat  of 
his  mission  was  long  and  difficult.     It  was  usually  prosecuted  by  over- 
land travel  to  Pittsburg;  thence,  by  flatboats,  down  the  Ohio  river  to 
Louisville,  and  thence  through  an  almost  unbroken  forest  to  Vincennes. 
Reaching    Pittsburg,  the  missionary  found   the   river  too   low  to 
admit  of  further  progress,  and  in  that  condition  it  remained  for  nearly 
six  months.      His  enforced  delay  constituted  no  period  of  idleness, 
however.     The  general  government  was  engaged  at  the  time  in  an 
effort  to  enforce  its  authority  over  the  hostile  Indian  tribes  of  the 
Northwest  territory,  whose  savage  instincts  had  led  them  to  the  com- 
mission of  acts  of  barbarity  that  had  already  involved  the  lives  of 
numbers  of  white  settlers  in  the  western  wilds.     Pittsburg  was  then  a 
military  post  and  recruiting  station,  under  command  of  Gen.  Anthony 
Wayne,  whose  ideas  of  discipline  were  peculiarly  rigid.     It  so  hap- 
pened during  the  missionary's  stay  at  the  post  that  four  soldiers  of  the 
command  were  tried  for  desertion  and  condemned  to  death.     When 
he  heard  of  the  dreadful  situation  of  these  miserable  men.  Dr.  Flaget 
hastened  to  the  commander  of  the  post  and  begged  to  be  permitted  to 
see  and  prepare  the  guilty  unfortunates  for  their  fast  approaching  end. 
Singularly  enough,  there  was  but  a  single  one  of  the  condemned  men 
who  had  not  been  the  recipient  of  Catholic  baptism.     Two  of  these, 
together  with  the  non-Catholic,  submitted  themselves  to  the  direction  of 
Dr.  Flaget,  and  went  to  execution  sustained  by  the  hope  that,  through 
the   merits   of  Christ,  their   sins    were  forgiven  them.     The   fourth, 
rendered  reckless  of  the  future  by  the  stubbornness  of  his  unbelief,  was 
a  Frenchman.     In  vain  did  the  good  priest  seek  to  soften  his  obdurate 
heart.     Remonstrances  and  tearful  pleadings  were   thrown  away  on 
one  who  had  drunk  in  as  water  the  barren  philosophy  that  had  been 
so  long  the  curse  of  his  native  land.     In  vain,  too,  did  he  appeal  for 
mercy  to  the  condemned  at  the  hands  of  Gen.  Wayne.     He  accom- 
panied the  men  to  the  ground  upon  which  their  execution  was  to  take 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  219 

place,  but  his  sensibility  was  too  great  to  permit  him  to  witness  the 
dreadful  finale.  Having  prayed  with  and  for  the  three  who  had 
hearkened  to  his  voice  and  that  of  their  consciences,  and  administered 
to  them  the  last  absolution,  he  turned  and  fled  from  the  harrowing 
scene.  The  death-dealing  shots  by  which  three  of  the  condemned 
were  launched  into  eternity  fell  not  on  his  ears.  He  had  fainted  by 
the  wayside.  A  little  later,  the  good  missionary  learned  that  the  least 
worthy  and  the  most  necessitous  of  the  condemned  men  had  been 
granted  a  reprieve  by  the  commandant.  He  was  thankful  for  this 
mercy  to  his  compatriot,  and  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  his  conversion 
was  for  many  days  afterwards  the  theme  of  his  prayers. 

After  a  delay  of  six  months  at  Pittsburg,  the  missionary  was  enabled 
to  continue  his  journey  westward,  which  was  made  by  flatboat  convey- 
ance as  far  as  Louisville.  In  due  time  he  reached  the  then  little  settle- 
ment at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  where  he  became  the  guest  of  an 
emigre  from  France  who  was  the  owner  of  a  compact  body  of  land  of 
one  hundred  acres  at  the  mouth  of  Beargrass  creek,  now  covered  by 
improvements  aggregating  millions  of  dollars  in  value.  This  gentle- 
man, whose  name  has  not  transpired,  not  even  in  the  records  of  the 
bishop's  life  as  given  to  the  public  by  his  biographer,  would  seem  to 
have  been  so  much  impressed  by  the  admirable  character  of  his  guest, 
as  to  propose  to  him  that  he  should  remain  with  him  in  the  capacity  of 
chaplain,  promising  in  that  case  to  constitute  him  the  heir  to  his  estate. 
The  missionary  was  in  no  wise  tempted  by  this  generous  offer.  He 
was  under  the  law  of  obedience,  and  that  which  had  been  set  for  him 
to  do  demanded  and  should  receive  the  limit  of  his  care,  irrespective  of 
personal  and  temporal  interests.  This  embodied  his  answer  to  his 
compatriot's  proposal. 

The  short  interval  of  his  journey  passed  in  Louisville,  was  in  one 
respect  providential  to  Dr.  Flaget.  There  he  fell  in  with  Fathfirs 
Levadour  and  Richard,  both  sent  by  Dr.  Carroll  to  pastorates  in  the 
far  west,  the  one  to  Kaskaskia,  and  the  other  to  Prairie  du  Rocher. 

Having  been  commended  by  Gen.  Wayne  to  the  attention  of  Col. 
George  Rogers  Clarke,  who  was  then  in  command  of  a  garrison  at  the 
Falls  of  the  Ohio,  the  missionary  was  treated  by  the  last  named  officer 
with  marked  civility.  He  even  accompanied  him  to  Vincennes,  giving 
him  on  the  way  the  privilege  of  reposing  in  his  own  tent.  From  that 
time.  Col.  Clarke  exhibited  on  all  proper  occasions  much  personal 
interest  in  Dr.  Flaget,  and  their  mutual  friendship  was  only  interrupted 
by  the  death  of  the  renowned  soldier  in  1818. 

Reaching  Vincennes  on  the  21st  of  December,  1792,  Dr.  Flaget 
immediately  set  about  the  work  of  reconstruction  which  had  led  to  his 
appointment.  The  church  building,  a  rough  structure  of  logs,  was  an 
affair  rickety  from  long  neglect,  leaky  and  altogether  wretched  in  its 
appointments.  The  altar,  badly  constructed  from  the  first  of  unsea- 
soned boards,  was  falling  to  pieces,  and  but  for  the  uses  to  which  it 
had  formerly  been  put,  was  well  calculated  to  disgust  even  a  christian 
neophyte.     The  congregation  was  found  to  be  in  as  bad  a  condition 


220  THE   DIOCESE   OF   BARDSTOWN. 

as  the  church.  Having  fitted  up  the  latter  to  the  best  of  his  ability  for 
the  festival  of  Christmas,  he  was  enabled  to  induce  twelve  out  of  the 
seven  hundred  persons  who  acknowledged  themselves  Catholics,  to 
approach  the  table  of  their  Lord  on  the  feast  of  His  Nativity. 

Sorrowful,  but  in  no  wise  discouraged,  the  zealous  priest  gave  him- 
self no  rest  in  his  efforts  to  revive  in  the  hearts  of  his  people  the  half- 
forgotten  Catholic  traditions  of  their  race.  The  greater  part  of  the 
fathers  of  families  under  his  spiritual  jurisdiction  were  French  Cana- 
dians, many  of  them  married  to  Indian  women  and  having  large  fami- 
Hes  of  children.  It  was  through  these  latter  that  he  was  enabled 
eventually  to  reach  the  hearts  of  the  parents.  He  brought  them 
together  in  a  school  and  gave  them  instruction  in  the  rudiments  of 
secular  learning.  He  gave  to  them  lessons  in  the  art  of  singing,  and 
he  caused  them  to  assist  with  their  voices  in  the  services  of  the  church. 
He  could  not  have  conceived  more  adequate  means  to  the  end  he  had 
in  view.  Just  the  reverse  of  repellent  in  both  manner  and  speech,  it 
was  an  easy  task  for  him  to  win  the  affection  of  the  children,  and,  so 
much  accomplished,  his  way  was  open  to  the  confidence  of  the  parents. 
Turning  his  attention  to  these,  he  sought  to  improve  their  social  con- 
dition by  encouraging  them  in  the  application  of  their  energies  to  pur- 
suits that  promised  something  better  than  the  half-savage  modes  of  Hfe 
to  which  they  had  been  accustomed.  He  sought  to  wean  them  from 
dependence  upon  the  chase  for  their  Hvelihood  and  that  of  their  fami- 
lies, and  to  introduce  among  them  habits  of  domesticity  founded  upon 
home  industries  and  home  comforts.  His  success  was  beyond  his 
hopes,  and  it  might  have  been  still  greater  had  he  not  been  recalled  to 
Baltimore  by  his  superiors  after  two  and  a  half  years  of  conscientious 
and  exacting  toil  in  the  wilderness. 

Dr.  Flaget  left  Vincennes  toward  the  end  of  April,  1795.  He  first 
journeyed  to  Kaskaskia,  whence  he  embarked  on  a  flatboat  for  New 
Orleans.  Here  he  remained  a  guest  of  the  Capuchin  fathers  until  he 
was  enabled  to  secure  passage  in  a  sailing  vessel  bound  for  northeast- 
ern ports.  It  was  not  until  the  fall  of  the  year  named  that  he  reached 
Baltimore.  With  little  delay,  he  was  sent  to  Georgetown  college, 
conducted  by  priests  of  the  suppressed  order  of  the  Society  of  Jesus. 
Here  he  remained  for  about  three  years,  teaching  geography  and 
French,  and  filling  the  post  of  college  discipHnarian.  One  of  his  pupils, 
to  whom  he  became  much  attached,  was  Benedict  J.  Fenwick,  after- 
wards successor  to  the  late  renowned  Cardinal  Cheverus,  in  the  bishop- 
ric of  Boston.* 

*  "While  engaged  at  Georgetown  college,"  says  Dr.  Spalding,  "he  had 
twice  the  pleasure  of  seeing  and  shaking  by  the  hand  the  first  president  of  the 
United  States,  George  Washington.  The  first  occasion  was  when  he  accompa- 
nied the  faculty  of  the  college  on  a  complimentary  visit  paid  by  them  to  the 
president ;  and  the  second  was  when  the  latter  returned  the  visit  to  the  college. 
His  estimate  of  the  character  of  Washington  had  before  been  exalted,  but  hav- 
ing once  seen  him,  and  listened  to  his  wise  reflections  on  subjects  that  had  for 
himself  and  his  co-religionists  a  peculiar  interest  at  the  time,  he  was  ready  to 
give  to  him  the  title  that  has  since  inured  to  him  by  popular  favor,  '  the  father 
of  his  country.'  " 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  221 

In  1798,  by  accessions  to  their  ranks  from  Europe,  the  Jesuit 
fathers  having  control  of  Georgetown  college  were  enabled  to  dispense 
with  the  services  of  those  of  St.  Sulpice,  who  were  wanted  at  the  time 
to  take  charge  of  a  proposed  college  in  the  Island  of  Havana.  Three  of 
the  fathers  were  sent  to  the  island,  first  Rev.  William  Dubourg,  after- 
wards bishop  of  New  Orleans,  who  was  soon  followed  by  Fathers 
Flaget  and  Babade.  The  welcome  received  by  these  fathers  from  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities  of  the  island  was  anything  but  assuring.  The 
administration  was  at  the  time  in  the  hands  of  two  brothers,  the  vicars- 
general  of  the  archbishop,  who  was  incapable,  by  reason  of  age  and 
blindness,  of  attending  to  the  duties  of  his  office ;  and  these  were 
dominated  by  extreme  prejudice  against  the  French  clergy.  On  the 
plea  that  the  Sulpician  fathers  were  foreigners,  they  were  refused  the 
privilege  of  saying  mass.  Fathers  Dubourg  and  Babade  withdrew 
from  the  city  at  once  and  took  immediate  passage  for  Baltimore.  It 
so  happened  that  their  companion  was  prostrated  with  yellow  fever 
at  the  time  of  their  departure,  and  they  were  under  the  necessity  of 
leaving  him  on  the  island.  The  story  of  Dr.  Flaget's  after  residence 
in  Havana  is  here  condensed  from  his  biographer's  more  extended 
account: 

In  this  extremity  he  was  neither  forgotten  nor  neglected  His  own 
sufferings  and  the  hardships  to  which  himself  and  his  associates  had 
been  subjected  had  awaked  for  him  and  them  a  lively  sympathy  in 
Havana.  He  was  waited  on  and  nursed  during  his  illness  by  an  aged 
and  wealthy  lady  of  the  city,  who  not  only  did  everything  in  her  power 
to  render  his  situation  less  deplorable  than  it  really  was,  but  proposed 
to  him,  in  the  event  of  his  recovery,  that  he  should  be  to  her  as  a  son. 
Regaining  his  health,  he  became  a  member  of  the  household  of  Don 
Nicholas  Calvo,  a  man  of  affluence,  who  had  earnestly  appealed  to 
him  to  take  charge  of  the  education  of  his  son.  This  he  contracted  to 
do,  but  only  on  the  condition  that  his  superiors  should  be  satisfied  with 
the  arrangement,  and  that  within  three  months  thereafter,  liberty 
should  be  restored  to  him  to  offer  up  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  mass. 
The  answer  from  his  superiors  was  favorable,  but  vainly  had  M.  Calvo 
and  his  other  friends  sought  a  reversal  of  the  order  restricting  the  priest 
from  saying  mass.  But  a  few  days  remained  of  the  three  months  during 
which  he  had  agreed  to  wait  the  hoped-for  permission,  when  the  aged 
archbishop  was  called  out  of  life,  and  the  administration  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  chapter  of  the  cathedral.  Accompanied  by  Don  Calvo, 
Dr.  Flaget  attended  a  meeting  of  the  chapter  and  stated  his  wishes. 
The  decision  cf  the  dean  was  prompt  and  to  the  point:  "Yes,  Senor 
Abbate,"  said  he,  "I  grant  you  these  faculties;  and  I  rejoice  that  the 
first  act  of  my  administration  is  one  of  justice."  The  two  former 
vicars  of  the  archbishop  were  present  when  these  words  were  spoken, 
and  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  rebuke  they  then  received  was  felt  by 
them  to  their  after  profit. 

Dr.  Flaget's  first  mass  in  Havana  was  celebrated  in  the  church  of 
the  Capuchins,  and  it  was  made  an  occasion  for  rejoicing  by  very  many 


228  THE   DIOCESE   OF   BARDSTQWN. 

person  s  who  had  become  interested  in  his  welfare  through  their  obser- 
vation of  his  singular  piety  and  modest  demeanor  from  the  time  of  his 
arrival  in  the  city.  The  greater  part  of  his  time,  during  his  after  resi- 
dence in  Havana,  was  given  to  the  observance  of  his  compact  with  M. 
Calvo  in  relation  to  the  education  of  his  son.  While  so  employed,  an 
incident  took  place  that  was  destined  to  affect  favorably  the  diocese 
over  which  Dr.  Flaget  was  afterwards  called  to  rule.  Louis  Philippe, 
of  Orleans,  afterwards  king  of  France,  together  with  his  two  brothers, 
exiled  from  their  native  land  and  slimly  provided  with  means  for  their 
maintenance,  arrived  in  Havana,  and  became  in  some  sense,  pension- 
ers upon  the  charity  of  a  stranger  people.  Sympathizing  with  them 
in  their  misfortunes,  the  more  wealthy  of  the  citizens  undertook  a 
private  subscription  for  their  benefit,  the  presentation  of  which  was 
assigned  to  Dr.  Flaget.  This  was  a  graceful  admission  on  the  part  of 
the  friends  of  the  Orleans  princes  that  there  was  no  one  more  capable 
of  representing  them  than  the  modest  ecclesiastic  who  had  so  lately 
come  to  reside  amongst  them.  The  service  required  of  him  was  per- 
formed with  so  much  tact  and  discretion,  and  so  feelingly  withal,  that 
it  secured  to  him  the  lasting  friendship  of  the  exiled  princes.  This  was 
afterwards  evidenced  in  a  tangible  manner  when  the  elder  of  the 
princes  became  king  of  France,  and  the  spokesman  of  the  almoners 
was  bishop  of  Bardstown. 

M.  Calvo  died  in  May,  1801.  He  had  previously  sought  to  secure 
the  permanent  services  of  Dr.  Flaget  by  proposing  that  he  should 
travel  with  his  son  for  some  years,  and  visit  with  him  the  several 
kingdoms  of  Europe- 

The  stipend,  extravagant  for  the  times,  proposed  to  be  given  him, 
and  the  character  of  the  service  itself,  so  grateful  to  his  natural  long- 
ings, were  no  temptation  to  one  who  had  long  before  surrendered  his 
will  for  the  glory  of  God.  Says  his  biographer:  "  He  wisely  left  all 
to  the  decision  of  his  superiors."  Soon  after  the  death  of  his  friend. 
Dr.  Flaget  was  recalled  to  Baltimore  by  his  superiors.  On  leaving 
Havana,  twenty-three  youths  were  entrusted  to  his  care  by  their 
parents,  all  designed  for  Georgetown  college.  Among  these  was  the 
son  of  Mr.  Calvo,  whose  education  had  been  his  principal  care  up  to 
that  time  since  his  recovery  from  the  serious  illness  of  which  men- 
tion has  been  made.  When  he  presented  himself  before  his  superiors 
in  Baltimore,  toward  the  end  of  the  year  1801,  he  was  enabled  to  give 
to  these  reverend  gentlemen  tangible  evidences  of  the  respect  and 
confidence  that  had  been  reposed  in  him  by  the  good  Catholic  people 
of  Havana.  Gifts,  aggregating  a  large  sum  of  money,  had  been 
forced  upon  him  by  these  latter,  and  without  reserving  to  himself 
anything,  the  whole  was  handed  over  to  the  treasurer  of  the 
society. 

Again  charged  with  college  duties  and  frequent  missionary  labors. 
Dr.  Flaget  spent  the  seven  years  of  his  life  immediately  following  his 
return  to  Baltimore  with  little  intervening  that  was  calculated  to  disturb 
its  quietude.     Had  it  not  been  for  his  natural  anxiety  concerning  his 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  223 

relatives  in  France — that  country  being  involved  at  the  time  in  what 
is  historically  known  as  Napoleonic  wars — his  peace  of  mind  would 
have  been  well-nigh  perfect.  For  much  of  the  time  he  could  not 
hear  from  them,  nor  they  from  him ;  and  when  it  so  happened  that  their 
letters  did  reach  his  hands,  he  found  them  made  up  of  importunities 
for  his  speedy  return  to  his  native  country.  The  thought  that  he  was 
separated  from,  and  little  likely  to  be  ever  reunited  to  them  in  life,  was 
very  bitter  to  him;  but  his  earthly  work  had  been  fixed  for  him;  he 
had  set  his  hands  to  the  plow,  and  he  felt  that  he  would  be  recreant  to 
duty  should  he  abandon  his  field  of  toil.  Writing  to  one  of  his 
brothers,  he  says  :  "  It  is  difficult  to  uproot  a  tree  that  has  been  for 
seventeen  years  in  a  good  soil.  Let  that  be  said,  my  dear  brother, 
in  order  that  we  may  both  accustom  ourselves  to  the  thought  of  never 
seeing  each  other  in  this  lower  world.  My  heart  is  very  heavy  in 
making  you  such  an  adieu;  but  it  is  as  well  to  make  it  to-day 
as  to-morrow.  The  sorrow  would  be  always  the  same;  and  the 
sacrifice  once  made,  we  would  labor  seriously,  both  of  us,  to  be 
reunited,  as  soon  as  possible,  in  the  bosom  of  God." 

''The  new  bishop,"  says  Dn  Spalding,  "now  ardently  desired  to 
repair  immediately  to  the  theatre  of  his  future  labors ;  but  insuperable 
difficulties  arose,  which  delayed  his  departure  till  the  following  spring. 
The  principal  obstacle  was  his  truly  apostolic  poverty;  he  had  not 
wherewith  to  defray  the  necessary  expenses  of  his  journey. 

"He  corresponded  on  the  subject  with  M„  Badin,now  his  vicar 
general  in  Kentucky;  and  the  latter  opened  a  subscription,  with  a  view 
to  raise  the  requisite  sum.  But  the  poverty  of  the  Catholics,  most  of 
whom  were  new  settlers,  subsequently  induced  him  to  suspend  the  col- 
lection. The  bishop  approved  of  this  proceeding,  for  he  was  aware  of 
the  destitution  of  his  new  flock,  and  he  wished  to  do  notliing  to  alienate 
their  affections, 

"  He  wrote  to  M.  Badin:  '  May  the  will  oi  God  be  done!  I  would 
prefer  a  thousand  times  to  walk,  than  creatf  the  slightest  murmur.' 
And  agam :  '  Be  pleased  to  take  notice,  that  we  ar :  seven  or  eight  per- 
sons, and  have  but  one  horse  among  us,  I  in;end  tr  let  M.  David,  as 
being  the  slowest  of  foot,  have  the  use  of  this  horse,  I  and  my  other 
companions  will  perform  the  journey  on  foot,  with  the  greatest  pleasure, 
and  without  the  slightest  reluctance.  This  manner  ot  pilgrimage  will 
be  more  to  my  taste;  and  unless  I  am  greatly  deceived,  it  will  not  dero- 
gate from  my  dignity,     I,  however,  leave  everything  to  your  prudence.' 

"While  he  was  placed  in  these  difficulties, a  number  of  generous 
friends  in  Baltimore  came  to  his  relief,  by  contributing  the  necessary 
amount.  We  will  here  let  him  speak  for  himself;  laying  before  our 
readers  an  extract  from  a  letter  to  the  directors  of  the  Association  for 
the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  in  France; 

"  '  To  give  you  a  clear  idea  of  the  bishoprics  of  the  United  States, 
I  propose  to  lay  before  you  a  brief  statement  of  the  condition  in  which 
I  found  myself,  after  the  Holy  See,  on  the  representation  of  Bishop 
Carroll,  had  nominated  me  to  the   bishopric   of  Bardstown.      I  was 


224  THE    DIOCESE   OF   BARDSTOWN. 

compelled  to  accept  the  appointment,  whether  I  would  or  not ;  I  had 
not  a  cent  at  my  disposal ;  the  pope  and  the  cardinals,  who  were  dis- 
persed by  the  revolution,  were  not  able  to  make  me  the  slightest  pres- 
ent; and  Archbishop  Carroll,  though  he  had  been  bishop  for  more  than 
sixteen  (twenty)  years,  was  still  pQorer  than  myself;  for  he  had  debts, 
and  I  owed  nothing.  Nevertheless,  my  consecration  took  place  on  the 
4th  of  November,  1810;  but  for  want  of  money  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  journey,  I  could  not  undertake  it.  It  was  only  six  months 
afterwards,  that,  through  a  subscription  made  by  my  friends  in  Balti- 
more, I  was  enabled  to  reach  Bardstown,  my  episcopal  See.' 

"At  length,  on  the  nth  of  May,  1811,  the  bishop  and  his  suite  left 
Baltimore  for  the  west.  They  traveled  over  the  mountains  to  Pitts- 
burg; whence  they  embarked  on  the  2  2d  in  a  flatboat,  chartered  spec- 
ially for  the  purpose.  They  were  thirteen  days  in  descending  the  Ohio 
river  to  Louisville,  where  they  arrived  on  the  4th  of  June. 

"A  Canadian  priest,  M.  Savine,  had  joined  them;  and,  on  the 
boat,  all  the  exercises  were  conducted  as  in  a  regularly  organized 
seminary.  Though  'M.  David's  health  was  in  as  bad  a  condition  as 
the  bishop's  funds' — it  having  been  greatly  shattered  on  the  missions 
of  Maryland — yet  he  presided  over  all  the  spiritual  exercises,  the 
order  of  which  had  been  previously  fixed  by  the  bishop. 

*"  The  boat  on  which  we  descended  the  Ohio  became  the  cradle 
of  the  seminary,  and  of  the  church  of  Kentucky.  Our  cabin  was,  at 
the  time,  chapel,  dormitory,  study  room  and  refectory.  An  altar  was 
erected  on  the  boxes,  and  ornamented  so  far  as  circumstances  would 
allow.  The  bishop  prescribed  a  regulation  which  fixed  all  the  exer- 
cises, and  in  which  each  had  its  proper  time.  On  Sunday,  after 
prayer,  every  one  went  to  confession ;  then  the  priests  said  mass,  and 
the  others  went  to  communion.  After  an  agreeable  navigation  of 
thirteen  days,  we  arrived  at  Louisville,  next  at  Bardstown,  and  finally 
at  the  residence  of  the  vicar-general.' 

"At  Louisville,  the  bishop  met  the  good  M.  Nerinckx,  who  had 
come  to  welcome  him  in  the  name  of  the  clergy,  and  to  escort  him  to 
Bardstown  and  St.  Stephen's. 

"We  cannot  better  relate  his  journey  to  Bardstown,  or  describe 
his  sentiments  on  taking  possession  of  his  See,  than  in  his  own  words, 
contained  in  a  letter — half  playful  and  half  serious — written  to  his 
brother  in  France,  a  few  days  afterwards : 

"  'While  we  were  there,  (in  Louisville,)  the  faithful  of  my  epis- 
copal city  put  themselves  in  motion  to  receive  me  in  a  manner  con- 
formable to  my  dignity.  They  despatched  for  my  use  a  fine  equip- 
age drawn  by  two  horses;  and  a  son  of  one  among  the  principal 
inhabitants  considered  himself  honored  in  being  the  driver.  Horses 
were  furnished  to  all  those  who  accompanied  me,  and  four  wagons 
transported  our  baggage.' 

"  '  It  was  then,  for  the  first  time,  that  I  saw  the  bright  side  of  the 
episcopacy,  and  that  I  began  to  feel  its  dangers.  Nevertheless,  God 
be  thanked,  if  some  movements  of  vanity  glided  into  my  heart,  they 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  225 

had  not  a  long  time  to  fix  their  abode  therein.  The  roads  were  so 
detestable,  that,  in  spite  of  my  beautiful  chargers  and  my  excellent 
driver,  I  was  obliged  to  perform  part  of  the  journey  on  foot ;  and  I 
should  have  so  traveled  the  entire  way,  had  not  one  of  my  young 
seminarians  dismounted  and  presented  me  his  horse.' 

"  '  The  next  day,  the  sun  was  not  yet  risen  when  we  were  already 
'  on  our  journey.  The  roads  were  much  better ;  I  entered  the  carriage 
with  two  of  my  suite.  I  was  not  the  more  exalted  ifier)  for  all  this ; 
the  idea  that  I  was  henceforward  to  speak,  to  write  and  to  act  as 
bishop,  cast  me  into  a  profound  sadness.  How  many  sighs  did  I  not 
breathe  forth  while  traversing  the  lour  or  five  remaining  leagues  of 
our  journey ! ' 

"  '  At  the  distance  of  a  half  league  (a  mile  and  a  half)  from  town, 
an  ecclesiastic  of  my  diocese,  accompanied  by  the  principal  inhabit- 
ants, came  out  to  meet  me.  So  soon  as  they  had  perceived  us,  they 
dismounted  to  receive  my  benediction.  I  gave  it  to  them,  but  with 
how  trembling  a  hand,  and  with  what  heaviness  of  heart !  Mutual 
compliments  were  now  exchanged,  and  then  we  all  together  proceeded 
towards  the  town.  This  cortege,  though  simple  and  modest  in  itself,  is 
something  very  new  and  extraordinary  in  this  country.  It  was  the  first 
time  a  bishop  was  ever  seen  in  these  parts  (deserts) ;  and  it  was  I,  the 
very  last  of  the  last  tribe,  who  was  to  have  this  honor  ! ' 

"  '  In  entering  the  town,  I  devoted  myself  to  all  the  guardian 
angels  who  reside  therein,  and  I  prayed  to  God,  with  all  my  heart,  to 
make  me  die  a  thousand  times,  should  I  not  become  an  instrument  of 
His  glory  in  this  new  diocese.  O,  my  dear  brother,  have  compassion 
on  me,  overloaded  with  so  heavy  a  burden,  and  pray  fervently  to  God 
that  He  would  vouchsafe  to  lighten  it.' 

"The  bishop  entered  Bardstown — where  there  was  as  yet  no 
church — on  the  9th  of  June;  and  he  reached  St.  Stephen's,  the 
residence  of  M.  Badin,  on  the  nth.  Here  he  was  met  by  the  clergy 
of  his  diocese,  and  was  greeted  by  a  large  concourse  of  his  people, 
anxious  to  see  their  bishop.  The  ceremony  of  his  installation  is  thus 
described  by  M.  Badin : 

"  '  The  bishop  there  found  the  faithful  kneeling  on  the  grass,  and 
singing  canticles  in  English ;  the  country  women  were  nearly  all 
dressed  in  white,  and  many  of  them  were  still  fasting,  though  it  was 
then  four  o'clock  in  the  evening;  they  having  entertained  a  hope  to  be 
able  on  that  day  to  assist  at  his  mass,  and  to  receive  the  holy  communion 
from  his  hands.  An  altar  had  been  prepared  at  the  entrance  of  the 
first  court,  under  a  bower  composed  of  four  small  trees  which  over- 
shadowed it  with  their  foliage.  Here  the  bishop  put  on  his  pontifical 
robes.  After  the  aspersion  of  the  holy  water,  he  was  conducted  to 
the  chapel  in  procession,  with  the  singing  of  the  Litany  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin;  and  the  whole  function  closed  with  the  prayers  and  cere- 
monies prescribed  for  the  occasion  in  the  Roman  Pontifical.' 

"Under  circumstances  so  simple,  yet  so  touching,  did  the  first 
bishop  of  the  West  enter  into  formal  possession  of  his  See. " 

15 


226  REV.  JOHN    B.   DAVID — THE    SEMINARY  OF  ST.  THOMAS. 

It  is  not  deemed  necessary  here  to  pursue  the  after  history  of  the 
See  of  Bardstown.  That  will  appear  as  the  record  progresses.  Neither 
will  the  writer  refer  further  in  this  place  to  the  after  life  of  its  venera- 
ble first  bishop.  In  another  chapter  will  be  given,  in  his  own  words, 
a  full  account  of  his  labors  and  their  fruits  up  to  the  year  1820;  and 
therein,  too,  will  be  found  a  pen-portrait,  drawn  by  the  author  from  his 
personal  recollections,  of  one  of  the  most  saintly  men  that  has  yet 
adorned  the  history  of  the  Church  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

REV.  JOHN    B.    DAVID — THE   SEMINARY   OF   ST.  THOMAS. 

On  finding  himself  clothed  with  the  purple  of  a  bishop,  and  with 
the  powers,  privileges  and  responsibilities  that  pertain  to  the  office, 
Dr.  Flaget's  first  concern  had  reference  to  a  source  of  ministerial  supply, 
in  order  that  the  fruits  of  his  labors  might  remain  after  himself  and 
his  co-workers  should  be  called  out  of  life.  As  has  elsewhere  been 
seen,  Providence  had  favored  him  from  the  first  with  the  services  of 
an  ecclesiastic  possessing  every  requisite  needed  for  the  special  work 
of  seminary  foundation.  Father  John  B.  David  was  not  only  learned 
in  theology,  but  he  had  previously,  and  for  long  years,  been  connected 
with  institutions  wherein  he  had  acquired  much  experience  as  a  teacher 
and  trainer  of  young  men  who  were  being  prepared  for  the  work  of 
the  holy  ministry.  The  name  of  Father  David  is  so  intimately 
connected  with  the  history  of  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St.  Thomas, 
that  the  writer  finds  it  impossible  to  treat  separately  the  man  and  his 
work.  The  life  of  the  venerable  ecclesiastic  referred  to,  up  to  the 
date  of  his  consecration  as  coadjutor  bishop  of  Bardstown,  is  thus 
epitomized  by  Dr.  M.  J.  Spalding : 

"John  Baptist  David  was  born  in  1761,  in  a  little  town  on  the 
river  Loire,  in  France,  between  the  cities  of  Nantes  and  Angers.  His 
parents  were  pious,  exemplary,  and  ardently  attached  to  the  faith  of 
their  fathers.  Though  not  wealthy,  they  were  yet  blessed  with  a  com- 
petence for  their  own  support  and  for  the  education  of  their  offspring. 
Sensible  of  the  weighty  responsibility  which  rests  on  christian  parents, 
in  regard  to  those  tender  ones  whom  heaven  has  intrusted  to  their 
charge,  they  determined  to  spare  no  pains  nor  expense  that  might  be 
necessary  for  the  christian  education  of  their  children. 

"Young  John  Baptist  gave  early  evidences  of  deep  piety,  of  solid 
talents,  and  of  an  ardent  thirst  for  learning.     At  the  age  of  seven  he 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


227 


was  placed  under  the  care  of  an  uncle,  a  pious  priest,  who  willingly 
took  charge  of  his  early  education.  By  this  good  priest  he  was  taught 
the  elements  of  the  French  and  Latin  languages,  and  also  those  of 
music,  for  which  he  manifested  great  taste.  He  was  enrolled  in  the 
number  of  en/ants  de  chmir,  or  of  the  boys  who  served  at  the  altar, 
and  sung  in  the  choir.  He  thus  passed  the  first  years  of  his  life  in 
the  church,  where  he  was  reared  up  under  the  very  shadow  of  the 
sanctuary. 

"  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  was  sent  by  his  parents  to  a  neighbor- 
ing college,  conducted  by  the  Oratorian  priests.  Here  he  distinguished 
himself  for  regularity,  close  application  to  his  studies,  solid  talents, 
and,  above  all,  for  a  sincere  piety,  which  soon  won  him  the  esteem 
and  love  of  both  professors  ^nd  fellow  students.  But  what  all 
admired  in  him  most  was  that  sincerity  and  candor  of  soul,  which 
formed  throughout  his  long  life  the  distinctive  trait  in  his  character. 

"From  his  earliest  childhood,  the  young  John  Baptist  had  mani- 
fested an  ardent  desire  to  embrace  the  ecclesiastical  state,  that  he 
might  thus  devote  his  whole  life  to  the  service  of  God  and  of  the 
neighbor,  in  the  exercise  of  the  holy  ministry.  His  parents  were 
delighted  with  these  dispositions  of  their  son  ;  and  to  second  his  pur- 
pose, they  sent  him  to  the  diocesan  seminary  of  Nantes.  Here  he 
entered  with  ardor  on  his  sacred  studies,  in  which  he  made  solid  pro- 
ficiency. In  the  year  1778,  the  eighteenth  of  his  age,  he  received  the 
tonsure,  and,  two  years  later,  the  minor  orders  from  the  hands  of  the 
bishop  of  Angers. 

"In  the  theological  seminary  he  remained  for  about  four  years, 
during  which  he  completed  his  course  of  studies,  and  took  with  honor 
the  degrees  of  bachelor  and  master  of  arts.  In  the  twenty-second 
year  of  his  age,  after  having  duly  prepared  himself  by  a  retreat  of 
eight  days,  he  bound  himself  irrevocably  to  the  sacred  ministry,  by 
receiving  the  holy  order  of  subdeaconship.  He  now  considered  him- 
self as  belonging  wholly  to  God;  and  throughout  the  remainder  of 
his  life  he  never  regretted  nor  recalled  that  first  act  of  entire  consecra- 
tion, by  which  he  had  bound  himself  forever  to  the  service  of  the 
altar. 

"  Shortly  after  he  had  taken  this  important  step,  with  the  advice  of 
his  superiors,  he  yielded  to  the  earnest  solicitation  of  one  among  the 
most  wealthy  and  respectable  citizens  of  Nantes,  and  became,  for 
some  years,  private  tutor  in  his  family.  Accustomed  to  enter  heartily 
into  everything  he  undertook,  he  discharged  this  duty  with  such 
assiduity  and  zeal,  as  to  win  the  respect  of  the  parents  and  the  love  of 
the  children  under  his  charge.  On  the  recent  visit  of  Bishop  Flaget 
to  France,  one  of  these  came  to  inquire  about  his  old  preceptor,  for 
whom  he  manifested  feelings  of  love  and  gratitude  which  long  years 
had  not  weakened  nor  diminished. 

"  M.  David  was  ordained  deacon  in  the  year  1783;  and,  having 
shortly  afterwards  determined  to  join  the  pious  congregation  of  Sulpic- 
iaus,  he  went  to  Paris,  and  remained  for  two  years  in  the  solitude  of 


2  28  REV.   JOHN    B.    DAVID THE    SEMINARY  OF  ST.   THOMAS. 

Issy,  to  complete  his  theological  studies,  and  to  prepare  himself,  by 
retirement  and  prayer,  for  the  awful  dignity  of  the  priesthood.  Dur- 
ing this  time,  he  edified  all  by  his  exemplary  virtues,  by  his  assiduity 
in  study,  and  by  the  punctual  regularity  with  which  he  attended  to 
every  duty  of  the  seminarian.  He  was  raised  to  the  priesthood  on 
the  24th  of  September,  1785. 

"Early  in  the  year  following,  he  was  sent  by  his  superiors  to  the 
theological  seminary  of  Angers,  then  under  the  direction  of  the  Sul- 
picians.  Here  he  remained  for  about  four  years,  discharging  with 
industry  and  ability,  the  duties  of  professor  of  philosophy,  theology, 
and  the  holy  scriptures :  always  enforcing  his  lessons  by  his  good 
example.  At  length  the  storm  of  the  French  revolution  broke  over 
Angers;  and,  late  in  the  year  1790,  the  seminary  was  seized  on  by  the 
revolutionary  troops,  and  converted  into  an  arsenal.  The  professors 
and  students  were  compelled  to  fly  for  their  lives ;  and  M.  David  took 
shelter  in  a  private  family.  In  this  retreat  he  spent  his  time  in  study, 
and  in  constant  prayer  to  God,  for  light  to  guide  him  in  this  emer- 
gency, and  for  his  powerful  aid  and  protection  to  abridge  the  horrors 
of  a  revolution  which  was  everywhere  sacrificing  the  lives  of  the 
ministers  of  God,  and  threatening  the  very  existence  of  the  Catholic 
Church  in  France. 

* '  After  nearly  two  years  spent  in  this  retirement,  he  determined, 
with  the  advice  of  his  superiors,  to  sail  for  America,  and  to  devote  the 
remainder  of  his  life  to  its  infant  and  struggling  missions.  As  we 
have  already  stated,  he  embarked  for  America  in  1792,  in  the  company 
of  MM,  Flaget  and  Badin.  On  the  voyage  he  applied  himself  with 
such  assiduity  to  the  study  of  the  English  language,  as  to  have  already 
mastered  its  principal  difficulties  ere  he  set  foot  on  American  soil. 
This  is  but  one  in  a  long  chain  of  facts,  which  prove  that  he  made  it 
an  invariable  rule  never  to  be  idle,  and  never  to  lose  a  moment  of  his 
precious  time. 

"Very  soon  after  his  arrival  in  the  United  States,  Bishop  Carroll 
ascertained  that  he  knew  enough  of  Enghsh  to  be  of  service  on  the 
missions,  and  he  accordingly  sent  him  to  attend  to  some  Catholic  con- 
gregations in  the  lower  part  of  Maryland.  M.  David  had  been  but 
four  months  in  America,  when  he  preached  his  first  sermon  in  English, 
and  he  had  the  consolation  to  find  that  he  was  not  only  well  under- 
stood, but  that  his  discourse  made  a  deep  impression  on  his  hearers. 
For  twelve  years  he  labored  with  indefatigable  zeal  on  this  mission,  in 
which  he  attended  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  three  numerous  congrega- 
tions. He  was  cheered  by  the  abundant  fruits  with  which  God  every 
where  blessed  his  labors. 

"Feeling  that  mere  transient  preaching  is  generally  of  but  little 
permanent  utility,  he  resolved  to  commence  regular  courses  of  instruc- 
tion in  the  form  of  retreats ;  and  so  great  was  his  zeal  and  industry, 
that  he  gave  four  retreats  every  year  to  his  congregations.  The  first 
was  for  the  benefit  of  the  married  men ;  the  second,  for  that  of  the 
married  women  3  the  third  and  fourth^  for  that  of  the  boys  and  girls. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  229 

To  each  of  these  classes  he  gave  separate  sets  of  instructions,  adapted 
to  their  respective  capacities  and  wants. 

"  His  discourses  were  plain  in  their  manner,  and  soHd  and  thorough 
in  their  matter.  He  seldom  began  to  treat,  without  exhausting  a  sub- 
ject. At  first,  but  few  attended  his  retreats;  but  gradually  the  number 
increased,  so  as  to  embrace  almost  all  the  members  of  his  congrega- 
tions. But  he  appeared  to  preach  with  as  much  zeal  and  earnestness 
to  the  few,  as  to  the  many.  He  was  often  heard  to  say  that  the  con- 
version or  spiritual  profit  of  even  one  soul,  was  sufficient  to  enlist  all 
the  zeal,  and  to  call  forth  of  all  the  energies  of  the  preacher. 

"Great  were  the  effects,  and  most  abundant  the  fruits,  of  M. 
David's  labors  on  the  missions  of  Maryland.  On  his  arrival  among 
them,  he  found  his  congregations  cold  and  neglectful  of  their  christian 
duties;  he  left  them  fervent  and  exemplary.  Piety  everywhere 
revived;  the  children  and  servants  made  their  first  communion;  the 
older  members  of  the  congregations  became  regular  communicants. 
Few  that  were  instructed  by  him  could  soon  forget  their  duty,  so  great 
was  the  impression  he  left,  and  so  thorough  was  the  course  of  instruc- 
tion he  gave.  To  the  portion  of  Maryland  in  which  he  thus  signalized 
his  zeal,  he  bequeathed  a  rich  and  abundant  legacy  of  spiritual  bless- 
ings, which  was  destined  to  descend  from  gener-ation  to  generation : 
and  the  good  people  of  those  parts  still  exhibit  traces  of  his  zeal,  and 
still  pronounce  his  name  with  reverence  and  gratitude. 

"  In  the  year  1804,  Bishop  Carroll  found  it  necessary  to  recall  M. 
David  from  the  missions,  in  order  to  send  him  to  Georgetown  college, 
which  was  then  greatly  in  need  of  his  services.  The  good  missionary 
promptly  obeyed  the  call,  and  for  two  years  discharged,  in  that  institu- 
tion, the  duties  of  professor,  with  his  accustomed  fidelity  and  ability. 

"  In  1806,  the  Sulpicians  of  Baltimore  expressed  a  wish  to  enlist 
his  services  in  the  theological  seminary  and  the  college  of  St.  Mary's 
under  their  direction  in  that  city.  M.  David  belonged  to  this  body, 
and  he  promptly  repaired  to  the  assistance  of  his  brethren.  He 
remained  in  Baltimore  for  nearly  five  years,  discharging  various  offices 
in  the  institutions  just  named,  and  devoted  all  his  leisure  time  to  the 
duties  of  the  sacred  ministry.  He  labored  with  so  great  zeal  and 
constancy,  that  his  constitution,  naturally  robust,  became  much 
impaired.  Still,  he  was  not  discouraged,  nor  did  he  give  himself  any 
rest  or  relaxation.  A  pure  intention  of  promoting  the  honor  and  glory 
of  God,  and  a  constant  spirit  of  prayer,  sustained  him,  and  hallowed 
his  every  action. 

"When  his  intimate  friend,  the  Rev.  M.  Flaget,  was  nominated 
first  bishop  of  Bardstown,  M.  David,  as  we  have  already  seen,  cheer- 
fully offered  himself  to  accompany  the  bishop  to  his  new  diocese  in 
the  West.  Though  then  in  his  fiftieth  year,  and  though  his  previous 
hardships  had  greatly  weakened  his  health,  yet  his  zeal  had  not  abated; 
and  he  was  fully  prepared  to  share  with  his  dear  friend  in  all  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  of  his  rugged  mission.  The  bishop  gratefully 
accepted  the  tender  of  his  services ;  and  cheerfully  entered  into  the 


230  REV.  JOHN    B.   DAVID — THE    SEMINARY  OF  ST.  THOMAS, 

design  of  M.  Emery,  the  venerable  superior-general  of  the  Sulpicians, 
who  had  already  named  him  superior  of  the  theological  seminary  to  be 
organized  for  the  new  diocese  of  Bardstown. 

"'Occupied  solely  with  the  wants  of  his  flock,'  says  M.  David, 
'  the  principal  end  and  object  of  Bishop  Flaget  was  the  foundation  of 
a  seminary.  Without  this,  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  have  a  clergy 
sufficient  for  a  diocese  which  extended  to  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi 
and  the  lakes  of  Canada.  He  arrived  in  Baltimore  in  July,  18 10, 
accompanied  by  a  subdeacon  and  two  young  laymen,  the  elements  of 
his  seminary,  which  I  had  been  already  charged  with  by  M.  Emery, 
the  superior-general  of  the  Sulpicians.  My  health  then  was  in  as  bad 
a  condition  as  our  funds.  ...  A  Canadian  priest  had  joined  us; 
and  the  boat  on  which  we  descended  the  Ohio  became  the  cradle  of 
our  seminary  and  of  the  Church  of  Kentucky.' 

"  Having  reached  St.  Stephen's,  the  residence  of  the  vicar-general, 
*  our  seminary  continued  there  for  five  months.  The  bishop  lived  in 
a  log  cabin,  which  had  but  one  room,  and  was  called  the  "  Episcopal 
palace."  The  seminarians  lodged  in  another  cabin,  all  together,  and 
myself  in  a  small  addition  to  the  principal  house.  A  good  CathoUc, 
who  had  labored  for  sixteen  years  to  make  an  establishment  for  the 
Church,  then  bequeathed  to  the  bishop  a  fine  plantation;  and  in 
November,  (181 1)  the  seminary  was  removed  thither.  After  five 
years,  we  finally  succeeded  in  building  a  brick  church,  sixty-five  feet 
long,  by  thirty  wide.  The  interior  is  not  yet  sufficiently  ornamented 
for  want  of  means;  it  is,  however,  in  a  condition  sufficiently  decent 
for  the  celebration  of  the  divine  offices.  The  bishop  officiates  in  it  on 
all  the  great  feasts,  and  in  it  three  ordinations  have  already  taken  place.' 

"  He  next  proceeds  to  state  that,  at  the  date  of  his  letter — Novem- 
ber, 18 1 7 — there  were  at  St.  Thomas'  fifteen  seminarians,  of  whom  five 
were  studying  theology,  and  of  whom  but  two  were  able  to  pay 
annually  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars  each.  The  number  might  have  been 
doubled  if  the  means  of  the  bishop  had  allowed  him  to  receive  all 
who  had  applied  for  admission.  Notwithstanding  the  poverty  with 
which  the  infant  institution  had  to  struggle,  God  watched  over  it,  and 
his  providence  did  not  suffer  its  inmates  to  want  for  any  of  the  neces- 
saries of  life. 

'  •  The  young  seminarians  corresponded  well  with  the  parental 
solicitude  of  their  good  superior.  They  caught  his  spirit,  and  entered 
heartily  into  all  his  plans  for  their  spiritual  welfare.  They  united 
manual  labor  with  study.  They  cheerfully  submitted  to  lead  a  painful 
and  laborious  life,  in  order  to  fit  themselves  for  the  ministry,  and  to 
prepare  themselves  for  the  privations  they  were  destined  to  endure  on 
the  missions.  On  this  subject,  we  will  translate  for  our  readers  a  por- 
tion of  M.  Badin's  account  of  the  early  missions  of  Kentucky : 

"  'The  seminarians  made  bricks,  prepared  the  mortar,  cut  wood, 
etc.,  to  build  the  church  of  St.  Thomas,  the  seminary,  and  the  convent 
of  Nazareth.  The  poverty  of  our  infant  establishments  compelled 
them  to  spend  their  recreations  in  labor.     Every  day  they  devoted 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  23! 

three  hours  to  labor  in  the  garden,  in  the  fields,  or  in  the  woods. 
Nothing  could  be  more  frugal  than  their  table,  which  was  also  that  of  the 
two  bishops,  and  in  which  water  was  their  ordinary  drink;  nothing,  at 
the  same  time,  could  be  more  simple  than  their  dress.' 

"  Father  David  continues  his  account  of  the  seminary,  over  which 
he  presided,  as  follows  : 

'  ' '  We  have  at  length  succeeded,  thanks  to  God,  in  building  a  semi- 
nary thirty  feet  square.  The  second  story,  which  is  a  garret,  serves  as 
a  dormitory,  and  may  contain  twenty-five  persons ;  it  is  habitable  in 
winter.  For  about  a  year  we  have  been  able  to  give  in  it  hospitality  to 
twelve  persons  belonging  to  the  suite  of  the  bishop  of  Louisiana,  who 
is  daily  expected  to  arrive  with  twenty-three  other  companions.  These 
will  be  lodged  with  difficulty ;  but  our  hearts  will  dilate  with  joy ;  and 
these  good  missionaries  will  perform  with  us  an  apprenticeship  of  the 
apostolic  life.' 

' '  As  superior  of  the  seminary,  Father  David  was  a  rigid  discipli- 
narian. Both  by  word  and  by  example  he  enforced  exact  regularity  in 
all  the  exercises  of  the  house.  He  was  himself  always  amongst  the 
first  at  every  duty.  Particularly  was  he  indefatigable  in  discharging 
the  duty  of  instructing  the  young  candidates  for  the  ministry  in  the 
sublime  maxims  of  christian  perfection.  He  seemed  never  to  grow 
weary  of  this  occupation.  A  thorough  master  of  the  interior  life  him- 
self, it  was  his  greatest  delight  to  conduct  others  into  the  same  path  of 
holiness.  He  was  not  satisfied  with  laying  down  general  principles;  he 
entered  into  the  most  minute  details,  with  a  zeal  equalled  only  by  his 
patience. 

' '  He  sought  to  inspire  the  young  seminarians  with  an  ardent  desire 
of  aspiring  to  perfection ;  and  of  doing  all  their  actions  for  the  honor 
and  glory  of  God.  To  arouse  and  stimulate  their  zeal,  he  often  dwelt 
on  the  sublime  grandeur  of  the  ministry,  which  he  delighted  to  paint  as 
a  co-operation  with  Christ  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  A  favorite  pass- 
age of  the  holy  scriptures  with  him,  was  that  containing  the  words  of 
our  blessed  Lord  to  his  apostles :  '  I  have  placed  you,  that  you  may  go, 
and  bring  forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  may  remain  ; '  as  also  this  other 
declaration  of  the  Saviour :  '  I  have  come  to  cast  fire  upon  the  earth, 
and  what  will  I  but  that  it  be  kindled?' 

"Though  he  sometimes  rebuked  faults  with  some  severity,  yet  he 
had  a  tender  and  parental  heart  which  showed  itself  on  all  occasions. 
For  all  the  seminarians  he  cherished  feelings  of  the  most  paternal 
affection.  It  was  his  greatest  happiness  to  see  them  advance  in  learn- 
ing and  improve  in  virtue.  He  rejoiced  with  those  who  rejoiced,  and 
wept  with  those  who  wept.  No  one  ever  went  to  him  for  advice  or 
consolation  in  vain.  As  a  confessor,  few  could  surpass  him  in  zeal,  in 
patience,  in  tenderness.  But  what  most  won  for  him  the  esteem,  con- 
fidence, and  love  of  all  under  his  charge,  was  his  great  sincerity  and 
candor  in  everything.  All  who  were  acquainted  with  him,  not  only 
believed,  but  felt,  that  he  was  wholly  incapable  of  deceiving  them  in 
the  least  thing. 


232  REV.  JOHN    B.   DAVID — THE   SEMINARY  OF  ST.   THOMAS. 

* '  He  was  always  even  better  than  his  word :  he  was  sparing  of 
promises,  and  lavish  in  his  efforts  to  redeem  them  when  made.  If 
he  rebuked  the  faults  of  others,  he  was  free  to  avow  his  own ;  and 
more  than  once  have  we  heard  him  publicly  acknowledging  his  imper- 
fections, and  with  tears  imploring  pardon  of  those  under  his  control 
for  whatever  pain  he  might  have  unnecessarily  caused  them.  He  was 
in  the  constant  habit  of  speaking  whatever  he  thought,  without  human 
respect  or  fear  of  censure  from  others.  This  frankness  harmonized 
well  with  the  open  character  of  the  Kentuckians,  and  secured  for  him, 
in  their  bosoms,  an  unbounded  confidence  and  esteem. 

"Those  under  his  direction  could  not  fail  to  profit  by  all  this  ear- 
nest zeal  and  devotedness  to  their  welfare.  They  made  rapid  advances 
in  the  path  of  perfection,  in  which  they  were  blessed  with  so  able  and 
laborious  a  guide.  Even  when  he  was  snatched  from  their  midst,  they 
could  not  soon  forget  his  lessons  nor  lose  sight  of  his  example. 

"We  may  say  of  him,  what  he  so  ardently  wished  should  be  veri- 
fied in  others  :  that  he  '  has  brought  forth  fruit, '  and  that  '  his  fruit 
has  remained.'  He  has  enkindled  a  fire  in  our  midst,  which  the 
coldness  and  neglect  of  generations  to  come  will  not  be  able  to  quench. 
He  has  impressed  his  own  earnest  spirit  on  the  missions  served  by 
those  whom  his  laborious  zeal  has  reared.  Such  are  some  of  the  fruits 
produced  by  this  truly  good  man,  with  whose  invaluable  services  God 
was  pleased  to  bless  our  infant  diocese. 

With  each  succeeding  year,  the  number  of  those  whose  aspira- 
tions were  leading  them  to  the  service  of  the  altar,  went  on  increasing; 
and  as  early  as  181 4,  at  least  one  of  these  received  priestly  ordination 
from  the  hands  of  Bishop  Flaget.  From  and  after  the  date  given,  up 
to  the  year  1823,  the  ordinations  at  St.  Thomas  were  of  the  following 
named  priests :  Revs.  Peter  Schasffer,  M.  Derigaud,  M.  Champonier, 
Anthony  Gahill,  David  A.  Desparcq,  Philip  Horstman,  Robert  A. 
Abell,  George  A.  M.  Elder,  William  Byrne  and  Elisha  J.  Durbin.* 

•"Among  the  writer's  sketches  of  individual  life,  character  and  personal 
appearance,  given  to  the  reader  further  on,  will  be  found  one  of  the  venerable 
founder  of  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St.  Thomas. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  233 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CONVENTS    AND    SCHOOLS    FOR    GIRLS. 

It  is  a  singular  circumstance  in  the  history  of  the  three  first  estab- 
lished and  more  widely  known  of  the  Catholic  sisterhoods  of  Kentucky, 
that  the  experiences  of  those  who  founded  them,  as  well  as  of  their 
earlier  members,  should  present  features  so  identical  as  to  render  the 
story  of  one  but  the  repetition  of  that  of  each  of  the  others.  Literally, 
and  in  accordance  with  natural  laws,  these  sisterhoods  began  their 
work,  now  co-extensive  with  the  western  part  of  the  country,  upon 
capital  comprised  of  willing  hands  and  individual  determination. 
Without  money  or  resources  of  any  kind,  were  laid  the  foundations  of 
these  now  magnificent  establishments,  each  with  its  hundreds  of  mem- 
bers, its  numerous  affiliated  houses,  wherein  the  children  of  the  poor 
and  of  the  rich  are  being  taught  whatever  is  needful  for  them  to  know, 
whether  for  their  happiness  here  or  hereafter.  No  day-laborer,  on  farm 
or  street,  or  in  any  one  of  the  multifarious  occupations  in  which  strong 
hands  find  employment,  ever  earned  to  himself  commendation  for 
more  ready  acceptance  of  the  divine  decree,  ''in  the  sweat  of  thy 
face,  thou  shalt  eat  bread,"  than  did  these  humble  virgins  of  the  early 
Church  of  Kentucky.  Enlightened  by  the  divine  spirit,  they  surren- 
dered everything  for  God,  and  elected  to  serve  Him  by  devoting  their 
lives  to  the  service  of  those  upon  whom  was  to  depend  in  so  great  a 
measure,  the  future  of  Catholicity  in  the  State.  Some  of  the  experi- 
ences to  which  reference  has  been  made,  will  appear  in  the  accounts 
that  follow  of  the  organizations  now  known  as  those  of  the  Sisterhood 
of  Loretto,  the  Sisterhood  of  Charity  of  Nazareth,  and  the  Sisterhood 
of  St.  Catharine  of  Sienna. 

THE   SISTERHOOD    OF    LORETTO. 

The  organization  of  the  Sisterhood  of  Loretto,  or  as  it  was  first 
called,  The  Little  Society  of  the  Friends  of  Mary  at  the  Foot  of  the  Cross, 
antedates  that  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth  by  a  little  more 
than  eight  months,  and  it  preceded  that  of  St.  Catharine  of  Sienna, 
known  at  first  by  the  title  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen's,  by  just  ten  years. 
Inclinations  to  conventual  life  are  not  ordinarily  brought  about  by 
mere  self-reflection.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  generally  the  result  of 
influence  brought  to  bear  upon  the  plastic  minds  of  the  young  by  those 
who  gave  themselves  up  to  a  celibate  life  in  their  own  youth,  and 
have  since  walked  by  faith  and  found  their  joys  increased,  the  nearer 


234  THE   SISTERHOOD    OF    LORETTO. 

they  approached  the  hill  of  Calvary,  and  the  more  distinctly  was 
reflected  in  their  hearts  the  drama  of  salvation  thereupon  enacted. 
The  founders  of  the  three  orders  of  religious  referred  to  were  all  men 
of  eminent  sanctity ;  men  who  were  devoted  to  prayer,  to  labor,  to  the 
Church  and  its  Divine  Head,  and  to  the  work  of  the  holy  ministry  to 
which  they  had  been  pledged.  They  were  men  who  not  only  preach- 
ed— but  practiced,  mortification. 

The  labors  of  Father  Nerinckx  in  Kentucky,  were  most  nobly 
crowned  by  the  foundation  he  made  of  the  Loretto  society.  Here  it 
is  that  the  spirit  of  the  great  missionary  still  lives  and  abides,  still 
leads  the  children  of  his  adoption  to  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  still 
evokes  out  of  their  hearts  and  minds  and  mouths  that  tribute  of  love 
and  sympathy,  the  most  pathetic  ever  conceived  or  uttered:  "0,  suf- 
fering Jesus!  O,  sorrowful  Mary!"  As  early  as  the  year  1808, 
Rev.  Stephen  Theodore  Badin  undertook  the  construction  of  a  convent 
for  women  near  his  residence  of  St.  Stephen's,  wherein,  it  had 
been  already  arranged  between  him  and  his  co-laborer.  Father 
Nerinckx,  certain  pious  souls  among  the  young  women  of  the  settle- 
ment were  to  find  a  home  and  employ  themselves  in  teaching  the  chil- 
dren of  the  neighborhood,  both  white  and  black.  He  prosecuted 
the  work  successfully,  but  on  the  very  day  the  house  was  ready  for 
occupancy,  it  took  fire  and  was  burned  to  the  ground.  The  destruc- 
tion of  the  building  was  felt  by  both  missionaries  to  be  a  loss  for 
which  there  was  no  immediate  remedy.  But  a  remedy  was  found,  the 
facts  connected  with  which  are  thus  simply  told  by  an  aged  sister  of 
the  Loretto  society  : 

"  Father  Nerinckx  determined  this  year,  {181 2)  to  establish  a  little 
day  school  for  the  children  of  his  congregation  of  St.  Charles,  and  he 
appHed  to  Miss  Mary  Rhodes,  then  living  with  her  cousin,  James 
Dant,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  the  Trappists,  to  remove  to  Hardin's 
creek,  live  there,  with  her  brother,  Bennet  Rhodes,  and  take  charge 
of  his  school.  Mary  Rhodes  was  a  good  and  pious  girl,  and  having 
received  her  education  in  a  convent,  she  had  nothing  to  learn  to  fit 
her  for  the  position  she  was  invited  to  fill.  The  arrangement  was 
perfected,  and  the  school  was  opened  in  a  couple  of  abandoned  cabins 
that  stood  on  an  eminence,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Hardin's  creek 
from  the  residence  of  Mr.  Rhodes,  and  half-way  between  it  and  St. 
Charles'  church.  They  were  wretchedly  dilapidated,  and  without 
other  flooring  than  the  bare  ground.  They  were  roofed  with  rough 
boards  that  had  shrunk  so  far  apart  as  to  afford  but  slight  protection 
against  the  intrusion  of  wind  and  snow.  The  playground  for  the  chil- 
dren was  a  diminutive  affair,  separated  from  the  near  forest  by  a  few 
sections  of  rail  fencing." 

The  school  was  begun,  and  soon  bare-footed  children  from  miles 
around  were  to  be  seen  treading  the  forest  paths,  and  racing  with  each 
other  toward  the  improvised  academy  building  above  described.  It 
was  not  long  before  an  assistant  teacher  was  needed,  and  Father 
Nerinckx  had  no  difficulty  in  his  search  after  a  proper  one.    Christine 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  235 

Stuart  was  well  known  in  the  neighborhood  as  a  sensible  and  pious 
girl,  and  none  knew  better  than  her  pastor  how  well  suited  she  was  for 
the  life  to  which  he  hoped  in  the  end  to  attach  both  herself  and  Miss 
Rhodes,  The  two  maidens  were  alike  in  many  things.  They  were 
alike  capable,  alike  pious  and  alike  unworldly.  They  boarded  and 
roomed  together  at  the  house  of  Bennet  Rhodes,  and,  imperceptibly 
to  themselves,  it  may  be,  there  was  developed  in  them  something  of 
conventual  order,  especially  in  respect  to  their  devotions. 

In  the  meantime,  the  young  women  named  had  discovered  that 
their  residence  with  Mr.  Rhodes  was  throwing  them  too  much  into  the 
company  of  the  worldly-minded  and  the  frivolous,  and  they  con- 
cluded to  fit  up  a  lodging-room,  and  to  remain  for  the  future,  isolated 
from  worldly  associations.  They  were  joined  about  this  time  by  Miss 
Ann  Hevern,  an  exceedingly  pious  young  woman,  and  they  began  to 
talk  freely  among  themselves  and  with  their  pastor,  of  the  propriety  of 
banding  themselves  together  in  religious  life,  and  thus  forming  the 
nucleus  of  a  community  vowed  to  specific  duties,  under  ecclesiasti- 
cal authority  and  discipline.  Father  Nerinckx  saw  in  all  this  the 
begmning  of  the  realization  of  his  hopes,  entertained  for  years,  for 
the  christian  education  of  the  girl  children  in  his  own  and  the  neigh- 
boring congregations.  He  hastened  to  Bardstown,  laid  the  matter 
before  Bishop  Flaget,  and  returned  home  with  the  authority  to  receive 
as  novices  the  three  postulants  and  those  who  might  elect  to  follow 
their  example,  and  to  write  out-  rules  for  the  government  of 'the  new 
organization. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  1812,  the  three  postulants  walked  over  to 
the  church  of  St.  Charles,  where  mass  was  said  by  Father  Nerinckx, 
and  where  they  were  received  by  him  as  novices  in  the  community  to 
which  he  then  gave  the  name  of  Friends  of  Mary  at  the  Foot  of  the 
Cross.  Among  those  who  witnessed  the  ceremony  in  the  church, 
were  Nancy  Rhodes  and  Sally  Hevern,  and  a  few  days  later,  these 
were  admitted  into  the  community  as  postulants.  Previous  to  this 
date,  mostly  by  the  work  of  their  own  hands,  the  youthful  teachers 
had  made  many  changes  in  the  cabins  on  the  hill.  They  had  impro- 
vised rooms  for  a  few  boarding  pupils,  and  they  had  done  much  to 
render  the  entire  establishment  less  uncomfortable  to  its  inmates. 

Now  that  their  numbers  had  more  than  doubled  in  a  few  months, 
they  were  encouraged  to  labor  with  still  greater  efficiency,  arid  soon 
they  had  a  garden  laid  out,  enclosed,  and  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation  ; 
they  were  seized  with  a  mania  for  rearing  pigs  and  poultry,  and  all  the 
little  income  that  came  to  them  from  the  parents  of  the  children  they 
were  teaching  was  devoted  to  reconstruction.  Now  and  then,  a 
kind-hearted  neighbor  would  proffer  them  service  for  a  day  or  two, 
and  again,  when  the  work  was  wholly  beyond  their  strength,  they 
were  helped  out  of  their  difficulty  by  the  appearance  on  the  place  of 
a  number  of  male  members  of  the  congregation,  who  had  been  pre- 
viously notified  by  the  pastor,  of  the  need  there  was  for  their  united 
charitable  action. 


236  THE   SISTERHOOD    OF    LORETTO. 

And  now  another  addition  was  made  to  their  number,  in  the  person 
of  Miss  Nellie  Morgan,  of  the  congregation  of  Holy  Mary's,  on  the  Roll- 
ing Fork.  This  young  woman  had  asked  for  admittance  into  the  con- 
templated society  several  months  before,  but  she  had  contracted  with 
several  of  her  mother's  neighbors  to  teach  their  children  for  a  given 
time,  and  the  period  ended  only  on  the  ist  of  June,  181 2.  Nellie  was 
a  great  acquisition  to  the  little  community.  She  was  a  fairly  accom- 
phshed  young  lady,  easy  and  pleasant  in  her  manners,  and  of  a  cheer- 
ful disposition.  In  addition  to  her  graces  of  mind  and  person,  she 
could  sing  well,  had  some  knowledge  of  music,  and  was  able  to  instruct 
others  in  the  art. 

On  the  29th  of  June,  the  entire  community,  novices,  postulants 
and  pupils,  repaired  to  the  church  of  St.  Charles,  where  a  like  cere- 
mony to  that  of  the  preceding  25th  of  April,  was  performed  and  wit- 
nessed in  the  reception  of  Nancy  Rhodes,  Nelly  Morgan  and  Sally 
Hevern  as  novices.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  as  is  supposed, 
the  six  novices,  in  the  presence  of  Father  Nerinckx,  went  into  an  elec- 
tion of  one  of  their  number  to  preside  over  the  community.  Their 
choice  fell  upon  Ann  or  Nancy  Rhodes,  the  younger  sister  of  Mary 
Rhodes,  who,  up  to  that  time,  had  been  at  the  head  of  the  school. 
When  Father  Nerinckx  announced  the  result  of  the  election,  he 
remarked:  "You  have  chosen  the  youngest  among  you."  "Yes, 
Father,"  answered  one  of  the  number,  "but  she  is  the  most  virtuous." 
There  was  no  display,  no  feeling,  indeed,  of  jealousy  on  the  part  of  the 
elder  sister.  She  knew  her  sister's  capabilities,  and  she  knew  also  how 
humble  of  heart  she  was,  and  how  just  was  her  sense  of  both  duty 
and  propriety.  Father  Nerinckx  had  selected  for  the  title  to  be  borne 
by  the  superior,  that  of  Dear  Mother.  Each  of  the  others,  with  the 
exception  of  Nelly  Morgan,  elected  to  assume  in  religion  her  baptismal 
name.     The  exception  had  chosen  the  name  of  Sister  Clare. 

On  this  same  memorable  29th  day  of  June,  was  felled  the  first 
tree  designed  for  the  construction  of  a  new  convent.  This  work  had 
been  blessed  by  Bishop  Flaget,and  he  had  appealed  to  the  good  will 
and  charity  of  the  people,  especially  of  the  congregation  of  St. 
Charles,  for  contributions  in  aid  of  the  undertaking.  Quick  and 
generous  response  had  been  made  to  this  appeal,  and  those  who  could 
give  nothing  in  money  were  liberal  of  the  work  of  their  hands.  The 
proposed  buildings  were  to  be  of  logs,  and  close  at  hand  stood  the 
monsters  of  the  forest,  out  of  whose  stately  shafts  was  to  be  shaped 
the  material  for  their  construction.  The  aged  sister  already  quoted, 
thus  describes  the  progress  of  the  work : 

'  *  Small  stones  from  the  creek  formed  the  foundations,  and  these 
were  made  solid  by  being  filled  in  with  mud  and  straw.  This  work 
was  mostly  done  by  Father  Nerinckx  himself.  Through  reverence  for 
God,  the  logs  intended  for  the  chapel  were  hewed  flat  and  smooth. 
The  houses  were  built  at  short  distances  from  each  other  on  either 
Side  of  a  square  and  were  of  good  dimensions.  The  school  house  stood 
first  in  the  row  at  the  right  hand  side  of   the  entrance  gate;    and 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  237 

Immediately  opposite  to  this,  heading  the  left  hand  row  of  houses,  was 
one  intended  for  the  pastor's  residence.  Like  the  school  buildings, 
this  was  a  double  cabin  of  one  story,  and  a  single  chimney  formed  of 
forest  cuttings,  daubed  inside  and  out  with  mud.  In  the  construction 
of  this  house  Father  Nerinckx  had  little  assistance  from  others,  and 
the  entire  work  was  done  at  a  cost  of  six  dollars  and  fifty  cents." 

According  to  the  same  authority,  the  novices  were  not  a  little 
troubled  on  a  subject  that  is  supposed  to  be  of  absorbing  interest  to 
women  of  every  condition  living  in  the  world.  Their  rule  as  pro- 
mulgated by  their  superior,  required  them  to  appear  in  habits  that 
were  uniform  in  shape,  color  and  material.  To  supply  these  imme- 
diately was  simply  impossible.  They  had  first  to  secure  the  wool, 
cotton  and  flax  out  of  which  to  elaborate  fhe  finished  cloth  needed  for 
their  clothing.  This  they  succeeded  in  doing  eventually,  and  in  time 
they  were  able  to  appear  in  dresses  which  were  the  absolute  product 
of  their  own  intelligent  industry. 

Months  before  the  new  convent  was  finished.  Father  Nerinckx  had 
removed  from  St.  Stephen's  to  St.  Charles',  where,  so  to  say,  he  kept 
house  in  the  sacristy  of  the  church.  A  good  woman  of  the  neighbor- 
hood prepared  his  meals  in  her  own  house  and  sent  them  to  him 
whenever  it  happened  that  he  was  not  absent  on  ministerial  duty. 
When  at  home,  on  week-days,  his  whole  time  was  given  to  instruction 
of  the  novices  and  their  pupils.  Whenever  it  was  possible,  he  said 
mass  for  the  little  community,  in  the  most  eligible  room  of  the  larger  of 
the  two  cabins,  whither  he  had  caused  to  be  transferred  a  statue  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  which  he  had  brought  with  him  to  this  country. 

In  so  far  as  Father  Nerinckx  can  be  said  to  have  had  a  home  at 
all  on  earth,  the  two-roomed  cabin  hitherto  described  served  him  for 
that  purpose  up  to  a  short  time  before  his  death.  Here  it  was  that 
his  thoughts  were  concentrated  upon  the  work  that  was  destined  to 
live  after  him,  and  where  he  begged  for  divine  guidance,  in  order  to 
see  clearly  his  way  to  the  ends  of  his  ministry,  the  greater  glory  of 
God  and  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  men.  Here  were  considered, 
and  sometimes  worked  out,  his  homilies,  afterwards  addressed  to  the 
sisterhood  he  had  established,  in  which  he  sought  to  direct  their 
minds,  first  of  all  to  the  Godhead,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  who 
had  inspired  them  to  undertake  their  labor  of  love ;  then  to  Jesus' 
suffering,  who  had  shed  His  precious  blood  for  their  redemption ;  and 
then  to  the  Sorrowful  Mother,  under  whose  protection  they  had  been 
placed,  and  whose  aid  he  would  have  them  invoke  in  all  their  trials  and 
for  the  accomplishment  of  all  their  just  desires. 

The  chapel  of  the  new  convent  was  blessed  under  the  title  of  Little 
Loretto;  this  name  attached  as  well  to  the  convent  itseit,  which  was  not 
finished  for  some  time  after.  There  was  now  room  sufficient,  how- 
ever, for  all  the  needs  of  the  community  and  their  pupils,  both  board- 
ers and  day-scholars.  The  work  of  improvement  about  the  place  went 
on  slowly  enough  for  a  number  of  years,  but  there  was  something  of 
progression  nevertheless.     Though  the  Sisters  were  in  no  wise  lacking 


238  THE    SISTERHOOD    OF    LORETTO. 

in  industry,  their  hands  were  kept  too  busy  with  their  legitimate  tasks 
to  permit  them  to  attend  to  those  that  referred  to  house  construction 
and  change.  For  all  that,  they  had  to  depend  upon  hired  help.  Their 
savings — how  small  they  were  will  be  better  understood  from  the  state- 
ment that  the  sum  of  thirty-two  dollars  was  all  they  received  for  an 
entire  session  of  board  and  tuition — were  devoted  wholly  to  these 
objects  and  the  purchase  of  supplies  for  their  table. 

The  number  of  their  pupils  was  still  steadily  increasing.  The 
boarding  pupils  were  principally  from  the  congregation  of  Holy  Mary's, 
on  the  Rolling  Fork,  and  from  points  in  that  of  St.  Charles'  which  were 
too  distant  from  the  school  to  enable  the  children  to  walk  thither  daily. 

The  summer  months  had  passed  away,  and  now  the  forest  trees  were 
beginning  to  put  on  tints  of  red  and  yellow,  sure  harbingers  of  their 
swift  decay.  There  was  quietude  in  Little  Loretto,  too  much,  indeed, 
for  accordance  with  the  natural  joyousness  of  youth.  The  sisters — 
there  was  one  now  of  their  number  missing — went  about  their  usual 
avocations  with  energies  unabated,  but  there  were  foreboding  shadows 
on  their  faces,  and  there  was  dread  in  their  hearts.  Dear  Mother 
Nancy  Rhodes  was  ill,  it  was  feared  unto  death.  This  child  of 
predilection  had  been  extremely  delicate  for  years,  and  now  her  active 
spirit,  which  had  kept  her  up  since  her  entrance  into  the  society, 
was  asking  release  from  its  tenement  of  clay.  No  wonder  there  was 
deep  sorrow  in  the  hearts  of  her  associates;  and  no  wonder,  too,  there 
was  less  noisy  demonstrativeness  among  the  pupils  while  at  their  play. 
Dear  Mother  Nancy  Rhodes  was  one  of  that  class  of  women  whose  art- 
lessness  makes  them  attractive.  Of  herself,  she  never  thought,  but 
always  of  others.  She  sought  for  herself  no  exemption  from  labor, 
none  from  the  stern  rules  of  the  house  in  reference  to  fasting  and  prayer. 
By  those  who  were  striving  with  all  their  might  after  perfection,  she  was 
regarded  as  one  who  had  already  reached  as  high  a  standard  of 
virtue  as  is  attainable  by  struggling  humanity  in  its  efforts  to  reach 
heaven,  through  the  fulfilment  of  duty  as  prescribed  by  its  King. 

Day  by  day,  it  became  more  evident  to  the  distressed  community 
that  the  misfortune  they  dreaded  was  approaching  them  nearer,  and 
still  nearer.  They  were  inconsolable,  but  in  no  wise  rebellious. 
They  prayed  earnestly  that  the  threatened  cup  might  be  removed 
from  their  lips,  but  they  were  able  to  say  with  Him  who  had  subjected 
Himself  to  a  greater  trial,  "  not  mine,  Father,  but  Thy  will  be  done." 
The  dear  mother  Ungered  long,  and  though  she  often  sought  from  her 
bed  of  suffering  to  direct  the  thoughts  of  her  sisters  into  channels  that 
had  reference  to  present  wants  and  daily  duty,  without  speech  she 
inculcated  upon  their  impressible  minds  lessons  of  even  greater 
importance.  These  were  lessons  of  patience,  resignation  to  the  Divine 
will,  of  charity  that  grew  stronger  with  the  lessening  breath,  and  of 
faith  triumphant  over  death.  They  came  to  regard  her  as  one  so  far 
separated  from  themselves,  because  of  her  greater  sanctity,  so  ripe  for 
Heaven,  that  their  natural  desire  to  retain  her  longer  in  their  midst 
might  be  in  reality  both  selfish  and  sinful. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


239 


The  victory  was  gained  at  last.  In  the  train  of  the  Lamb  found 
place  another  spotless  soul,  and  the  newly  laid  off  community  grave- 
yard at  Little  Loretto,  received  its  first  seed  for  the  resurrection.  The 
death  of  this  holy  religious  took  place  early  in  the  morning  of  Decem- 
ber   II,  1812.* 

Soon  after  her  sister's  death,  Mary  Rhodes  was  elected  superior,  f 
Up  to  the  15th  day  of  August,  181 2,  there  was  neither  change  in  the 
little  community  nor  in  its  routine  of  labors.  The  aged  sister,  often 
quoted,  tells  us  something  to  be  sure,  of  the  manner  of  life  the 
novices  were  leading.  In  order  to  earn  the  cost  for  the  raw  material 
of  their  clothing,  they  undertook  the  spinning  and  weaving  of  fabrics 
for  the  neighboring  families.  Their  table  was  sufficiently  meagre  in 
all  conscience.  Breakfast  consisted  of  bread  without  butter,  a  veg- 
etable soup  and  an  imitation  of  coffee  in  which  rye  formed  the  princi- 
pal ingredient.  At  dinner  there  was  meat,  but  only  of  one  kind,  and 
vegetables  if  they  were  able  to  procure  them.  Supper  only  differed 
from  breakfast  in  the  substitution  of  the  infusion  of  sage  for  the  decoc- 
tion of  rye  as  a  beverage.  Plates  of  tin  and  cups  of  the  same  metal 
served  them  in  place  of  delf  and  china.  Their  beds  were  of  straw, 
without  sheets  or  pillows,  and  these  were  laid  upon  the  floor. 

On  the  15th  of  August,  181 2,  the  church  of  St.  Charles  was 
'  crowded  with  people,  some  of  whom  had  come  from  the  neighboring 
Catholic  settlements,  all  desirous  of  witnessing  the  ceremony  which  was 
to  bind  to  their  religious  state  for  life,  those  whose  noviciate  was  now 
at  an  end.  The  sight  was  an  affecting  one,  and  many  wept ;  but  there 
was  joy  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  on  that  day  consecrated  themselves 
for  life  to  the  service  of  God,  and  to  the  sublime  work  of  christian 
education. 

A  little  later,  the  society  was  increased  by  the  admission  into  its 
ranks  as  novices,  of  Monica  Spalding  and  a  Miss  Hayden,  the  last 
mentioned  being  from  Missouri.  But  it  became  evident  to  Father 
Nerinckx  that  there  would  be  slow  progress  unless  he  could  induce 
others  than  the  members  of  his  own  poor  congregation  to  assist  in  the 
extension  and  solidification  of  his  institute.     His  thoughts  reverted  to 

*  The  money  with  which  the  land  had  been  bought  upon  which  stood  ihe 
establishment  of  Little  Loretto  had  been  the  gift  of  its  first  superior,  Dear 
Mother  Nancy  Rhodes. 

t  Mother  Mary  Rhodes  must  be  accounted  the  first  of  her  sex  in  Kentucky 
to  whom  grace  was  given  to  consecrate  herself  to  a  life  that  has  no  affinity 
with  the  world  and  worldly  desires  and  pursuits;  she  lived  to  see  the  forty-first 
year  of  her  religious  profession.  Her  death  took  place  at  the  convent  of 
Loretto  on  the  27th  day  of  February,  1853.  Those  who  have  borne  the  title 
of  dear  mother  in  the  community  from  the  beginning  have  been:  Ann 
Rhodes,  1812 ;  Mary  Rhodes,  1812-22;  Juliana  Wathen,  1822-24;  Isabella 
Clark,  1824-26;  Sabina  O'Brien,  1826^32;  Josephine  Kelly,  1832-38;  Isa- 
bella Clark,  1838-42;  Generose  Mattingly,  1842-43 ;  Perlindis  Downs,  1843- 
52;  Bridget  Spalding,  1852-58 ;  Berlindis  Downs,  1858-641  Bertha  Bowles, 
1864-70;  Elizabeth  Hayden,  1870-76;  Dafrosa  Smith,  1876-82;  Ann  Joseph 
Mattingly,  1882. 


240  THE    SISTERHOOD   OF    LORETTO. 

his  own  countrymen,  and  to  them  he  determined  to  appeal  in  person. 
Before  leaving  on  his  mission,  however,  he  managed  to  finish  the 
church  and  to  render  habitable  the  new  convent  building. 

Reaching  Baltimore  on  his  way  to  take  passage  for  Europe,  he  was 
constrained  to  defer  his  journey  on  account  of  the  war  that  was  then  in 
progress  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  Returning 
home  after  a  few  weeks,  content  to  await  God's  good  pleasure  for 
the  realization  of  his  hopes  respecting  his  institute,  he  resumed  his 
accustomed  duties. 

Living  not  far  away  from  the  church  of  St.  Charles,  was  a  Mr. 
Vincent  Gates,  an  elderly  man  of  great  piety,  and  with  him  lived  his 
widowed  sister,  Mrs.  Ryan.  The  two  thought  it  would  be  best  for 
them,  if  permitted,  to  repair  to  Little  Loretto,  the  one  to  assume  charge 
of  the  garden  and  grounds  of  the  establishment,  and  the  other  to  enter 
upon  her  noviciate  in  the  sisterhood.  No  more  excellent  arrangement 
than  this  could  have  been  effected  by  the  community,  and  the  proffer 
made  was  willingly  accepted.  Under  the  intelligent  direction  of 
Brother  Vincent,  as  he  was  afterwards  called,  and  in  a  great  measure 
by  the  labors  of  his  hands  and  those  of  the  indefatigable  founder  of  the 
establishment,  the  entire  place  soon  appeared  both  pleasing  to  the 
eye  and  suggestive  of  increased  comfort  to  the  household. 

During  the  first  eight  months  of  the  year  181 5,  four  young  women 
were  received  as  postulants  in  the  institute.  These  were  Ann  Hart, 
of  Breckinridge  county,  who  was  designated  in  the  community.  Sister 
Agnes;  Ann  Clark,  Sister  Isabella;  Esther  Grundy,  Sister  Theresa, 
and  Ann  Wathen,  Sister  Juliana.  The  four  named  had  previously 
been  pupils  in  the  institution. 

Early  in  September,  181 5,  Father  Nerinckx  arranged  with  Bishop 
Flaget  for  a  journey  to  Europe,  the  good  bishop  agreeing  to  supply  his 
place,  as  well  in  the  congregation  attended  by  him  as  in  his  position  of 
superior  of  the  Loretto  sisterhood.  He  left  on  the  loth  of  the  month, 
with  only  a  sufficiency  of  means  to  reach  Maryland.  Arriving  among 
his  old  friends  in  that  State,  he  was  able  to  secure  a  sum  sufficient  to 
take  him  to  his  native  Belgium.  Here,  for  a  year  and  a  half,  sinking 
his  natural  disinclination  for  the  employment,  he  became  a  solicitor  of 
alms  for  the  churches  of  Kentucky,  and  for  his  own  little  community. 
He  was  successful  beyond  his  hopes,  and  soon  he  had  collected  not 
only  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  but  many  articles,  all  useful  and 
some  indispensable  to  ritualistic  worship  and  ceremonial.  Among 
these  were  a  number  of  magnificent  paintings,  several  statues,  vest- 
ments in  great  variety,  altar  plate,  church  bells,  altar  linen,  tabernacles, 
candlesticks,  lamps,  books  and  prints,  crucifixes,  beads,  etc.,  etc. 

While  in  Europe,  Father  Nerinckx  visited  Rome  and  got  the 
approval  of  the  Holy  See  for  his  institute.  But  this  was  not  done 
without  a  promise  on  the  part  of  the  priest  that  the  rules  he  had 
estabhshed  for  the  government  of  the  sisterhood  should  be  modified  in 
certain  particulars,  which  were  regarded  as  too  severe  by  the  sacred 
congregation.     He  also  visited  the  House  of  Loretto  in  Italy,  where 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  .  24I 

he  said  mass  and  earnestly  besought  the  protection  of  the  Virgin 
Mother  in  behalf  of  the  far  away  sisterhood  who  had  borrowed  the 
title  of  her  early  home  on  earth  for  their  own  rude  convent  and 
church. 

After  an  absence  of  nearly  two  years,  Father  Nermckx  reached 
Loretto  on  the  4th  of  September,  181 7.  His  coming  was  anxiously 
watched  for,  and  when  he  was  discovered  at  the  main  entrance  gate, 
the  entire  household,  sisters  and  pupils,  went  forward  to  meet  him. 
He  led  the  crowd  to  the  church;  all  fell  on  their  knees  and  gave 
thanks  to  God,  the  missionary  that  he  had  been  protected  while  away 
and  permitted  again  to  resume  his  interrupted  duties,  and  the  rest, 
that  their  father  and  friend  had  been  restored  to  them  in  health. 

During  the  absence  of  their  founder,  the  sisterhood,  by  advice  of 
Bishop  Flaget,  had  established  a  branch  house  of  the  order  at  Holy 
Mary's,  on   the  Rolling   Fork.     This   house    dates   from  June  loth, 

18 1 6.  The  community  numbered  fourteen  when  he  left,  and  now  it 
numbered  twenty-four.*  The  articles  contributed  in  Beligum  for  the 
churches  in  Kentucky  reached  Loretto  toward  the  close  of  the  year 

1 81 7.  Their  distribution  was  at  once  begun,  the  finest  of  the  paintings 
and  a  church  organ  going  to  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown, 
and  the  other  articles  to  various  churches  and  congregations.  Two  of 
the  statues,  those  of  St.  Joseph  and  St.  Barbara,  were  given  to  the 
church  of  Little  Loretto,  and  one,  that  of  St.  Francis  de  Hieronymo, 
to  the  congregational  church  of  St.  Charles. f 

In  the  spring  of  181 8,  was  established,  on  a  farm  given  to  the 
sisterhood  by  Mr.  James  Dant,  an  uncle  of  dear  Mother  Mary 
Rhodes,  the  little  convent  of  Gethsemani.  The  colony  at  this  pomt 
was  made  up  of  six  sisters,  under  the  direction  of  Mother  Teresa 

Grundy,  t 

On  the  2 1  St  of  December,  182 1,  a  colony  of  ten  sisters,  with 
Mother  Bibiana  Elder  for  their  superior,  were  sent  to  take  charge  of  a 
house  near  Fairfield,  in  Nelson  County;    in   February,    1823,  was 

*  Among  the  postulants  for  the  time  referred  to  in  the  text  were:     Misses 

Miles,  Mary  Drury,  Mary  Phillips,  Catherine  Clark,  Christine  Clements, 

Henrietta  Clements,  Margaret  Thompson  and  Elizabeth  McAtee.  Shortly 
after  the  return  of  Father  Nerinckx,  three  sisters,  previously  pupils  in  the 
institution,  were  received  as  postulants.  These  were  Helen  Clark,  Sister 
Eleanora;  Bridget  Morgan,  Sister  Anastasia ;  and  Annie  McBride,  Sister 
ApoUonia. 

tThe  stand  for  this  statue  was  the  handiwork  of  the  pastor.  It  would  seem 
that  the  good  father  had  great  faith  in  prayer  addressed  to  this  saint  for  the 
protection,  through  his  intercession,  of  persons  sorely  tried,  whether  by  sick- 
ness or  other  affliction.  It  became  a  practice  among  the  people  of  the  congre- 
gation, to  pray  before  this  statue  when  they  were  suffering  from  any  species  of 
illness,  and  even  now,  there  are  living  men  and  women,  formerly  the  victims 
of  disease,  who  refer  their  cure  to  the  intercession  with  God  of  St.  Francis  de 
Hieronymo,  humbly  invoked  before  his  statue  in  the  church  of  St.  Charles. 

JThis  establishment  was  sold  to  its  present  occupants,  the  Monks  of  La 
Trappe,  in  the  year  1848.  The  first  mother  superior  of  the  house  died  soon 
after  its  foundation.  ^ 


242  THE    SISTERHOOD    OF    LORETTO. 

established  the  house  of  Mount  Carmel,  on  Long  Lick,  in  Breckin- 
ridge county.*  On  the  12th  of  May,  1823,  the  first  attempt  at  colo- 
nization outside  of  the  State  was  made  by  the  society.  This  was 
done  at  the  instance  of  Bishop  Dubourg,  who  was  anxious  to  have  a 
house  of  the  order  at  the  Barrens,  in  Perry  county,  Missouri.  After 
a  journey  that  proved  not  a  little  perilous,  the  sisters  reached  their 
destination  on  the  21st  of  May,  and  about  the  middle  of  the  follow- 
ing month,  they  took  possession  of  the  new  house  that  had  been  built 
for  them.  This  colony  was  under  the  direction  of  dear  Mother  Juh- 
ana  Wathen. 

In  1 81 9,  Father  Nerinckx  went  again  to  Europe,  and  on  his 
return,  brought  with  him  to  Kentucky  three  young  men,  two  Belgians 
and  one  Englishman,  with  whom  he  hoped  to  begin  a  brotherhood 
that  should  prove  as  serviceable  to  boys  in  the  matter  of  education  as 
had  proved  his  convent  of  Little  Loretto  for  girls.  The  project 
having  been  abandoned,  the  Englishman  referred  to,  known  after- 
wards as  Brother  Charles  Gilbert,  was  induced  to  take  charge  of  the 
Loretto  farm,  and  to  become  on  occasion,  the  agent  of  the  sisterhood 
in  the  transaction  of  business  affairs,  f 

After  the  death  of  Father  Nerinckx,  in  1824,  Rev.  G.  I.  Chabrat 
became  ecclesiastical  superior  of  the  sisterhood.  |  He  induced 
Bishop  Flaget  to  remove  the  convent  of  Loretto  from  its  location 
on  Hardin's  creek,  to  the  farm  formerly  held  by  Father  Badin,  upon 
which  stood  the  dwelling  and  chapel  to  which  still  adhered  the  title  of 
St.  Stephen's.  The  writer  does  not  propose  to  follow  in  detail  the 
future  of  the  Loretto  institute  after  this  date.  It  will  suffice  to 
say  that  its  progression  has  since  been  wonderful.  The  society 
numbers  now  about  five  hundred  members.  It  has  under  its  control 
in  Kentucky,  seven  branch  establishments ;  five  in  Missouri ;  six  in 

*  An  account  of  these  schools  will  be  found  in  the  records  already  given  of 
the  Cox's  Creek  and  Breckinridge  County  se'tlements. 

1 1  was  intimately  acquainted  with  Brother  Charles  Gilbert,  and  I  am  able 
to  say  of  him  that  I  have  rarely  known  a  man  whose  capabilities  so  well  fitted 
him  for  the  position  he  occupied  in  reference  to  the  affairs  of  the  Loretto 
society.  He  was  intelligent  and  of  gentlemanly  address,  was  prompt  to  learn 
whatever  was  needful  to  a  delegated  duty;  he  was  a  mechanic  of  great  skill 
and  ingenuity,  and,  withal,  a  sincere,  practical  and  well  informed  Catholic. 
Engaged  for  more  than  forty  years  in  the  service  of  the  society,  sometimes  at 
one  of  its  houses  and  sometimes  at  another,  he  came  to  be  very  generally 
known  by  Catholics  all  over  the  State,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  he  was 
respected  wherever  he  was  known.  The  last  years  of  his  life  were  passed  at 
Cedar  Grove  academy,  now  known  as  Mount  St.  Benedict,  in  Louisville, 
where  he  died  in  1867. 

J  The  Loretto  society,  since  the  death  of  its  founder,  has  been  governed 
spiritually  by  six  ecclesiastics,  viz:  Rev  G.  I.  Chabrat,  from  1824  to  1834,  and 
the  same  after  his  consecration  as  coadjutor  bishop,  from  18315  to  1846;  Rev. 
Walter  S.  Coomes,  from  1834  to  1835  ;  Rev.  David  A.  Deparcq,  from  1846  to 
1864;  Rt.  Rev.  P.  J.  Lavaille,  from  1864  to  1867  ;  Rt.  Rev.  Wm.  McCloskey, 
from  1867  to  1869;  Rev.  J.  F.  Wuyts,  from  1869  to  the  date  of  this  publi- 
cation. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  243 

New  Mexico ;  three  in  Colorado ;  one  in  Kansas ;  two  in  Illinois ; 
one  in  Alabama  and  one  in  Texas.  The  greater  number  of  these 
have  attached  to  them  large  and  flourishing  boarding-schools,  in  which 
hundreds  of  pupils  are  yearly  educated.  The  sisters  also  have  charge 
of  three  parish  schools  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  three  in  St,  Louis, 
one  in  Florissant,  one  at  Cape  Girardeau,  one  at  Springfield  and  one 
at  Edina;  the  five  localities  last  named  being  in  the  State  of  Missouri. 

The  mother  house  in  Marion  county,  has  grown  in  fifty  years  into 
an  immense  establishment.  The  farm  which  it  beautifies  with  its 
stately  and  picturesque  buildings,  and  which  has  an  area  of  hundreds 
of  acres,  has  been  reclaimed  from  barrenness  to  fertility  and  now  pre- 
sents to  the  eye  a  pleasant  rural  scene.  The  convent  chapel  is  a 
handsome  structure  and  rivals,  both  in  size  and  appointments,  many 
city  parish  churches.  The  history  of  the  Church  is  full  of  contrasts 
no  less  wonderful  than  that  here  presented  in  the  record  of  the  Loretto 
society.  In  every  age  of  the  world  since  Christ  founded  His  Church, 
the  parable  of  the  mustard  seed,  repeated  by  Him  in  the  hearing  of 
His  disciples,  has  had  its  solution  in  the  sight  of  men.  In  each  and 
every  one  of  these  instances,  He  has  Himself  given  the  increase,  and 
it  is  tor  the  creatures  He  has  redeemed  to  praise  His  beneficence.  He, 
God  all  powerful,  was  with  His  humble  handmaidens  when  they  began 
their  work  of  earnest  charity,  and  were  content  to  live  in  poverty  and 
wretchedness,  if  they  might  thereby  do  something  for  His  honor  and 
glory,  by  leading  to  Him  little  children,  and  teaching  them  how 
worthy  He  was  of  their  love.  To  no  other  end  than  this  is  the  sister- 
hood they  established  laboring  to-day. 

Of  the  life  and  labors  of  one  of  the  ecclesiastical  superiors  of  the 
Loretto  societyp  the  writer  prefers  here  to  speak  somewhat  in  detail : 

REVo  DAVID  ALEXANDER  DEPARCQ. 

The  record  of  the  life  of  the  earnest,  faithful  priest,  though  he 
may  have  lived  and  died  unknown  to  others  than  the  parishioners  in 
whose  service  his  days  on  earth  were  passed,  should  be  of  interest  to 
all  Catholics.  Such  a  life  is  filled  with  instruction,  with  incentives  to 
meritorious  action  for  the  young  levites  of  the  sanctuary  and  altar,  and 
with  edification  for  faithful  souls  of  every  class  and  position  in  the 
world.  Such  a  priest  was  Father  David  A.  Deparcq.  Of  his  par- 
entage and  early  education,  the  writer  has  been  able  to  learn  only 
that  he  was  a  scion  of  a  race  with  whom  religion  was  no  mere  senti- 
ment, but  a  reahty  that  takes  in  and  accounts  for  whatever  is  compre- 
hensive of  human  happiness  here  on  earth,  and  all  that  is  to  be  hoped 
for  of  felicity  in  heaven. 

He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1818,  and  he  was  ordained  priest 
by  Bishop  Flaget  the  ensuing  year.  His  ordination  following,  as  it 
did,  so  quickly  upon  his  arrival  in  the  country,  the  implication  is 
unavoidable  that  he  had  about  finished  his  ecclesiastical  studies  before 
embarking  for  America.     The   first  mission  of  the  newly  ordained 


244  THE   SISTERHOOD    OF    LORETTO. 

priest  was  that  of  Lebanon,  in  Marion  county,  where  he  finished  the 
church  building  previously  begun  by  Father  Nerinckx.  He  also 
attended  Holy  Mary's  church,  on  the  Rolling  Fork,  and  filled  for  the 
sisters  of  Calvary  convent  the  office  of  chaplain. 

It  may  be  said  that,  with  short  intervals  given  to  the  preaching  of 
retreats  at  the  calls  of  one  or  others  of  the  pastors  of  souls  stationed 
elsewhere,  and  until,  in  1846,  he  was  named  by  his  bishop  superior  of  the 
Loretto  society,  his  entire  ministerial  life  was  passed  in  the  service  of  the 
Catholic  people  residing  in  the  counties  of  Marion,  Casey,  Mercer  and 
Adair.  He  was  of  the  class  of  priests  known  and  honored  as  workers. 
Whatever  was  of  duty  first  claimed  and  received  his  attention; 
but  this  term  included  for  him  the  exercise  of  every  power  for  good 
with  which  he  had  been  endowed  by  heaven.  One  by  whom  Father 
Deparcq  was  well  known,  writes  thus  concerning  him : 

"He  was  of  medium  height,  and  stoutly  built.  I  am  inclined  to 
think  he  had  never  been  sick  in  his  life  until  his  last  and  fatal  illness. 
He  was  in  the  habit  of  judging  only  after  deliberation;  and  hence 
was  applied  to  him  the  saying,  'slow,  but  sure.'  He  was  charitable 
both  in  word  and  action.  Though  at  one  time,  as  you  know,  he  was 
most  grossly  slandered,  no  word  was  ever  heard  from  his  lips  in 
denunciation  of  those  by  whom  he  had  been  defamed.*  As  a  preacher 
he  spoke  well  and  to  the  point,  without  notes  and  without 
previous  committal  of  his  thoughts  to  paper.  His  sermons  were 
always  short,  solid  and  practical;  and  they  were  delivered  with 
unction — his  gestures,  eyes,  countenance,  utterance  and  entire  man- 
ner in  the  pulpit,  giving  evidence  of  the  absorption  of  his  mind  in  his 
work.  He  most  affected  in  preaching,  such  subjects  as  confession, 
remission  of  sin,  redemption  and  death,  and  the  least  agreeable  to 
human  nature  of  all  the  duties  of  the  priesthood — that  of  hearing  con- 
fessions— appeared  to  be  the  one  in  which  he  took  most  delight. 

"Reared  under  Bishop  Flaget  and  Father  Nerinckx,  he  seemed  to 
have  caught  the  spirit  of  these  saintly  men.  People  liked  to  hear  him 
preach;  they  liked  to  seek  his  advice,  in  the  confessional  and  outside 
of  the  sacred  tribunal;  and  as  well  in  matters  temporal  as  spiritual. 
I  have  seen  and  read  letters  of  Bishop  Flaget  referring  to  the  good 
qualities  of  Father  Deparcq  and  the  implicit  confidence  he  reposed  in 
him,  which  go  to  show  that  there  was  no  priest  in  his  diocese  that 

*This  was  in  1836,  when  Rev.  N.  L.  Rice,  a  Protestant  minister  and 
editor,  published  in  his  paper  a  libelous  charge  against  the  priest  similar  to 
that  which,  a  few  years  later,  was  perpetrated  against  the  martyr  priest  of 
Evansville,  Rev.  R.  Weinzoepfle.  Father  Deparcq  was  absent  in  Europe  at 
the  time,  on  business  connected  with  diocesan  affairs  ;  but  so  monstrous  was 
the  charge,  the  clerical  friends  of  the  maligned  priest — notably  Rev.  George  A. 
M.  Elder  and  his  then  associates  of  the  faculty  of  St.  Joseph's  college — felt 
themselves  impelled  to  apply  in  his  behalf  for  redress  through  the  medium  of 
the  courts  of  law.  Suit  was  instituted,  and  the  action  came  to  trial  in  1837. 
The  jury  pronounced  the  defendant  guilty  of  libel,  and  assessed  against  him 
nominal  damages. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCRY.  245 

Stood  higher  in  his  esteem.  But  it  is  not  worth  while  to  cite  quota- 
tions from  these.  He  lives  yet  among  us ;  his  niemory  is  fresh  in  our 
minds ;  we  knew  the  man,  and  what  we  testify  is  true  :  He  was  just, 
impartial,  charitable,  truthful,  most  forgiving  of  injuries  and  most 
tender  toward  the  repentant  sinner." 

The  death  of  Father  Deparcq  took  place  at  the  convent  of  Calvary, 
whither  he  had  retired  to  await  that  event,  on  the  9th  day  of  Novem- 
ber, 1 86 -I.  His  spiritual  daughters  of  the  Loretto  society,  of  whom 
he  was  the  ecclesiastical  superior  for  twenty  years,  have  placed  over 
his  grave  a  neat  monument  with  an  inscription  embodying  the  record 
of  his  meritorious  life  of  forty-four  years  spent  in  the  discharge  of  the 
duties  pertaining  to  his  office  of  embassador  for  Christ. 


CHAPTER  XVHI. 

THE   SISTERS    OF    CHARITY    OF    NAZARETH. 

The  first  subject  for  consideration  with  the  true  missionary  refers 
to  the  education  and  training  of  youth.  He  knows  that  upon  this 
depends  the  conservation  of  religion  and  morals  in  all  established 
society.  It  is  not  surprising  therefore,  that  Bishop  Flaget,  from  the 
moment  he  set  foot  upon  the  soil  of  Kentucky,  should  have  not  only 
felt  and  deplored  his  lack  of  facilities  in  this  direction,  but  that  he 
should  have  sought  by  every  means  in  his  power  to  supply  for  his 
people  a  want  so  indispensable  to  the  welfare  of  their  children,  both 
for  time  and  eternity.  His  thoughts  recurred  to  his  native 
France  and  the  multiplicity  of  her  teachers  and  charitable  orders. 
Especially  did  he  regret  his  absolute  inability  to  secure  and  provide 
for  a  colony  of  Daughters  of  Charity  for  his  poor  diocese.  But  the 
transportation  of  these  over  thousands  of  miles  of  land  and  ocean 
was  not  to  be  thought  of  by  one  who  had  no  means  of  his  own, 
and  whose  people  were  able  to  render  him  but  small  assistance. 
There  was  no  other  resource  left  him  than  that  which  he  happily 
adopted,  and  which  gave  Kentucky  the  organization  known  as  The 
Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth. 

In  making  choice  of  the  director  of  his  seminary,  and  after  coad- 
jutor. Rev.  John  B.  David,  to  establish  for  his  diocese  a  body  of 
religious  women,  Bishop  Flaget  showed  discernment,  as  well  of  the 
object  he  had  in  view,  as  of  the  capabilities  of  his  trusted  agent.  He 
knew  his  subaltern  for  what  he  was,  tireless  in  zeal,  constant  in  piety. 


246  THE   SISTERS   OP   CHARITY   OF    NAZARETH. 

admirable  as  an  educator  and  incomparable  as  a  director  of  con- 
sciences. As  for  Father  David,  he  might  have  shrunk  from  the  task 
to  which  he  was  invited,  had  he  not  felt,  equally  with  his  superior, 
that  in  no  other  way  than  the  one  proposed,  was  it  possible  to  secure 
results  worthy  of  the  great  cause  in  which  they  were  enlisted. 

On  the  I  St  day  of  December,  181 2,  the  Society  of  Sisters  of  Char- 
ily of  Nazareth  had  its  beginning.  On  that  day,  two  young  women, 
Teresa  Carico  and  Elizabeth  Wells,  took  possession  of  a  small  log 
cabin,  on  the  seminary  farm  of  St.  Thomas,  which  had  been  previ- 
ously prepared  for  their  reception  by  Father  David  and  his  semina- 
rians. On  the  2 1  St  of  the  following  month  these  were  joined  by 
Catharine  Spalding,  whose  name  was  prominently  connected  with  the 
community  up  to  the  date  of  her  death,  March  20,  1858.  On  Easter 
Monday,  1813,  the  little  band  having  increased  to  six  members,* 
Father  David  gave  them  certain  provisionary  rules  for  the  government 
of  the  society,  and  directed  that  an  election  should  take  place  imme- 
diately for  the  offices  of  superior,  assistant  superior  and  stewardess. 
This  was  done,  and  Catharine  Spalding,  Harriet  Gardiner,  and  Eliza- 
beth Wells  were  severally  elected  to  the  positions  in  the  order  named. 
As  soon  as  the  arrangement  could  be  perfected,  a  house  somewhat 
more  comfortable  than  the  one  hitherto  occupied  by  the  postulants 
was  provided  for  them,  at  a  distance  of  about  a  half  a  mile  from  the 
church  of  St.  Thomas,  and  to  this  modest  conventual  home,  Father 
David  gave  the  name  of  Nazareth.  The  establishment  of  a  school 
was  deferred  for  the  very  sufficient  reason  that  the  sisters  were  them- 
selves to  be  instructed  before  they  would  be  capable  of   teaching. 

*  The  names  of  these  postulants  were  :  Teresa  Carico,  Elizabeth  Wells, 
Catharine  Spalding,  Harriet  Gardiner,  Mary  Beaven  and  Mary  Gwynn.  One 
of  these,  Elizabeth  Wells,  retired  from  the  community  a  year  later.  Her 
career,  however,  both  before  and  after  the  date  given  in  the  text,  was  suffic- 
iently extraordinary  to  warrant  me  in  giving  here  some  of  its  details.  Eliza- 
beth, or  as  she  was  generally  called,  Betsy  Wells,  was  a  sister  of  General 
Wells,  of  Jefferson  county,  and  of  Captain  Wells,  who  was  killed  by  Indian 
allies  of  the  British  in  the  war  of  1812.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  she  hap- 
pened to  be  thrown  in  the  company  of  Catholics,  and  she  afterwards  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Father  Badin,  who,  a  few  months  later,  gave  her  instruc- 
tions and  received  her  into  the  Church.  From  that  time  to  the  day  of  her 
death,  her  energies  were  devoted  to  the  service  of  religion.  After  her  conver- 
sion she  lived  on  the  Rolling  Fork,  near  the  present  site  of  Calvary  academy, 
toward  the  purchase  of  which  she  is  said  to  have  contributed  a  considerable 
part  of  its  cost.  In  1802,  she  was  housekeeper  for  Rev.  M.  J.  Fournier,  and, 
I  have  heard  it  said  she  acted  afterwards  in  the  same  capacity  for  Father 
Nerinckx.  She  was  a  pure  and  noble  soul,  somewhat  eccentric  in  her  ways, 
possibly,  which  explains  her  retirement  from  the  Nazareth  community;  but 
pious  withal,  and  exceedingly  practical.  One  who  knew  her  well  once  wrote 
of  her:  •' Beyond  food  and  clothing,  she  would  accept  nothing  for  her  labor. 
She  held  with  St.  Paul  that  'Piety  with  sufficiency  is  great  gain;  having  food 
and  wherewith  to  be  covered,  we  are  content.'"  For  many  years  previous  to 
her  death,  which  took  place  at  the  convent  of  St.  Rose,  in  Washington  county, 
on  the  6th  of  June,  1851,  sister  Betsy  Wells  was  associated  with  the  sisterhood 
of  St.  Magdalen,  now  known  as  that  of  St.  Catharine  of  Sienna. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY,  247 

Upon  Father  David  fell  all  the  labor  of  preparing  these  well-disposed, 
and  naturally  bright  and  talented  young  women  for  their  future  work. 

In  the  meantime,  they  were  not  idle.     They  had  none  to  depend 
upon  but  themselves  for  subsistence.     They  spun  and  wove  and  plied 
their  needles  from  morn  till  night,  stopping  only  for  the  two  hours  of 
confinement  to  the  class-room,  and  to  take  their  meals.    The  garments 
worn  by  the  seminarians    were   mostly  of  their  fashioning,  as   was, 
also,  much  of  the  clothing  needed  in  the  families  living  around  the 
church  of   St.  Thomas.     Thus  they  procured  means    for   their   own 
maintenance,  and  aided  in  providing  for  the  seminary.     They  were  to 
be  seen  in  field  as  well  as  garden,  laboring  with  a  constancy  that  made 
up  for  their  lack  of  strength,  and  in  the  forest,  gathering  fuel  for  the 
kitchen  and  winter  supply.     Their  food  was  often  scanty,  and  it  con- 
sisted, for  the  greater  part,  of  bacon  and  corn-bread.     Condiments,  with 
the  exception  of  salt,  were  almost  wholly  unknown  to  these  unsophisti 
cated  maidens.     Their  table  beverages  were  a  decoction  of  parched 
rye  in  the  morning,  and  an  infusion  of  sage  or  sassafras  in  the  even- 
ing, without  sugar,  and  often  without  milk.     It  was  not  long  before 
they  felt  themselves  able  to  care  for  a  few  aged  and  helpless  men  and 
women.     To  do  this  was  in  the  direct  Une  of  duty  to  which  they 
had  devoted  their  lives. 

Early  in  the  year  1814,  a  most  valuable  acquisition  was  made  by  the 
sisterhood  in  the  person  of  Miss  Ellen  O'Connell,  a  young  lady  who 
had  experienced  the  benefit  of  Father  David's  spiritual  direction  when 
he  exercised  the  holy  ministry  in  Baltimore.     Her  father  was  an  emi- 
nent professor  of  languages  and  rhetoric.     Ellen,  his  only  child,  left 
motherless  at  a  tender  age,  was  the  object  of  his  greatest  solicitude. 
He  cultivated  her  gifted  mind  with  care  and  delighted  in  her  progress. 
She  became  herself  a  teacher  of  rare  merit,  and  when  through  the  cor- 
respondence she  kept  up  with  Father  David,  she  learned  of  the  little 
community  growing  under  his  direction,  she  determined  to  unite  her- 
self to  it.     Her  scholarly  training  and  experience   in  school  manage- 
ment removed  a  great  obstacle  to  successful  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
sisterhood  that  not  even  Father  David,  zealous  and   learned  as   he 
certainly  was,  could  have  wholly  set  aside.      Mother  Catharine,  Sister 
Harriet  and  one  or  two  others  were  already  able  to  assist  her.     With 
the  aid  of  the  seminarians,  among  whom  the   late  Rev.  Robert.  A. 
Abell  was  conspicuous,  a  school  house  of  logs  was  put  up  near  their 
residence,  and  on  the  14th  day  of  September,  of  the  year  referred  to, 
the  classes  were  commenced,  Cecily  O'Brien,  a  young  girl  who  lived  a 
short  distance  away,  being  the  first  to  present  herself  as  a  pupil.*    The 
school  grew  rapidly  in  numbers  and  reputation;  several  boarders  came, 
and  after  four  years,  the  sisters  were  able   to  erect  a  comparatively 
large  brick  building.     Sister  Ellen  O'Connell  continued  to  direct  the 
school  for  a  period  of  nearly  twenty  years;  but  her  death  took  place 

*  Cecily  O'Brien   became  a  member   of  the  community  in  after  years,  and 
lived  to  celebrate  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  her  religious  profession. 


248  THE   SISTERS    OF    CHARITY    OF    NAZARETH. 

at  St.  Catharine's  academy,  Lexington,  Kentucky,  in  the  year  I841.* 
About  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  year  of  their  association,  the 
sisters  adopted  as  a  permanency,  the  rule  drawn  up  by  St.  Vincent  of 
Paul  for  the  Daughters  of  Charity  of  France.  They  adopted,  too,  a 
religious  dress;  the  same  is  still  worn  by  the  members  of  the  com- 
munity, with  the  exception  of  the  cap,  which  was  at  first  black  and  is 
now  white.  On  the  2nd  of  February,  1816,  Mother  Catharine  Spald- 
ing and  two  of  her  associates  were  permitted  to  take  the  three  ordinary 
simple  vows  of  the  order.  Throughout  her  life.  Mother  Catharine 
was  in  the  habit  of  associating  the  event  that  brought  to  her  the 
greatest  joy  she  had  ever  known,  with  the  festival  of  the  Purification, 
that  is  celebrated  by  the  Church  on  that  day.  The  community  was 
now  increased  by  the  entrance  into  its  novitiate  of  Ann  Spalding, 
Mother  Catharine's  sister,  Mildred  Stuart  and  Harriet  Sutde.f 

The  first  attempt  at  colonization,  made  by  the  community,  took 
place  in  1819.  In  September  of  that  year,  the  sisters  purchased  a 
house  in  Bardstown,  and  therein  established  a  day  school,  to  which 
they  gave  the  title  of  Bethlehem.;|:     In  1820,  a  colony  of  four  sisters, 

*From  a  letter  written  by  the  late  Mrs.  Eliza  Crozier  Wilkinson,  who 
graduated  at  Nazareth  in  1836,  I  am  permitted  to  extract  the  following 
reference  to  Sister  Ellen  O'Connell :  "I  write  the  impressions  of  a  child 
of  ten ;  but  these  were  afterwards  confirmed  by  years  spent  at  Nazareth. 
Sister  Ellen  was  directress  of  studies,  and  it  was  to  her  care  that  I  had 
been  specially  confided  by  my  mother,  who  I  knew  regarded  her  with 
great  admiration  and  respect.  Young  as  I  was,  I  saw  that  Sister  Ellen's 
labors  were  incessant — teaching  all  of  the  higher  classes  in  the  school,  as 
well  as  writing,  tapestry,  embroidery  and  painting,  for  which  she  had  a  true 
and  cultivated  talent,  she  was  at  the  same  time  preparing  the  young  sisters  for 
teachers,  and  was  mistress  of  novices.  A  few  years  later,  I  learned  more  fully 
to  appreciate  this  gifted  women.  Brilliant  in  wit  and  repartee,  her  literary 
taste  was  highly  cultivated.  She  was  quite  stout,  but  very  light  in  her  move- 
ments. Her  features  possessed  great  regularity;  lovely  brown  eyes  and 
teeth  of  perfect  shape  and  whiteness — a  hand  that  would  have  been  a  model 
for  a  sculptor.  All  of  these  things,  I  saw  as  a  child.  To-day  I  can  recognize 
her  high  poetic  talent,  especially  in  two  of  her  compositions :  An  Elegy  on  the 
Grave  Yard  at  Nazareth  and  Alone.  Her  English  was  perfect.  Positive  in 
character  as  one  of  such  talent  and  experience  must  be,  she  was  peculiarly 
fitted  for  her  position,  that  of  the  first  accomplished  teacher  of  Nazareth. 
Great  in  mind,  a  thorough  scholar  in  christian  doctrine  and  biblical  lore,  she 
had  no  superior — a  heart  melting  to  charity — a  humility  that  led  [her  even  to 
wash  the  feet  of  the  erring,  rebellious  child.  She  was  the  proud  teacher,  too, 
of  Sister  Columba  Carroll,  whom  she  loved  as  a  mother  loves  her  own  child. 
All  honor  to  the  memory  of  Sister  Ellen  O'Connell  at  Nazareth!  She  shall 
live  in  my  heart  forever." 

fMiss  Suttle  was  known  in  religion  as  Sister  Elizabeth;  she  was  a  woman 
of  exceedingly  pleasant  manners,  cultivated  mind  and  solid  piety  ;  she  was 
much  beloved  by  her  associates.  Her  beautiful  life,  superabounding  with 
charity,  closed  at  the  mother  house,  near  Bardstown,  in  1873, 

t  This  house  was  purchased  of  Nehemiah  Webb,  and  in  it  the  writer  was 
born.  It  stood  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  then  recently  consecrated 
cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  before  the  opening  of  which  it  had  served  as  the 
church  station  for  the  congregation. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  249 

among  whom  was  Sister  Elizabeth  Suttle,  was  sent  to  Long  Lick,  in 
Breckinridge  county,  where  an  attempt  was  made  to  estabhsh  a  school. 
It  proved  unsuccessful,  however,  and  in  a  short  time  the  enterprise 
was  abandoned.  A  happier  result  followed  a  similar  attempt  made 
a  few  months  later,  to  colonize  the  sisters  in  Union  county.  At  the 
head  of  this  delegation  of  the  order,  was  placed  Sister  Angela  ^pink, 
well  remembered  in  the  institution  for  her  indomitable  energy  and 
practical  piety.  She  was  a  lover  of  poverty,  and  practiced  it  to  the 
letter.  It  is  related  of  her  that,  in  the  infancy  of  the  estabhshment  of 
St.  Vincent,  in  Union  county,  she  never  allowed  herself  more  than 
four  hours  of  sleep.  Long  before  day,  she  was  up  and  at  work,  now 
in  the  garden  she  had  herself  planted,  and  now  in  the  performance 
of  household  duties.     She  passed  to  her  reward  in  the  year  1844. 

An  important  event,  in  the  history  of  the  Nazareth  community 
took  place  in  1822.  The  success  of  the  institute  was  now  considered 
as  assured,  and  it  became  necessary  that  its  members  should  look 
forward  to  something  of  independency  in  regard  to  tenure  of  property. 
For  more  than  ten  years,  they  had  lived  on  the  farm  of  St.  Thomas, 
of  which  the  ordinary  of  the  diocese  had  no  power  to  transfer  any 
part  to  them  in  fee-simple.  With  the  full  concurrence  of  their 
ecclesiastical  superior,  they  determined  to  buy  suitable  grounds  else- 
where, and  to  build  for  themselves  a  home  that  they  might  call  their 
own.  Their  choice  fell  upon  a  tract  of  land,  about  two  and  a  half 
miles  north  of  Bardstown,  upon  which  there  was  a  fairly  comfortable 
residence,  then  occupied  by  a  Presbyterian  minister,  known  as  Elder 
Lapsley.  The  purchase  was  made  of  Wm.  R.  Hynes,  then  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Bardstown.  The  sisters  had  spent  their  earnings  on 
the  brick  house  and  other  improvements  made  on  their  home  at  St. 
Thomas,  which  they  now  had  to  relinquish,  and  they  would  have  been 
unable  to  pay  for  this  new  property,  but  for  the  assistance  of  Sister 
Scholastica  O'Conner.* 

When  the  sisters  moved  to  their  new  quarters,  June  nth,  1822, 
they  numbered  thirty-eight,  including  novices  and  postulants ;  an'd  they 
had  under  their  care  twenty-five  boarding  pupils.  Minister  Lapsley's 
former  study  was  hastily  fitted  up  for  a  chapel,  and  the  following  morn- 
ing, having  first  blessed  the  entire  house  Bishop  David  here  said  mass 
for  the  community. 

*  Sister  Scholastica  was  a  young  widow  and  a  convert  to  the  Catholic  faith. 
She  had  made  Father  David's  acquaintance  in  Baltimore  ;  he  guided  her  first 
steps  in  the  spiritual  life,  and  she  soon  became  a  pattern  of  exact  piety.  At 
the  time  of  her  husband's  decease,  she  conceived  the  idea  of  devoting  the 
remainder  of  her  life  to  God's  service  in  the  religious  state.  In  spite  of  the 
opposition  of  her  relatives,  she  presented  herself  to  Father  David  in  1820,  and 
begged  admission  to  his  little  society.  She  brought  with  her  what  she  could 
of  her  small  fortune,  a  few  thousand  dollars.  She  was  highly  accomplished  and 
proficient  in  music,  which  she  was  the  first  to  teach  at  Nazareth,  where  she 
lived  but  three  years  after  her  profession  ;  these  years  were  filled  with  labors, 
with  mortification  and  with  merit.  The  community  looked  upon  her  as  a 
bright  example  of  every  virtue. 


250  THE   SISTERS   OF    CHARITY    OF    NAZARETH. 

On  the  13th  of  April,  1823,  Mother  Catharine,  accompanied  by 
three  sisters,  went  to  Scott  county,  where  they  opened  the  school  of  St. 
Catharine,  a  tract  of  land  having  been  given  for  that  purpose  by  Mr. 
James  Gough,  on  condition  that  the  sisters  should  pay  him  a  small 
annuity  while  he  lived.  This  school  was  afterwards  removed  to  Lex- 
ington, where  it  soon  acquired  a  high  reputation,  and  where  it 
is  still  regarded  as  one  of  the  community's  most  important  establish- 
ments. 

In  1824,  an  attempt  was  made  to  establish  a  house  of  the  order 
at  Vincennes,  Indiana,  but  after  two  successive  trials,  the  enterprise 
was  given  up.  This  place  was  without  a  resident  priest,  and  some- 
times for  weeks  together  the  sisters  were  deprived  of  the  strengthen- 
ing influence  of  the  sacraments.  There  died  Sister  Harriet  Gardiner, 
the  local  superior  at  the  time.  * 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  sisterhood  as  a  whole  was  fairly  prosperous. 
It  had  its  share  of  difficulties,  to  be  sure,  but  none  of  these  were 
insurmountable.  The  venerable  coadjutor  Bishop  was  still  their  direc- 
tor, and  on  every  Wednesday  evening,  he  came  to  hear  the  confessions 
of  his  children  and  to  encourage  them  to  perseverance.  The  com- 
munity room  was  provided  with  neither  chairs  nor  benches ;  hence  the 
sisters  humbly  seated  themselves  on  the  floor,  while  they  listened  to  the 
weekly  instructions  given  to  them  by  their  father.  Here  it  was  that 
he  sought  to  open  their  minds  to  the  knowledge  of  divine  things,  and 
their  hearts  to  the  promptings  of  holy  charity.  It  was  his  delight  to 
mark  their  generous  correspondence  with  grace  and  to  foster  its  fruits. 
They  were  rich  in  their  poverty,  for  they  learned  to  love  a  con- 
dition that  made  them  more  acceptable  in  His  sight  who  had  not 
"a  stone  whereon  to  lay  his  head."  There  was  no  repining  among 
these  heavenward  toilers,  but  trusting  confidence  in  God  and  His  pro- 
tecting providence. 

Time  passed,  and  the  Nazareth  academy  began  to  be  quoted  for 
its  educational  advantages  in  other  states  than  Kentucky,  and  the  num- 
ber of  pupils  increased.  The  thoughts  of  the  sisters  were  now  turned 
to  reconstruction.  The  unsightly  log  cabin  that  served  for  a  chapel, 
and  similar  additions  to  the  original  frame  house,  were  no  longer  large 
enough;  they  must  be  removed,  and  stately  buildings  put  up  in  their 
stead.  "  My  children,"  said  Father  David,  "build  first  a  houee  for 
your  God,  and  He  will  help  you  to  build  one  for  yourselves. "f 

*  Sister  Harriet  Gardiner  was  a  sister  of  the  late  Mother  Frances  Gardiner; 
her  name  appears  the  fourth  on  the  membership  rolls  of  Nazareth.  She  was 
assistant  mother  during  two  terms,  and  mistress  of  novices.  To  this  day,  there 
are  kept  up  in  the  society,  many  interesting  traditions  of  her  care  and  watch- 
fulness while  she  was  endeavoring  to  lead  her  charge  along  the  upward  paths 
of  christian  perfection.  She  also  exercised  a  very  happy  influence  in  the 
class-room,  were  she  was  universally  respected  and  beloved. 

t  This  advice  was  not  forgotten,  when,  in  1852,  the  community  and  school 
requiring  still  greater  room,  the  beautiful  gothic  chapel  now  in  use,  was  erected 
first,  and  soon  after,  the  present  spacious  building  known  as  the  academy. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  25 1 

These  words  found  ready  echo  in  the  sisters'  hearts,  and  soon  after- 
wards, they  had  the  happiness  of  kneeling  before  the  altar  of  a  neat  and 
commodious  church  on  their  own  premises.  Their  confidence  was  not 
misplaced.  Early  in  the  summer  following,  four  pupils  were  sent 
them  from  the  South,  and  the  board  and  tuition  fees,  paid  in  advance 
for  a  whole  year,  enabled  them  to  lay  the  foundations  of  a  large 
school  building. 

This  same  year,  1824,  brought  tribulation  as  well  as  joy  to  the 
sisters.  Five  of  their  number  died;  among  those  summoned,  were 
Mother  Agnes  Higdon,  whose  active  energy  had  been  of  material 
assistance  to  the  community,  and  Sister  Columba  Tarleton,  whose 
extraordinary  personal  holiness  is  held  among  the  traditions  of  the. 
order.  She  was  a  pupil  of  the  school,  of  which  her  superior  mental 
gifts  made  her  an  ornament;  she  lived  only  four  years  after  her 
entrance  into  the  community.  The  story  of  her  sanctified  life  reminds 
one  of  what  has  been  written  concerning  the  virgin  saints  and  martyrs 
of  the  early  Church. 

In  the  fall  of  183 1,  the  sisterhood  began  its  since  continued  career 
of  usefulness  in  Louisville,  with  the  establishment  of  the  academy  of 
the  Presentation.  Mother  Catharine  was  first  placed  at  its  head,  and 
here  it  was  that  this  christian  woman  was  at  last  able  to  carry  out  her 
long  conceived  idea  of  founding  a  home  for  orphan  girls.  A  pecu- 
liarly distressing  case  coming  to  her  notice  one  day,  she  sought  out 
the  victims  of  misfortune  and  had  them  temporarily  provided  for  in 
the  houses  of  a  couple  of  personal  friends.  But,  two  motherless  little 
girls  were  to  be  brought  up ;  she  took  them,  and  out  of  this  incident 
grew  the  noble  charity  known  as  St.  Vincents  Orphan  Asylum,  wherein 
provision  is  now  made  for  the  maintenance  of  two  hundred  orphan 
girls. 

In  1833,  during  the  epidemic  of  cholera,  the  sisters  of  the  mother 
house  were  distributed  as  nurses  in  Bardstown  and  the  neighborhood, 
and  in  Louisville.  Three  of  their  number,  sisters  Joanna  Lewis, 
Patricia  Bamber  and  Generose  Buckman,  contracted  the  disease 
while  thus  engaged,  and  died  from  its  effects. 

Having  watched  over  the  community  from  its  infancy,  Bishop 
David  was  constrained  to  resign  the  office  of  ecclesiastical  superior  of 
the  society  in  1833.  He  was  now  an  octogenarian,  and  his  worn  out 
body  was  no  longer  able  to  bear  the  fatigue  incidental  upon  that  office. 
Writing  about  this  time  to  Sister  Elizabeil  Suttle,  then  superior  of  the 
branch  establishment  of  St.  Vincent,  in  Union  county,  the  venerable 
prelate  said  :  ' '  Tell  the  sisters  that  I  have  not  ceased  to  be  their 
father  because  I  have  surrendered  my  awful  responsibility  as  guardian 
of  their  souls ;  that  I  entertain  for  them  that  love  which  will  reunite 
me  to  them  in  the  eternal  kingdom  of  God."* 

*  In  1841,  when  in  a  dying  condition,  he  requested  to  be  conveyed  from 
Bardstown  to  Nazareth,  and  made  the  journey  on  a  litter.  He  had  come  to 
die  among  his  daughters,  whom  he  had  taught  both  how  to  live  and  how  to 


i$2  THE   SISTERS   OF   CHARITY   OF   NAZARETH. 

The  second  ecclesiastical  superior  of  the  Nazareth  community, 
was  Rev.  Ignatius  A.  Reynolds,  afterwards  bishop  of  Charleston. 
On  the  27th  of  November,  1835,  ^^  ^^^  succeeded  by  the  late  Rev. 
Joseph  Hazeltine,  whose  retention  of  the  office  ended  with  his  death, 
February  13,  1862.* 

The  next  to  hold  the  office  was  the  late  Rev.  Francis  Chambige, 
who,  equally  with  his  predecessors  in  the  position,  was  tireless  in  his 
endeavors  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  institution  and  to  secure  the 
sanctification  of  those  over  whom  his  spiritual  authority  extended,  f 

Rev.  M.  Coghlan  held  this  office  for  a  short  time ;  it  has  since 
devolved  on  the  Very  Rev.  M.  Bouchet. 

From  the  incipiency  of  their  conventual  establishment,  neither 
Father  David  nor  Mother  Catharine  lost  sight  of  the  primary  object  of 
the  order,  which  is  the  succor  of  the  sick,  the  orphan  and  the  poor. 
There  was  no  idea  with  them  of  making  the  institute  they  were 
endeavoring  to  found,  a  mere  channel  of  accretion.  Up  to  the  year 
1832,  to  be  sure,  the  needs  of  the  community  swallowed  up  its  earn- 
ings, and  left  it  still  poor  and  struggling.     In  each  of  their  houses,  the 

die.  They  surrounded  him  with  all  the  care  their  deep  and  filial  reverence 
could  suggest;  it  was  a  precious  though  sorrowful  privilege  to  soothe  their  ven- 
erated father's  last  hours  on  earth.  His  appointed  day  of  rest  from  labor  came 
to  him  at  length,  and  all  that  was  mortal  of  its  founder  reposes  in  the  commu- 
nity's burying-ground.  The  death  of  this  holy  priest  and  bishop,  this  faithful 
instructor  in  sacred  science,  this  amiable  and  admirable  man  of  God,  took 
place  on  the  12th  day  of  July,  1841. 

*  My  remembrances  of  Father  Hazeltine  extend  to  the  time  when  I  was  a 
ten  year  old  learner  in  the  primary  department  of  the  college  of  St.  Joseph, 
in  which  institution  he  was  econome  and  disciplinarian.  He  was  accounted 
overly  severe  and  exacting  at  the  time,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  any  one  charged 
with  the  execution  of  necessary  disciplinary  laws  in  a  school  where  there  were 
many  unruly  boys  could  have  escaped  like  censure.  Though  he  was  certainly 
the  terror  of  these  at  the  time,  very  many  of  them  became  in  after  life  his 
most  devoted  friends  and  admirers.  Father  Hazeltine  was  born  in  New 
England,  of  non-Catholic  parents.  It  was  from  Canada,  however,  where  he 
had  been  converted  to  the  Catholic  faith,  that  he  came  to  Bardstow.n  for  the 
purpose  of  associating  himself  with  the  officers  of  St.  Joseph's  college  and  the 
students  of  the  seminary.  This  was  most  likely  as  early  as  the  year  1822.  He 
was  deficient  in  neither  talents  nor  learning,  but  he  had  a  special  gift  for 
finance  and  management,  and  his  elevation  to  the  priesthood  was  held  in  abey- 
ance for  years  because  he  was  kept  too  much  occupied  with  the  business  affairs 
of  the  college  to  gi»e  him  time  to  prepare  for  ordination.  He  was  already 
advanced  in  years,  when  he  became  a  priest,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  brief 
interval  after  his  ordination,  his  whole  after  life  was  given  to  the  duties  of  his 
superiorship  at  Nazareth,  and  to  the  pastoral  care  of  the  small  congregation  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Bullitt.  In  person,  Father 
Hazeltine  was  tall,  over  six  feet  in  height,  and  of  a  moderately  full  habit.  I 
have  no  memory  of  another  priest  in  the  diocese  who  was  more  dignified  in 
appearance.  He  was  reserved  without  being  haughty,  and  he  was  the  embod- 
iment of  Older,  exactness  and  punctuality  in  everything  he  did  or  promised 
to  do.  His  government  of  the  community  was  admirable,  from  the  first,  and- 
he  soon  came  to  be  venerated  b"  the  sisterhood  only  in  a  second  degree  to 
their  illustrious  founder. 

t  Elsewhere  will  be  found  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Father  Chambige. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  253 

sisters  taught  and  boarded  some  destitute  children;  they  could  do 
no  more  till  the  orphan  asylum  was  established.  In  1836  Mother 
Catharine  thought  of  opening  an  infirmary  for  the  sick  of  Louisville. 
She  began  this  work  in  an  apartment  of  St.  Vincent's  orphan  asylum, 
and  it  was  there  conducted  under  the  skilful  management  of  the  late 
Sister  Apollonia  McGill,  until  the  number  of  patients  applying  for 
admittance  forced  the  sisters  to  remove  it  to  its  present  admirable 
location  on  Fourth  street. 

MOTHER   CATHARINE   SPALDING. 

What  was  regarded  at  the  time  as  the  supreme  misfortune  of  the 
society  took  place  on  the  20th  of  March,  1858.  On  that  day  died 
the  leading  spirit  of  the  Nazareth  sisterhood,  and  its  first  superior,  the 
gentle  Mother  Catharine  Spalding.  She  was  with  her  ' '  dear  orphans  " 
at  the  time;  among  them,  it  had  always  been  her  delight  to  dwell,  and 
there  was  no  thought,  either  in  her  own  mind  or  theirs  that  she  "was  so 
soon  to  be  removed  out  of  their  sight.  About  two  weeks  previous 
to  her  death,  she  had  been  called  to  visit  a  poor  family  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  asylum.  Impelled  by  charity,  she  ventured  out  on 
her  errand  of  mercy  at  a  time  when  the  snow  that  covered  the  ground 
was  fast  melting,  and,  she  thereby  contracted  the  illness  of  which  she 
died.  Day  after  day,  the  malady  increased  until  it  was  apparent  to 
all  that  her  life's  work  was  ended.  When  told  by  good  Sister  Apol- 
lonia, with  whom  she  had  been  associated  for  well  nigh  forty  years, 
that  her  hour  was  approachmg,  she  received  the  intelligence  with  the 
calmness  and  resignation  that  was  to  be  expected  of  one  whose  whole 
life  had  been  but  a  preparation  for  the  change  that  was  at  hand.  She, 
who  had  never  intentionally  given  pain  to  any  one,  was  now  imploring 
the  forgiveness  of  her  weeping  sisters,  for  whatever  might  have  been 
amiss  in  her  conduct  in  their  regard ;  from  the  bottom  of  her  heart, 
she  told  them,  she  forgave  all  who  had  given  her  pain  or  caused 
her  anixety.  She  gave  directions  for  the  distribution  of  some  little 
alms  and  clothing  left  at  her  disposal  for  the  poor.  The  last  sacra- 
ments were  administered  by  the  then  chaplain  of  the  asylum,  the  late 
Rev.  Walter  S.  Coomes,  and  the  last  benediction  and  plenary  indulg- 
ence, by  her  friend  and  distant  relative,  Rt.  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding. 
Her  agony  was  painful  beyond  expression;  but  when  she  felt  that 
death  was  even  at  the  door,  she  signed  to  her  attendants  to  lay  her 
on  the  floor.  Heaven's  pity  found  her  there,  and  from  that  level,  her 
soul  mounted  to  companionship  with  the  angels.* 

♦Among  the  female  religious  of  the  West,  the  name  of  Mother  Catharine 
Spalding  must  long  stand  pre-eminent.  In  native  goodness,  in  practical  piety, 
and  in  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  society  she  did  so  much  to  establish  and 
perpetuate,  her  rivals  were  many.  But  she  was  endowed  with  attributes  of 
mind  that  fitted  her,  beyond  others,  for  leadership.  In  purpose,  she  was 
straightforward,  never  vacillating  ;  she  had  a  clear  understanding  of  duty, 
and  her  will  power  was  always  equal  to  the  occasion,  whatever  that  might  be. 


254  THE   SISTERS   OF   CHARITY   OF   NAZARETH. 

On  the  23d  day  of  April,  1858,  Sister  Teresa  Carico,  the  oldest 
sister  of  the  community,  the  foundation-stone,  as  her  associates  often 
called  her,  laid  down  the  burden  she  had  joyfully  carried  for  the  sake 
of  Christ  for  forty-six  years,  and  was  given  rest  from  her  labors.  Her 
place  in  the  society  had  been  a  lowly  one  from  the  first.  Her  depart- 
ment had  been  the  kitchen,  and  here  she  had  wrought  and  prayed, 
and  found  sanctification.  Her  cheerful  disposition,  her  piety,  her 
simplicity,  her  disregard  of  toil;  the  earnestness  with  which  she 
sought  at  all  times  to  conserve  the  interests  of  the  society ;  her  clear, 
practical  mind  and  exact  observance  of  every  rule — these  were  the  vir- 
tues in  which  she  excelled;  and  because  of  these,  there  was  manifested 
toward  her  by  the  members  of  the  community,  especially  during  the 
declining  years  of  her  life,  an  affection  that  was  at  once  tender  and 
filial.  She  looked  upon  the  death  of  Mother  Catharine  as  a  warning 
of  her  own  approaching  end,  and  only  a  month  later  they  were  reuni- 
ted in  eternity. 

During  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  so  called,  an  avenue  was  opened 
to  the  sisters  in  direct  harmony  with  the  object  of  their  vocation. 
Wherever  they  happened  to  be,  they  proffered  their  services  as  nurses 
in  the  hospitals.  They  took  charge  of  those  in  Louisville,  in  Lexing- 
ton, in  Paducah  and  in  Bardstown,  and  a  number  of  them  laid  down 

She  was  just  and  reasonable,  and  true  to  principle.  She  was  conciliatory  in 
manner  and  speech.  She  discovered  quickly  and  a(5ted  promptly.  She  sym- 
pathized deeply  with  poverty  and  suffering,  and  it  was  the  comfort  of  her  life 
to  be  able  to  relieve  the  one  and  assuage  the  other.  It  is  impossible  that  one 
in  her  position,  so  qualified,  should  not  be  able  to  command  willing  support. 
This  she  did,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  her  career.  She  lived  to  see 
the  unpromising  seedling  she  had  helped  to  plant,  and  to  which  her  tender 
care  was  given  at  every  stage  of  its  growth,  lifting  its  branches  in  the  free  air  of 
heaven,  and  scattering  its  fruits  broadcast  for  the  refreshment  of  multitudes. 
This  was  enough  for  her,  and  it  was  enough  for  Him  who  had  been  her  inspir- 
ation, and  was  Himself  to  become  her  exceeding  great  reward. 

Catharine  Spalding  was  born  in  Charles  county,  Maryland,  December  23, 
1793.  Her  father,  Ralf  Spalding,  was  a  second  cousin  of  Richard,  father  of 
the  late  Most  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding,  archbishop  of  Baltimore.  She  and  a 
younger  sister,  Ann  Spalding,  who  was  her  after  associate  in  the  Nazareth  com- 
munity, having  early  lost  their  parents,  were  cared  for  by  their  aunt,  Mrs. 
Thomas  Elder  of  the  Cox's  Creek  settlement.  Upon  the  marriage  of  Clementina 
Elder,  daughter  of  Thomas  Elder,  with  Richard  Clark,  about  the  year  1809, 
the  orphaned  children  were  transferred  to  the  newly  married  pair.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  years,  she  left  her  comfortable  home  to  become  the  companion 
of  the  two  young  women  who  had  preceded  her  to  St.  Thomas',  with  the 
avowed  purpose  of  devoting  themselves  to  the  religious  life  and  its  unselfish 
pursuits.  By  the  suffrages  of  her  associates,  she  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
community  for  eight  terms  of  three  years  each.  Indeed,  Bishop  Flaget,  Father 
David  and  the  sisters  wished  that  she  should  retain  the  office  all  the  days  of 
her  life,  and  they  had  decided  in  her  case,  to  overlook  the  rule,  which  limits  to 
two  successive  terms  of  three  years  the  eligibility  of  the  mother  superior.  She, 
however,  pleaded  so  eloquently  the  importance  of  strictly  adhering  to  the  rule 
from  the  beginning,  that  the  matter  was  dropped.  But  whether  in  authority  or 
not,  there  was  nothing  important  undertaken  by  the  society  about  which  she 
was  not  consulted. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  255 

their  lives,  while  striving  to  save  the  sick  and  wounded  sent  to  them 
from  the  camps  and  battle-fields  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

In  1865,  the  Nazareth  school  recovered  its  prosperity,  which  was 
necessarily  lessened  during  the  war :  more  than  three  hundred  board- 
ing pupils  were  now  enrolled  in  the  ranks  of  its  scholarship;  since 
that  year  the  patronage  has  been  satisfactory. 

The  sisters  have  since  opened  many  houses,  notably,  in  1873  the 
Hospital  of  Sts.  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  the  munificent  gift  of  the  late 
Wm.  Shakspeare  Caldwell,  as  seen  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

The  year  1878  was  a  trying  one  for  Nazareth.  It  opened  with  the 
obsequies  of  Rev.  F.  Chambige,  and  ere  it  closed,  twenty  of  the  best 
members  of  the  sisterhood  had  been  laid  in  the  grave.  Nineteen  con- 
tracted the  yellow  fever  while  caring  for  the  victims  of  that  scourge 
in  Holly  Springs  and  Yazoo  City,  Mississippi ;  nine  of  them  succumbed 
then,  two  some  time  after,  and  the  remaining  eight  survived  with  health 
impaired  for  life.  Eleven  more  were  laid  in  the  Uttle  grave-yard  at  the 
mother-house,  and  death  garnered  for  heaven  among  these  virginal 
souls  the  ripest  and  choicest  fruit  of  this  vine  planted  by  the  Lord — 
Mother  Frances  and  Mother  Columba. 

MOTHER  FRANCES  GARDINER. 

Out  of  a  family  of  four  children,  all  daughters,  born  to  Joseph 
Gardiner  and  his  wife,  Winifred  Hamilton,  who  came  to  Kentucky  and 
settled  near  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Fairfield  in  1795,  three 
became  members  of  the  community  of  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth. 
The  baptismal  names  of  these,  in  the  order  of  their  birth,  as  well  as 
those  borne  by  them  in  religion,  were :  Harriet,  so  called  also  in  com- 
munity Ufe;  Charlotte,  Sister  Clare;  and  Elizabeth,  Sister  Frances. 
Never  was  the  religious  life  adopted,  and  the  world  and  its  allurements 
abandoned  with  a  fuller  understanding  of  what  was  to  be  gained  and 
relinquished  by  the  step  taken,  than  in  the  case  of  these  three  aspirers 
after  places  in  His  retinue  whose  resurrection  to  glory  was  preceded 
by  a  life  on  earth  of  toil  and  suffering  endured  for  the  creatures  His 
hands  had  made.  They  were  all  women  of  more  than  ordinary  natural 
intelligence,  and  each  of  them  sought,  in  an  humble  spirit,  to  put  to 
profit  the  talents  with  which  she  had  been  endowed.  Sister  Harriet, 
waited  on  by  the  virtues  she  had  cherished  and  taught  others  to  cher- 
ish, sank  peacefully  to  rest  more  than  half  a  century  ago ;  Sister  Clare, 
noted  for  the  religious  spirit  with  which  her  whole  life  appeared  to  be 
regulated,  passed  to  her  reward  on  the  30th  day  of  July,  1878;  and 
four  months  later,  the  remaining  sister,  the  venerable  Mother  Frances, 
bade  her  weeping  daughters  farewell,  and  fell  asleep  in  Christ. 

This  good  mother  had  a  talent  for  administration ;  but  it  was  not 
on  that  account  that  the  hearts  of  her  associates  of  the  society  went 
out  to  her,  laden  down  with  affection  and  reverence.  It  was  rather 
because  there  was  to  be  observed  in  her  every  word  and  act,  the  habit- 
ual rest  of  her  mind  in  God  and  duty.     When  engaged  in  prayer, 


256  THE   SISTERS  OF   CHARITY   OF   NAZARETH. 

especially  in  the  presence  of  the  Most  Holy  Sacrament,  a  glance  caught 
of  her  face,  often  streaming  with  tears,  was  a  poem  of  edification 
ever  afterwards  to  be  remembered  and  treasured  by  the  beholder. 
The  holy  rule  she  had  embraced  when  a  girl  appeared  to  grow  more 
and  more  dear  to  her  with  each  recurring  day  of  her  conventual  life; 
and  a  model  of  punctuality  from  the  beginning,  at  no  previous  tinie 
had  she  been  more  regular  in  her  attendance  at  the  exercises  therein 
prescribed  than  when,  a  few  days  before  her  death,  she  was  to  be 
seen,  always  among  the  first,  taking  her  appointed  place  in  the  con- 
vent chapel  or  community  room.  The  firmness  of  her  faith  was 
evidenced  by  a  recollection  that  appeared  almost  seraphic ;  by  acts  of 
piety,  of  divine  compassion  and  of  entire  submission  to  the  will  of  God, 
that  could  have  had  no  other  source  than  her  consciousness  of  His 
ever  abiding  presence,  of  her  own  needs,  and  of  His  infinite  mercy. 
Naturally  timid  and  shrinking,  Mother  Frances  may  be  said  to  have 
cultivated  in  her  soul  the  virtue  of  humility.  The  terms  preeminence 
and  precedence  were,  for  her,  words  of  frightful  import.  These,  in 
their  turn  actually  came  to  her,  not  only  unsought,  but  as  the  severest 
of  trials,  accepted  and  borne  only  as  crosses,  and  because  such  was  the 
will  of  God.  After  nearly  sixty  years  passed  in  the  community, 
during  twenty-five  of  which  she  filled  the  office  of  superior.  Mother 
Frances  found  rest  in  God  on  the  7th  day  of  November,  1878. 

MOTHER   COLUMBA   CARROLL. 

After  Mother  Catharine  Spalding,  there  has  certainly  been  no 
superior  of  the  Nazareth  community,  whose  name  is  so  familiar  to 
Catholics  all  over  the  country  as  that  of  Mother  Columba  Carroll. 
There  are  reasons  for  this  that  the  story  of  her  hfe  will  explain. 
With  worldlings,  the  wonder  will  always  be,  as  it  it  has  always  been, 
that  they  who  are  esteemed  humanly  perfect,  should  ever  subject 
themselves  to  ways  of  living  from  which  are  eliminated  all  display, 
all  self-seeking,  and  all  worldly  emulation ;  that  they  should 
elect  to  live  for  God  and  God  only,  who  are  most  fitted  in  mind  and 
manners  to  adorn  society.  No  Catholic  christian  can  thus  reason. 
He  knows  that  the  world  was  made  for  man,  and  he  for  God ;  and  he 
neither  feels  nor  exhibits  jealousy  toward  the  Great  Master  when  He 
calls  to  His  service  that  which  is  esteemed  by  mortals  the  most  perfect 
of  His  creation. 

Margaret  Carroll,  known  in  religion  as  Sister,  afterwards,  Mother, 
Columba,  was  born  in  Dubhn,  Ireland,  on  the  5th  day  of  June,  1810. 
Her  parents,  James  Carroll  and  Eliza  Cooney,  were  natives  of  Wicklow 
county ;  they  had  removed  to  DubUn  soon  after  their  marriage.  The 
father,  a  relative  of  Dr.  Murray,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  was  a  mer- 
chant of  known  integrity,  and  a  Catholic  in  practice  as  well  as  profes- 
sion. The  mother,  who  was  of  remote  Spanish  ancestry,  was  a 
woman  of  more  than  ordinary  personal  beauty,  highly  accornplished 
and  exceedingly  pious.     When  Margaret  was  yet  a  child,  an  incident 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  257 

took  place  which  is  thus  related  :  Her  mother  had  given  to  her  a  new 
cloak,  and  her  first  wearing  of  the  garment  was  on  an  occasion  when 
she  had  accompanied  her  to  church.  Leaving  the  edifice  together 
after  mass,  the  child  was  struck  by  the  appearance  of  a  little  beggar 
girl  about  her  own  age,  who  was  standing  near  the  door,  clad  in  rags 
and  shivering  with  cold.  Turning  to  her  mother,  she  begged  to  be 
allowed  to  transfer  to  the  shoulders  of  the  hapless  child  of  misfortune 
the  cloak  she  prized  so  much.  The  good  mother  hesitated  for  a 
moment  before  answering,  and  then  there  seemed  to  flash  upon  her 
mind  a  revelation,  as  it  were,  of  tne  immense  value  to  her  little  one 
of  the  lesson  she  was  conning,  and  she  was  too  wise  not  to  permit  her 
to  pursue  it  to  the  end. 

Mr.  Carroll  removed  with  his  family  to  New  York  iri  1815,  and 
after  residing  in  Albany  for  a  single  year,  he  came  to  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, and  established  himself  in  business.  This  did  not  prove  remun- 
erative, but  he  was  still  able  to  live  in  comfort,  and  to  extend  generous 
hospitality  to  the  clergy,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  town  at 
irregular  intervals,  and  giving  opportunity  to  its  few  Catholic  inhabi- 
tants of  fulfilling  their  religious  obligations.  The  entire  family,  com- 
prising four  persons,  the  parents  and  two  girl  children,  was  held  in 
high  esteem  by  all  who  were  happy  enough  to  come  within  the  range 
of  its  influence.  Margaret  and  Esther  were  doubtless  taught  to  read 
and  write  by  their  parents.  Afterwards,  most  likely  in  the  year  182 1, 
and  thereafter,  they  attended  the  school  of  a  Mrs.  O' Kelly,  a  compe- 
tent instructress  of  the  day. 

In  1822,  as  related  elsewhere,  Father  Philip  Hortsman,  while 
attending  the  sick  of  the  epidemic  fever  of  that  year  in  Louisville,  was 
himself  prostrated  by  the  malady.  He  was  immediately  brought  by 
Mr.  Carroll  to  his  own  house  and  attended  by  himself  and  wife  with 
filial  care ;  but  in  despite  of  their  efforts  for  his  relief,  he  succumbed 
to  the  disease  after  a  few  days  of  suff"ering.  Mr.  Carroll  himself  was 
soon  seized  with  the  fever,  and  also  Mrs.  Carroll.  The  husband  died, 
and  the  wife  rallied,  and  was  spared  to  her  children  for  two  years 
longer.  When  she,  too,  was  carried  out  of  life,  letters  of  administra- 
tion over  Mr.  Carroll's  estate  were  granted  to  a  friend  of  the  family, 
Mr.  J.  McGilly  Cuddy,  an  Irish-American  citizen  of  high  stand- 
ing then  engaged  in  business  in  Louisville.  This  gentleman,  who 
assumed  legal  guardianship  over  the  orphaned  children,  knowing 
what  had  been  the  mother's  views  in  regard  to  the  education  of  her 
daughters,  sent  Margaret  to  Nazareth,  and  Esther  to  Loretto,  for  the 
completion  of  their  education.* 


*  Sometime  after  her  graduation  at  Loretto,  Esther  came  to  pay  a  visit  to 
her  sister  at  Nazareth,  where  she  was  seized  with  a  serious  illness.  Upon  her 
recovery,  she  sought  the  privilege  of  joining  the  Nazareth  community,  in  which 
she  bore  the  name  of  Sister  Sophia.  She  is  still  referred  to  by  her  associates  of 
the  time,  as  an  admirable  religious,  and  a  most  capable  teacher.  Sometime 
before  her  death,  which  took  place  on  the  28th  of  November,  1841,  there  hap- 
pened to  be  in  the  school  a  young  niece  of  her  former  guardian,  Mr.  Cuddy, 

17 


258  THE    SISTERS    OF    CHARITY    OF    NAZARETH. 

From  her  entrance  into  the  school  of  Nazareth,  the  sensitive  nature 
of  Margaret  Carroll  found  that  which  she  most  needed — sympathy 
and  affection.  These  came  to  her,  not  dribblingly  and  at  intervals, 
but  plenteously  and  continuously.  She  attributed  all  this,  not  to  any- 
thing that  was  lovable  in  herself,  but  to  the  innate  goodness  of  those 
by  whom  she  was  surrounded.  The  modesty  with  which  she  accepted 
kindness  increased  the  more  her  attractiveness,  and  soon,  herself 
supremely  unconscious  of  the  cause  of  the  phenomenon  she  esteemed  so 
extraordinar}-,  she  became  an  object  of  interest,  as  well  to  her  teach- 
ers as  to  her  classmates. 

Under  the  circumstances  related,  it  will  cause  no  one  to  wonder 
that  such  admirable  teachers  and  religious  as  Sisters  Ellen  O'Connell 
and  Columba  Tarleton,  should  have  taken  exceeding  pains  to  lead 
aright  the  mind  and  heart  of  one  who  appeared  to  them  so  full  of 
promise  of  future  usefulness.  They  took  to  their  hearts  the  fruitful 
bud  that  had  fallen  at  their  feet,  and  they  watered  it  with  the  tenderest 
care.  They  sought  to  satisfy  her  cravings  after  knowledge,  and  also 
her  yearnings  after  that  perfection  which  has  its  approaches  from  the 
foot  of  the  hill  of  Calvary.  To  Sister  Columba  Tarleton,  most  likely, 
is  to  be  ascribed  the  greater  part  of  the  direction  by  which  Margaret 
Carroll  was  influenced  in  embracing  the  life  of  a  religious.  Not  by 
words  was  this  impulse  awakened,  but  by  the  silent  force  of  example. 
It  is  related  in  the  annals  of  the  community  that  when  this  long-suffer- 
ing religious  lay  on  her  bed  of  death,  Margaret  Carroll  was  permitted 
at  times  to  watch  beside  her.  Lying  there,  sweetly  patient,  wait- 
ing for  her  release,  and  happy  in  the  thought  that  she  was  being  led 
by  the  Master's  hand,  through  suffering  to  rest,  her  pupil's  mind  is 
believed  to  have  been  opened  by  the  sight,  not  only  to  the  futility 
of  earthly  strivings,  but  to  the  contemplation  of  His  boundless  per- 
fections who  is  able  to  fill  the  hearts  of  His  rational  creatures  with 
peace  and  joy  under  every  condition  of  their  being.  Sister  Columba 
Tarleton  died;  and  a  year  later,  immediately  after  her  graduation, 
Margaret  Carroll  assumed  the  name  by  which  she  had  been  known  in 
the  community  ;  and  m  time,  too,  the  tasks  she  had  laid  down  in  the 
labors  of  the  school.* 

whose  name  was  the  same  as  had  been  given  to  herself  in  baptism.  She  held 
this  little  girl  in  great  affection,  and  said  to  her  one  day,  "  Esther,  my  child, 
after  awhile  you  will  come  to  Nazareth  and  be  a  sister,  and  then  you  will  be 
called  by  my  own  name."  And  so,  after  fifteen  years,  it  came  about.  Esther 
Carton,  as  known  in  society,  became  Sister  Sophia,  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity 
of  Nazareth.  No  introduction  to  Sister  Sophia  of  the  Presentation  academy 
will  be  needed  by  my  readers  of  Louisville. 

*  From  all  that  afterwards  came  to  my  knowledge  of  Margaret  Carroll,  and 
from  all  that  I  subsequently  saw  of  her,  under  an  aspect  far  different,  she  must 
have  presented  a  queenly  appearance  on  the  day  of  her  graduation.  Among 
those  who  were  the  witnesses  of  what  was  regarded  as  a  triumph,  there  was  one 
whose  admiration  was  characterized  by  a  still  warmer  feeling.  Unwittingly  she 
had  planted  in  her  guardian's  heart  a  sentiment  which  she  was  powerless  to 
reciprocate.  To  his  proposals  of  marriage,  in  no  wise  objectionable  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  she  told  him  that  she  had  other   views  and   higher 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  259 

For  very  many  years,  Sister  Columba  was  engaged  in  teaching  the 
more  advanced  classes  of  learners  in  the  institution.  She  filled  the 
office  of  directress  of  studies,  was  elected  mother's  assistant  five  times, 
and,  in  1862,  she  succeeded  Mother  Frances  Gardiner  in  the  office  of 
mother  superior.  The  terms  during  which  she  governed  the  commu- 
nity aggregated  ten  years  and  five  months.  She  was  at  the  head  of 
the  sisterhood  in  the  disastrous  days  of  the  war,  and  it  is  generally 
conceded  that  her  admirable  conduct  of  affairs  at  that  time  prevented 
much  of  apprehended  trouble  to  the  institution. 

With  a  single  allusion  to  a  trait  in  the  character  of  Mother  Columba 
that  is  simply  admirable  wherever  found,  we  will  close  this  sketch  of 
her  life.  There  was  in  her  no  more  evidence  of  exaltation  over  any- 
thing she  ever  did  that  subjected  her  to  praise,  than  if  the  merit  of  the 
act  performed  belonged  to  another  and  not  to  herself  One  who  had 
known  and  observed  her  for  years  gives  this  evidence  to  her  superhu- 
man abnegation  of  a  principle  in  man's  nature  that  is  almost  ineradi- 
cable. Mother  Columba  was  seized  with  the  illness  of  which  she 
died  in  the  fall  of  1878,  and,  on  the  18th  of  December  of  that  year, 
was  extinguished  the  light  of  her  beautiful  life. 

THE  NAZARETH  CEMETERY. 

The  little  plot  of  ground  in  which  lie  buried  the  dead  of  the  com- 
munity of  Nazareth  is  situated  to  the  right  as  one  approaches  the 
entrance  gate  of  the  establishment,  and  is  but  a  few  hundred  yards 
from  the  convent  chapel.  Within  the  enclosure  has  been  built  an  ora- 
tory, to  which  the  sisters  are  in  the  habit  of  repairing  in  their  leisure 

aspirations.  Though  I  have  no  words  by  which  to  picture,  as  she  really 
appeared  to  me  throughout  a  personal  acquaintance  of  nearly  fifty  years,  this 
latest  of  the  deceased  mothers  superior  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth, 
a  word  or  two  of  personal  description,  however  the  attempted  delineation 
may  be  unworthy  of  its  subject,  will  not  be  considered  by  my  readers  wholly 
out  of  place:  Mother  Columba  was  of  the  middle  stature,  perhaps  a  little 
above  it.  She  was  very  fair,  and  her  features  were  of  that  Regular  order  that 
is  adjudged  by  artists  as  comprehensive  of  all  needed  requisites  to  facial 
beauty.  Her  eyes  were  of  a  light  blue,  mild  and  encouraging  where  her  con- 
fidence was  either  given  or  sought,  and  piercing,  with  modifications  of  aspect 
that  spoke  of  sorrow  as  well  as  grievance,  when  she  felt  called  upon  to  repress 
among  her  pupils  either  levity  in  speech  or  breaches  of  decorum.  No  one 
could  look  into  her  face,  and  not  discern  therein  intellectuality  of  a  high 
order  and  neither  could  any  one  hold  intercourse  with  her  and  not  discover 
that  her  nature  was  all  noble.  In  manner,  she  was  dignified  beyond  any 
woman  I  have  ever  known,  but  her  dignity  left  no  impression  of  either  pride 
or  hauteur.  Her  voice  was  as  pleasant  as  anything  in  nature  that  is  most 
grateful  to  the  ear,  and  her  conversation  was  of  the  precise  character  that  one 
would  expect  out  of  the  mouth  of  an  intelligent  christian  woman.  Looking 
at  her  and  listening  to  her,  as  I  have  often  done,  i  have  felt  that  there  was  no 
earthly  dignity  to  which  she  might  not  have  aspired  and  of  which  she  was  not 
worthy  ;  and  I  have  felt,  too,  that  it  was  meet  that  such  excellence,  with  its 
wealth  of  capacities  and  capabilities,  should  have  been  reserved  for  heaven  and 
its  King. 


2  6o  THE    SISTERS   OF    CHARITY    OF    NAZARETH.  \ 

hours  to  pray  God's  mercy  upon  themselves  and  the  souls  of  the 
departed  whose  mouldering  clay  surrounds  them.  Not  here  are  their 
orisons  ended;  for  well  they  know  that  to  many  a  one  of  the  sleepers 
below  has  been  opened  a  pathway  to  heavenly  beatitudes,  and  that 
power  has  been  given  them,  unknown  and  insignificant  as  they  were 
living  and  in  the  sight  of  men,  to  help  by  their  prayers  their  struggling 
sisters  of  earth.  There  rests  for  its  resurrection  the  mortal  vesture  in 
which  was  clothed  the  saindy  Bishop  David,  the  founder  of  the  society; 
and  prone  at  his  feet,  as  was  her  habit  in  life,  has  been  laid  away  the 
body  of  the  good  Mother  Catharine  Spalding,  whose  steady  hand  and 
loving  heart  had  led  and  inspired  with  something  of  her  own  courage 
her  associate  daughters  of  St.  Vincent  from  the  infancy  of  the  com- 
munity to  its  adolescence.  There  sleep  the  Sisters  Gardiner  and 
O'Connell  and  Tarleton  and  Carroll  and  Sutton,  and  many  more,  still 
so  lovingly  referred  to  in  the  traditions  of  the  Nazareth  society. 

Of  the  clergy  of  Kentucky,  the  cemetery  at  Nazareth  encloses  the 
remains  of  quite  a  number.  The  names  and  dates  of  death  of  these 
are  here  appended: 

Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  David,  coadjutor  bishop  of  Bardstown — died 
July  12,  1 84 1. 

Rev.  George  A.  M.  Elder,  first  president  of  St.  Joseph's  college — 
died  September  28,  1838. 

Rev.  William  E.  Clark — died  at  St.  Mary's  college,  March  5,  1850. 

Rev.  Joseph  Haseltine,  ecclesiastical  superior  of  the  institution — 
died  February  13,  1862. 

Rev.  Joseph  H.  Elder — died  at  Raywick,  Kentucky,  January  29, 
1868. 

Rev.  F.  H.  D'Hoop,  S.  J. — died  at  St.  Joseph's  infirmary,  Louis- 
ville, March  23,  1853. 

Rev.  F.  O'Loghlin,  S.  J. — died  at  Bardstown,  July  20,  1862. 

Rev.  J.  Graves,  S.  J. — died  at  St.  Joseph's  infirmary,  Louisville, 
August  21,  1869. 

Rev.  M.  M.  Coghlan,  president  of  St.  Joseph's  college — died  at 
Bardstown,  March  11,  1877. 

Very  Rev.  Francis  Chambige,  ecclesiastical  superior  of  the  institu- 
tion— died  at  Nazareth,  December  30,  1877. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  26 1 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   DOMINICAN    CONVENT    OF    ST.  CATHARINE   OF   SIENNA.* 

This  noted  convent  and  school,  up  to  the  year  1852,  bore  the  title 
of  Sf.  Mary  Magdalene's.  Its  location  is  near  Springfield,  in  the  county 
of  Washington,  and  it  is  distant  from  Lebanon,  on  the  Knoxville 
branch  of  the  Louisville  and  Great  Southern  railroad,  about  eleven 
miles.  It  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  large  and  well  cultivated  farm, 
and  its  buildings  are  at  once  stately  and  imposing.  For  the  founda- 
tion of  a  house  of  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Dominic  in  America,  and  in 
Kentucky,  credit  must  be  given  to  the  late  Rev.  Thomas  Wilson,  O. 
S.  D. ,  who  had  previously  established  in  the  State,  not  only  its  first 
Catholic  school  for  boys,  but  also  its  first  seminary  for  the  education 
of  clerics,  t 

In  1822,  just  seventeen  years  after  the  estabHshment  of  the  con- 
vent of  St.  Rose,  Father  Wilson's  mind  was  turned  to  the  pressing 
necessity  then  existing  in  his  large  congregation  for  adequate  educa- 
tional facilities  for  female  children.  It  was  just  as  perceptible  to  him 
as  it  had  been  to  Fathers  Nerinckx  and  David  under  circumstances 
precisely  similar,  that  the  full  complement  of  good  to  be  hoped  for  as 
a  result  of  his  labors  was  beyond  his  reach  so  long  as  he  was  unable 
to  secure  to  the  young  of  his  congregation  proper  culture  for  both  mind 
and  heart.  With  this  idea  uppermost  in  his  mind,  he  consulted  with 
Bishop  Flaget,  who  gladly  authorized  him,  if  that  might  be,  to 
establish  in  his  diocese  a  community  of  nuns  of  the  Third  Order  of  St. 
Dominic,  He  next  applied  to  the  master-general  of  the  order  of  St. 
Dominic,  residing  in  Rome,  who  not  only  granted  his  request,  but 
was  pleased  to  accord  to  the  members  of  the  proposed  organization 

*  In  its  proper  chronological  order,  this  chapter  should  be  preceded  by  the 
two  immediately  following  ;  but  it  has  appeared  appropriate  to  the  author  that 
the  more  ancient  of  the  orders  of  female  religious  established  in  Kentucky 
should  be  grouped  together. 

tAdmiration  for  Father  Wilson  is  a  sentiment  I  contracted  early  in  life. 
By  all  the  earlier  of  the  native  priests  of  the  State  he  was  regarded  with  pecu- 
liar veneration.  Rev.  Robert  A,  Abell  had  been  a  pupil  in  his  school  of  St. 
Rose,  and  it  was  his  pleasure  to  speak  of  him  on  all  proper  occasions,  not  only 
with  profound  respect,  but  with  admiration  of  his  abilities  and  learning,  and 
especially  of  his  eloquence.  He  was  certainly  the  leading  spirit  among  those 
who  introduced  to  the  country  the  great  Order  of  Preachers,  now  become  so 
efficient  as  earnest  workers  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Divine  Master,  and  so  form- 
idable as  earnest  defenders  of  the  faith. 


262       THE    DOMINICAN    CONVENT    OF   ST.   CATHARINE   OF   SIENNA. 

all  the  privileges  ordinarily  conceded  to  those  of  the  Second  Order.* 
Armed  with  all  the  requisite  powers,  Father  Wilson  proceeded  to 
lay  the  foundation  of  the  institute  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene,  having 
for  its  object  the  sanctification  of  such  christian  women  as  might  elect 
to  associate  themselves  together  in  religious  community-life  and  spend 
their  days  in  forming  the  hearts  of  youth  to  virtue,  and  storing  their 
minds  with  useful  knowledge.  In  his  large  congregation  of  St.  Rose  he 
had  little  difficulty  in  selecting  the  proper  material  out  of  which  to 
form  the  initiatory  links  of  the  chain  with  which  he  hoped  to  bind  heaven 
to  earth  for  innumerable  souls.  The  names  borne  by  his  postulants 
were  :  Maria  Sansbury,  in  religion.  Sister  Angela ;  Mary  Carico,  Sister 
Margaret;  Teresa  Edelin,  Sister  Magdalen;  Elizabeth  Sansbury, 
Sister  Benvenuta;  Ann  Hill,  Sister  Ann;  Rose  Tenley,  Sister  Frances.! 
The  first  year  of  their  community-life  was  passed  by  the  sisters  in 
an  old  log  cabin  that  had  been  prepared  for  their  use  on  the  farm 
attached  to  the  convent  of  St.  Rose.  At  the  expiration  of  this  term, 
they  removed  into  a  house  of  their  own,  built  upon  lands  secured  to 
the  association  by  one  of  their  own  number.  Sister  Angela  Sans- 
bury. J  This  second  house  was  more  desirable  than  their  first  for 
the  reason  that  it  was  divided  into  three  rooms.  One  of  these 
served  them  for  a  chapel ;  the  second  for  kitchen  and  refectory 
combined,  and  the  third  for  work,  for  sleeping,  and  for  recreation. 
When  not  engaged  in  out-of-doors  work,  it  was  here  their  busy  hands 
found  employment  in  the  varied  processes  by  which  the  staples  of 
wool,  cotton  and  flax  are  transformed  into  wearing  apparel.  Their 
first  out-of-doors  employment  was  the  tansportation  of  drift-wood  from 
the  creek  to  serve  for  winter  firing.  The  process  was  the  primitive 
one  of  "sticks  to  shoulders  and  an  up-hill  tramp  to  the  wood-pile." 
There  had  been  left  standing  on  the  place  an  old  still-house,  and  this 
was  transformed  by  them  into  a  school  house.  Here  it  was  that  on  the 
memorable  day  of  the  opening  of  their  school,  they  found  assembled 
fifteen  pupils.  The  year's  provisions,  required  to  be  deposited  in 
advance  by  the  parents  of  the  pupils,  unaccountably  gave  out  before 
the  end  of  the  year  was  reached;  and  now  began  a  season  of  suf- 
fering for  the  poor  sisters.  It  was  only  by  God's  grace  that  they 
were  enabled  to  beat  back  the  intruding  thought  that  they  had  mis- 
calculated their  powers  of  endurance.  Confiding  in  His  help,  who  had 
made  perennial  the  widow's  cruse,  they  labored  on.  They  tilled  the 
soil,  gathered  in  their  scanty  crops,  pulled  and  housed  fodder  for  the 
cattle,  and  did  man's  work  for  less  than  child's  recompense 

■■'The  ancient  order  of  St.  Dominic  is  composed  of  three  distinct  sections, 
or  branches.  First,  the  ministry  and  those  preparing  for  its  exercise  ;  second, 
the  enclosed  nuns;  third,  and  the  more  numerous,  such  as  devote  themselves 
to  the  instruction  of  youth.  Both  St.  Catharine  of  Sienna  and  St.  Rose  of 
Lima  were  members  of  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Dominic. 

t  According  to  another  account  furnished  me,  to  the  above  names  should  be 
added  that  of  Ellen  Whalen. 

J  The  father  and  an  uncle  of  Maria  and  Elizabeth  Sansbury  were  among  the 
earlier  emigrants  to  Cartwright's  creek. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    RENTUCtCYi  i6^ 

It  was  not  its  semblance,  but  true  heroism  that  these  weak  women 
were  exhibiting.  Having  given  themselves  to  God,  they  regarded 
neither  discomfort  nor  privation  so  long  as  by  these  they  were  brought 
nearer  to  Him,  nearer  to  the  bleeding  feet  of  His  Son,  their  thorn- 
crowned  Lord  and  Master.  They  multiplied  their  prayers  and  they 
besought  more  urgently  the  aid  of  Heaven's  Queen  to  enable  them  to 
walk  firmly  on  in  the  rough  ways  that  God's  providence  had  opened 
for  their  feet;  but  they  neglected  not  the  ordinary  means  of  rescue 
from  peril  which  this  same  providence  had  placed  within  their  reach 
and  that  of  all  His  rational  creation.  Such  courage  and  perseverance 
was  worthy  of  blessing,  and  this  came  to  them  in  the  measure  of  their 
absolute  needs. 

For  six  or  eight  years  after  its  establishment,  the  office  of  chap- 
lin  of  the  convent  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene  was  filled  by  Rev. 
Richard  P.  Miles,  afterwards  first  bishop  of  the  See  of  Nashville. 
During  these  years,  and  to  the  end  of  his  life.  Bishop  Miles  interested 
himself  greatly  in  everything  that  concerned  the  community  and  its 
interests. 

Six  years  passed  away,  and  though  the  sisters  had  accumulated 
nothing  by  their  labors,  they  were  not  now  subjected  to  so  great  trials 
nor  to  such  incessant  toil  as  had  hitherto  marked  the  course  of  their 
young  organization.  Their  school  was  becoming  better  known  and 
more  highly  appreciated,  and  now  there  was  no  longer  room  in  their 
improvised  school  building  to  accommodate  their  pupils,  and  the  chil- 
dren whom  parents  had  signified  their  intention  of  sending  for  the 
coming  session.  Without  a  dollar  in  hand,  but  filled  with  confidence 
in  God,  they  began  the  erection  of  a  more  commodious  building. 
The  details  of  the  labors  undertaken  and  successfully  prosecuted  by 
these  unskilled  women  would  scarcely  be  credited  by  any  of  their  sex 
of  the  present  day.  They  bent  to  their  work,  arduous  as  it  was,  not 
only  uncomplainingly,  but  with  spirits  surcharged  vvith  joy.  They 
thought  not  of  themselves,  but  of  Him  who  was  their  strength,  and 
of  the  "  little  ones"  of  His  blessed  humanity  whom  it  was  their  privi- 
lege to  bring  to  His  feet  that  He  might  bless  and  save  them.  To  raise 
the  walls  of  the  new  building  was  beyond  their  strength,  but  this 
they  did  in  effect  through  their  personal  solicitation  of  alms.  Two 
and  two  they  tramped  the  country  round  for  miles  on  their  pitiful 
errand,  and  though  they  were  often  rebuffed,  and  sometimes  harshly, 
they  secured  in  this  way  what  was  needed  to  finish  the  building. 

An  occurrence  took  place  about  that  time — in  1829,  most  likely — 
that  is  thus  related  by  one  of  the  sisterhood : 

"The  sisters  were  in  much  need  of  a  teacher  of  drawing  and 
painting,  one  who  would  be  capable  of  instructing  in  the  art  a  class  of 
two  or  three  of  their  own  number.  One  day  a  gentlemanly  young 
man  called  to  apply  for  the  position.  He  was  not  a  Catholic,  but  his 
recommendations  were  satisfactory,  and  he  was  at  once  employed. 
The  room  assigned  to  him  in  which  to  give  his  lessons  was  next  to  the 
sisters'  chapel.     Here,  day  after  day,  he  sat  in   the   hearing   of  the 


264      THE   DOMINICAN    CONVENT   OF  ST.  CATHARINE   OF   SIENNA. 

sisters  while  engaged  in  chanting  the  prescribed  offices.  They  soon 
learned  that  he  was  a  native  of  New  England,  and  that  he  had  been 
reared  to  detest  the  rehgion  of  Catholics.  He  was  a  very  capable 
young  man,  and  notwithstanding  his  prejudices,  which  he  took  no 
pains  to  conceal,  he  was  retained  in  the  institute  for  a  little  more  than 
a  year.  At  the  end  of  this  time  we  were  astonished  to  find  that  he 
was  a  changed  man.  He  had  often,  to  be  sure,  asked  the  meaning  of 
certain  observances  of  which  he  had  taken  cognizance,  and  the  proper 
answers  had  been  given  him;  but  it  turned  out  that  he  had  reflected  as 
well  as  observed,  and  that,  little  by  little,  his  prejudices  had  given  way 
and  left  him  a  Catholic  at  heart.  But  that  was  not  enough  ;  he  would 
be  one  in  the  face  of  the  world.  He  wrote  to  his  father,  stating  the 
change  that  had  taken  place  in  his  convictions  of  religious  truth  and 
his  purpose  to  unite  himself  with  the  Catholic  Church.  The  father  was 
a  bigot,  and  alienation  between  himself  and  his  family  followed  the 
consummation  of  his  high  purpose."* 

What  has  hitherto  been  said  of  the  experiences  of  the  sisterhoods 
of  Loretto  and  Nazareth  in  respect  to  personal  hardships,  coarse  and 
scanty  food,  and  all  manner  of  inconveniences,  will  equally  apply  to 
that  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene;  at  least  up  to  the  year  1834.  Then, 
indeed,  the  sisters  began  to  feel  that  the  roughest  of  their  trials  were 
of  the  past.  They  were  now  less  often  called  upon  to  labor  in 
the  fields ;  their  table  was  beginning  to  present  a  more  generous  apear- 
ance,  and  now  and  then  they  were  able  to  treat  themselves  to  wheaten 
bread  and  real  coffee.  Thus  passed  for  them  a  decade  and  a  half  of 
years,  each  one  of  which  was  an  improvement  on  its  predecessor, 
bringing  with  it  realities  for  which  they  had  long  hoped  and  patiently 
waited.  In  1848,  they  felt  themselves  able  to  begin  the  construction 
of  a  church ;  and,  a  year  later,  they  had  the  happiness  of  contemplat- 
ing the  finished  edifice — beautiful  it  would  have  been  considered  any- 

*  The  young  man  referred  to  in  the  text  was  the  late  Rev.  H.  V.  Brown,  who 
died  pastor  of  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  in  187-.  After  his  baptism  by  one  of 
the  Dominican  fathers  of  the  convent  of  St.  Rose,  he  went  to  Rome,  where  he 
was  a  student  in  the  college  of  the  Propaganda.  From  the  fact  that  the  late 
Very  Rev.  B.  J.  Spalding  was  one  of  Father  Brown's  most  intimate  friends,  I 
have  been  led  to  the  belief  that  they  were  at  one  time  fellow-students  in  Rome. 
There  was  something  of  facetiousness  about  Dr.  Brown.  The  last  time  I  met  him 
was  on  the  occasion  of  the  consecration  of  the  then  newly  erected  church  of  the 
Trappist  fathers  at  Gethsemani,  where  we  and  others,  clerics  and  laymen, 
were  guests  of  the  establishment.  Though  born  and  reared  in  the  North, 
Father  Brown's  life  as  a  priest  had  been  altogether  spent  in  the  South  ;  and 
though  I  feel  quite  sure  he  was  cosmopolitan  in  his  love  of  country,  he  affected 
on  this  occasion,  for  jest's  sake,  to  be  extremely  southern  in  his  sentiments. 
The  rooms  of  the  guests'  house  at  Gethsemani  have  inscribed  over  them  the 
names  of  the  apostles  and  evangelists,  and  that  into  which  Father  Brown  was 
ushered  happened  to  bear  the  name  of  St.  Thaddeus.  Looking  attentively  at 
the  name  for  a  moment,  he  wanted  to  know  of  me  whether  I  thought  the  monks 
intended  to  insult  him  by  putting  him  into  old  Thad.  Stephen's  room.  Thad. 
Stephens,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  a  leading  republican  congressman  dur- 
ing the  war. 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  265 

where,  and  to  them  it  appeared  grand  and  imposing — and  of  uttering 
their  thanksgivings  before  its  altar,  in  the  very  presence  of  their 
Creator  and  Redeemer.  After  a  brief  two  years,  the  pupils  of  the 
institution,  now  vastly  multiplied,  were  ushered  into  a  new  academy 
building,  constructed  for  durability,  and  large  enough  to  accommo- 
date a  still  greater  number.* 

In  1 85 1,  the  corporation  was  empowered  by  grant  of  the  legisla- 
ture to  change  the  title  until  that  time  borne  by  the  institution,  to  that 
of  "The  Academy  of  St.  Catharine  of  Sienna." 

The  annexed  summary  of  incidents  and  personal  recollections  of 
individuals  in  some  way  connected  with  the  establishment  of  St.  Mary 
Magdalene,  coming  as  they  do  from  one  to  whom  the  facts  related  are 
wholly  familiar,  connot  prove  otherwise  than  interesting  reading  for 
Catholics : 

"Sister  Angela  Sansbury,  the  first  prioress,  was  born  in  Prince 
George  county,  Maryland.  Her  parents  were  Alexius  Sansbury  and 
Elizabeth  Hamilton.  Long  before  she  received  the  habit  from  the 
hands  of  Father  Wilson,  she  was  noted  for  her  piety  and  extreme 
modesty.  As  she  had  before  been  for  the  young  women  of  the  con- 
gregation of  St.  Rose  a  model  of  virtue  and  christian  propriety,  so, 
after  she  had  consecrated  herself  to  God,  she  was  for  her  associates  of 
the  community  a  model  of  patience  and  christian  confidence.  When 
these  were  well  nigh  in  despair,  not  knowing  whence  was  to  come  the 
food  for  which  they  were  almost  famishing,  she  never  once  lost  cour- 
age, never  doubted  that  Providence  would  provide  for  their  absolute 
wants.  One  day  the  sister  whose  duty  it  was  to  prepare  food  for  the 
community  went  to  her  with  the  information  that  there  was  nothing  in 
the  house  out  of  which  she  could  even  make  an  ash-cake — not  a  mor- 
sel of  meat  nor  a  dust  of  meal.  Mother  Angela  looked  at  her  reassur- 
ingly and  said:  'Be  not  troubled,  sister;  God  will  provide!'  And 
so  He  did.  Before  the  hour  of  noon,  a  man  who  was  to  them  an  entire 
stranger,  brought  to  the  convent  a  hundred  weight  of  meat,  and  begged 
the  sisters  to  accept  it  as  a  gift.  Occurrences  such  as  this  were  not  at 
all  uncommon  in  the  early  days  of  the  institution.  Mother  Angela 
Sansbury  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  but  a  loving  one.  She  led  the 
sisters  in  all  their  labors,  and  she  shared  with  them  all  their 
trials. 

"  In  1851,  at  the  instance  of  Rev.  N.  D.  Young,  O.  S.  D.,  a  col- 
ony of  sisters,  composed  of  Mother  Angela  and  Sisters  Benvenuta 
Sansbury  and  Ann  Hill,  were  sent  to  Somerset,  Ohio,  where  they 

*The  St.  Catharine's  academy  buildings,  including  the  convent  and  church, 
as  they  appear  to-day,  form  three  sides  of  a  square.  The  grounds  within  are 
tastefully  laid  off,  and  they  are  studded  with  shrubs  and  flower-beds.  The 
establishment  sits,  the  mistress  of  a  lovely  vale,  surrounded  as  with  a  crown,  by 
low  hills  that  are  verdure-clad  for  two-thirds  of  the  year.  In  the  heart  of  this 
valley  nestles  the  convent,  and  in  the  still  of  the  evening  the  sound  of  its  bells 
sweeps  over  the  hills,  and  is  heard  and  blessed  in  hamlet  and  farm-house  for 
miles  around. 


266      THE   DOMINICAN    CONVENT   OF    ST.    CATHARINE   OF   SIENNA. 

established  the  Convent  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Springs,  and  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  the  now  flourishing  academy  known  as  St.  Mary's.  * 

"Sister  Magdalen  Edelin  was  remarkable  for  her  indomitable 
energy  and  the  excellence  of  her  judgment.  During  the  several  terms 
she  filled  the  office  of  prioress  her  management  of  the  affairs  of  the 
institution  was  regarded  as  admirable.  This  was  the  case  even  when 
she  was  suffering  from  the  tortures  of  an  incurable  disease.  She  was 
distinguished  especially  for  her  attention  to  choir  duty.  Her  death 
occurred  on  the  eve  of  her  patronal  feast,  and  her  burial  on  the  feast 
itself.  A  singular  incident  took  place  on  this  latter  occasion.  Scarcely 
had  the  grave  been  filled  up,  in  which  had  been  deposited  the  body  of 
their  aged  associate,  when,  heard  in  the  distance,  came  to  the  ears  of 
the  sisters  the  Salve  Rcgina,  raised  by  those  of  the  community  who  had 
been  left  in  charge  of  the  house.  They  well  knew  the  import  of  the 
sacred  hymn  sung  at  such  a  time.  It  told  them  that  the  undeniable 
call  had  come  to  another  of  their  band ;  that  another  soul  was  in  its 
agony.  Adding  their  own  voices  to  the  solemn  refrain,  they  sped  on 
their  way  toward  the  convent,  but  the  soul  in  agony  did  not  wait  their 
coming.  Hastening  to  the  infirmary,  they  were  confronted  by  another 
vision  of  death.  Sister  Viluna  Montgomery,  the  life-long  friend  and 
associate  of  Mother  Magdalen,  had  passed  to  her  reward. 

"The  benefactors  of  the  establishment  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene, 
afterwards  St.  Catharine's  of  Sienna,  were  many ;  but  only  of  a  few 
will  it  be  necessary  to  speak.  In  the  infancy  of  the  institution,  but 
for  the  charity  of  the  good  people  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Rose, 
the  very  existence  of  the  community  must  have  abruptly  terminated. 
Insignificant,  to  be  sure,  were  their  benefactions,  for  they  were  them- 
selves poor ;  but  they  sufficed  to  sustain  life  and  to  establish  hope. 
The  first  of  whom  personal  mention  is  necessary  should  be  the  first 
ecclesiastical  superior  of  the  sisterhood,  appointed  by  Father  Wilson, 
Rev.  Richard  P.  Miles,  at  a  later  day  bishop  of  Nashville.  What  he 
had  to  give  was  httle,  to  be  sure,  but  it  was  mainly  through  his 
instrumentality  that  thfe  needs  of  the  sisterhood  -were  made  known 
and  relieved.  Another  benefactor  of  the  house,  long  since  passed  to 
his  reward,  is  to  this  day  gratefully  remembered  in  their  prayers  by 
the  sisterhood  of  St.  Catharine's.  The  story  of  himself  and  his 
benefactions  is  an  interesting  one. 

"One  day,  when  the  establishment  was  still  in  its  infancy,  an  old 
man,  sitting  in  a  light  covered  wagon  drawn  by  a  staid-going  little 
animal,  drove  up  to  the  convent  gate  and  asked  for  lodgings  for  the 
night.     He  was  at  once  a  singular-looking   and  singular-talking  old 

*The  death  of  Mother  Angela  took  place  at  the  convent  named  in  the  text  on 
the  30th  November,  1839.  Of  her  associates  named,  the  first  was  her  own  sis- 
ter. Sister  Ann  was  a  daughter  of  Clement  Hill,  of  whom  mention  is  elsewhere 
made.  An  aged  sister  of  the  community  writes  me  concerning  her  :  "Sister 
Ann  was  a  highly  gifted  woman,  and  well  educated.  She  was  a  most  useful 
member  of  the  community,  and  exceedinglv  cious.  She  died  at  Somerset, 
Ohio,  on  the  ist  of  April,  1840." 


Catholicity  in  Kentucky.  267 

gentleman,  out  there  was  something  in  his  face  that  was  attractive, 
nevertheless,  and  his  request  was  granted.  In  the  morning,  he  not 
only  did  not  take  himself  off,  but  he  astonished  the  prioress  by  telling 
her  that  he  had  determined  to  stop  where  he  was  for  the  remainder  of 
his  days.  'This  is  the  inn,'  he  said,  'to  which  the  Lord  has  directed 
me,  and  here  I  will  remain.'  So  earnest  and  persistent  was  his  appeal, 
that  the  nuns  agreed  at  length  to  give  him  employment,  and,  as  the 
sequel  will  show,  they  could  not  have  been  led  to  a  wiser  solution  of 
what  presented  to  them,  no  doubt,  the  appearance  of  a  difficulty. 
Mr.  Simering — such  was  the  name  by  which  this  odd  genius  was 
known — was  a  tinsmith  by  trade,  and  he  had  been  for  years  in  the 
habit  of  going  about  the  country,  peddling  his  wares  among  the 
housewives  living  in  Nelson  and  Washington  counties,  and,  where  that 
was  possible,  rendering  again  serviceable  their  broken  and  battered 
kitchen  utensils.  From  that  time,  almost  to  the  day  of  his  death, 
sixLcen  years  later,  all  the  tinware  used  in  the  place  was  of  his  fash- 
ioning. When  there  was  nothing  to  do  at  home,  he  would  buy  a 
stock  of  tin,  make  it  up  into  all  sorts  of  useful  articles,  hitch  up  his 
horse  and  depart  on  a  peddling  expedition.  These  excursions  began 
in  time  to  be  looked  upon  by  the  sisters  as  sure  indexes  of  coming 
benefits  to  the  institution ;  for  the  good  man  never  returned  from  one 
of  them  without  a  lading  of  something  much  needed  by  the  com- 
munity. Whatever  was  the  emergency,  his  was  the  hand  to  help 
them  meet  it.  The  first  piano-forte  used  in  the  school  was  a  gift  from 
him.  He  was  exceedingly  blunt  in  his  manners,  and  when  he  hap- 
pened to  know  that  the  community  treasury  was  empty,  and  that 
debts  were  pressing,  he  would  appear  before  the  disturbed  prioress, 
fumble  in  his  pocket  for  his  purse,  and,  having  flung  it  into  her  lap, 
blurt  out  snappishly:  *  Is  that  anything  you  want?'  On  such 
occasions,  and  they  were  not  a  few,  it  was  his  habit  to  escape  from 
the  room  at  once,  before  the  prioress  could  muster  words  in  which  to 
thank  him.* 

"Of  all  the  benefactors  of  the  establishment  ot  St.  Catharine 
of  Sienna,  not  one,  however,  gave  so  unsparingly  of  his  means,  his 
time  and  his  energies,  as  did  the  late  chaplain  of  the  institution,  the 
venerable  and  beloved  Father  Francis  Cubero.  From  1872,  the  date 
of  his  appointment,  to  1883,  when  in  mercy  of  his  infirmities,  this  aged 
servant  of  God  was  given  rest  from  his  labors,  he  had  literally  aban- 
doned himself  to  the  work  of  promoting  the  interests  of  his  spiritual 

♦This  unique  character  was  known  to  me  when,  in  1823  and  a  year  or  two 
later,  he  was  the  master  of  a  small  shop  then  situated  at  the  southeastern 
corner  of  the  square  upon  which  stands  the  former  cathedral  of  the  diocese, 
Bardstown.  He  was  exceedingly  industrious,  and  so  firmly  was  his  integrity 
and  mechanical  skill  established  in  public  estimation,  that  he  did  a  thriving 
business.  His  eccentricities  were  pronounced  and  incontrovertible,  however, 
and  his  removal  to  St.  Magdalene's  was  occasioned,  no  doubt^  by  his  desire  to 
escape  the  ridicule  and  annoyance  to  which  he  was  subjected  at  the  hands  of 
the  thoughtless  youths  attending  the  neighboring  college  of  St.  Joseph. 


268      THE    DOMINICAN    CONVENT   OF  ST.   CATHARINE   OF   SIENNA. 

children.  Almost  his  first  act  on  assuming  the  chaplaincy  of  the  insti- 
tution, was  to  lift  from  the  over-burdened  shoulders  of  the  sisters  a 
debt  of  nearly  eight  thousand  dollars.  This  he  paid,  as  is  supposed, 
out  of  his  own  paternal  inheritance.  But  this  material  help  given  by 
him  to  the  sisterhood,  was  as  nothing  compared  with  the  value  of  his 
labors  to  the  end  of  the  sanctification  of  his  charge.  His  only 
thought  appeared  to  have  reference  to  them  and  their  needs — the  main- 
tenance of  discipline  among  them  and  love  of  their  holy  rule."* 

•There  are  now  in  the  United  States  fifteen  houses  of  the  Third  Order  .of  St. 
Dominic,  all  derived  from  the  one  whose  early  history  is  given  in  the  text. 
Two  of  these  are  located  in  Kentucky  ;  three  in  Ohio;  five  in  Tennessee;  one 
in  Florida  ;  one  in  Washington  city  and  three  in  California.  The  sisters  have 
charge,  also,  of  a  school  for  colored  children  in  Washington  county,  which  has 
been  successfully  carried  on  for  years.  Though  called  to  labor  inside  of  con- 
vent walls,  and  there  with  special  reference  to  the  education  of  youth,  the  sis- 
terhood is  not  permitted  to  disregard  the  suggestions  of  humanity  and  christian 
charity  in  times  of  public  calamity.  The  cholera  epidemic  of  1833  was 
frightful  in  Washington  county,  and  it  was  then  that  the  afflicled  people  of  the 
country  surrounding  the  convent,  Protestan's  as  well  as  Catholics,  learned  to 
honor,  even  more  than  they  had  done  before,  the  white  habited  nuns  of  St. 
Magdalene.  Their  labors  throughout  the  epidemic  were  as  incessant  as  they 
were  often  effective  of  the  happiest  results  for  individual  sufferers.  Only  one 
of  the  community,  and  that  in  the  fresh  out-break  of  the  epidemic  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  lost  her  life  by  the  visitation.  Sister  Mary  Theresa  Lynch  died 
while  attending  the  sick  in  the  neighborhood  in  1834.  In  later  years  the 
branch  establishments  of  the  house,  especially  that  at  Memphis,  Tennessee, 
have  suffered  fearfully  from  similar  visitations.  In  1873,  while  engaged  in 
nursing  the  sick  of  yellow  fever,  at  Memphis  and  Pensacola,  Sisters  M.  Joseph 
McKernan,  Martha  Quarry,  Magdalene  McKernan  and  Dominica  Fitzpatrick 
were  seized  with  the  fever  and  died.  The  deaths  among  the  sisters  at  Memphis 
in  1878,  all  from  the  same  cause,  were  those  of  Veronica  Glose,  Bernardine 
Dalton,  Rose  McGary  and  Dolora  Glose. 


REV.  ROBERT  A.  ABELL. 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  269 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE   CATHEDRAL   OF    ST.    JOSEPH,    BARDSTOWN. 

Bishop  Flaget  had  already  passed  six  years  of  his  episcopal  life  in 
Kentucky,  before  any  effort  was  made  by  him  to  secure  to  the  diocese 
a  suitable  and  properly  appointed  cathedral.  Without  resources  him- 
self, and  charged  with  the  care  of  a  people  with  whom  competency 
was  a  condition  of  the  future,  only  to  be  acquired  by  continuous 
struggle,  he  did  not  feel  that  he  was  warranted  in  taxing  them  for  even 
so  much  needed  an  object.  He  might  sooner  have  undertaken  the 
work,  to  be  sure,  had  he  been  willing  to  burden  the  diocese  with  obli- 
gations to  be  liquidated  in  the  future.  But  not  the  apostle  himself 
who  has  written  ou>e  no  man  atiyihhig,  had  a  greater  horror  of  debt  than 
he.  He  might  have  still  hesitated,  but  for  the  urgent  pleadings  of  his 
clergy,  and  a  few  of  the  better  provided  among  his  faithful  people. 
At  the  instance  of  these,  early  in  the  year  181 7,  he  authorized  subscrip- 
tions to  be  made  and  collections  to  be  taken  up  in  furtherance  of  the 
object  throughout  the  diocese.  When  the  work  of  construction  was 
begun,  the  subscriptions  and  cash  collections  were  found  to  aggregate 
the  sum  of  $14,000.  More  than  satisfied  with  a  result  so  little  antici- 
pated, the  bishop  left  nothing  undone  that  might  by  possibility  facili- 
tate the  work ;  and  the  architect  whom  he  employed,  being  both  intel- 
ligent and  energetic,  was  enabled,  in  a  little  over  two  years,  to  report 
the  church  so  far  completed  as  to  admit  of  its  consecration.* 

The  day  fixed  for  the  consecration  of  the  cathedral  was  August 
8th,  1 81 9.  No  event  so  interesting  to  Catholics  having  ever  taken 
place  in  any  part  of  the  country  west  of  Baltimore,  the  desire  to  wit- 
ness it  was  very  general  among  them.  In  congregations  the  farthest 
removed  from  the  territorial  seat  of  episcopal  jurisdiction,  numbers  of 
the  faithful  were  contemplating  excursions  to  Bardstown,  in  order  to  be 
present  on  an  occasion  that  commanded  their  sympathy,  and  naturally 
excited  in  them  sentiments  of  honest  pride  and  hearty  gratulation. 
Bishop  Flaget  knew  all  this,  and  he  knew,  too,  that  hundreds  of  non- 
Catholics,  many  of  whom  had  contributed  of  their  means  toward  the 

*The  architect  and  builder  of  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph  was  Mr.  John 
Rogers,  who,  on  his  removal  from  Baltimore  to  Bardstown  in  1815,  had  brought 
with  him  the  perfected  plans  of  the  building.  He  was  a  pious  Catholic,  and  a 
man  of  high  repute  in  his  profession.  The  only  survivors  of  his  children, 
Charles  A.  Rogers,  Catholic  bookseller  and  publisher,  and  Mrs.  Mary  O'Brien, 
are  residents  of  Louisville. 


270  THE   CAiHEDRAL    OF   ST.  JOSEPH,   BARDSTOWN. 

erection  of  the  church,  were  equally  anxious,  opportunity  being  given 
them,  to  witness  a  function  about  which  they  knew  nothing,  but  were 
simply  curious.     \v'ishing  to  make  the  occasion  one  to  be  remembered 
with  grateful  joy  by  his  own  flock,  and  at  least  with  tolerant  considera- 
tion by  his  Protestant  fellow  citizens.  Bishop  Flaget  spared  no  pains  to 
give  to  the  ceremonial  and  all  its  accessories  the  utmost  solemnity  that 
was  within  the  compass  of  his  limited  capabilities.     Among  the  ques- 
tions of  moment  considered  at  the  time  by  the  bishop  and  Father 
David,  not  the  least  perplexing  referred  to  the  proper  person  to  be 
invited,  or  directed,  to  occupy  the  pulpit  on  the  day  of  consecration. 
It  had  been  previously  arranged  that  Father  David   should   himself 
deliver  an  explanatory  address  immediately  after  the  ceremony  of  con- 
secration, but  the  sermon  of  the  occasion,  properly  speaking,  was  to  be 
the  one  after  the  gospel  of  the  mass,  and  for  this  particular  service, 
there  were  but  four  priests  in  the  diocese  whose  qualifications  and 
acknowledged  capabiUties  fairly  entitled  them  to  the  consideration  of 
the  ordinary.     By  far  the  most  noted  of  these  was  Rev.  Thomas  Wil- 
son, of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic,  residing  at  St.  Rose,  about  sixteen 
miles  from  Bardstown.     He  was  a  man  of  exalted  personal  character, 
and  there  was,  possibly,  not  another  divine  in  the  State  who  was  either 
more  learned  or  more  eloquent.     But  being  not  directly  subject  to  the 
bishop,  he  thought,  no  doubt,  that  it  would  be  more  appropriate  to  have 
the  service  performed  by  one  of  his  own  secular  priests.     The  second 
and  third.  Fathers  G.  I.  Chabrat  and  Anthony  Ganihl,  though  they  were 
both  secular  priests  and  able  men,  were  objectionable  from  the  fact 
that,  being  Frenchmen,  the  language  of  the  country  did  not  ' '  come 
trippingly"  off  their  tongues;  and  from  the  further  fact  that  their  style 
of  eloquence  was  of  too  staid  and  sober  a  character  to  be  altogether 
acceptable  to  the  people  on  an  occasion  that  called  especially  for  rejoic- 
ing and  gratulation.     The  fourth  and  last  to  be  considered  was  the 
first  ordained  of  the  diocesan  seminary,  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell.      He 
had  talents,  enthusiasm,  everything,  indeed,  to  recommend  him  except 
deep  learning ;  and  that  was  not  thought  to  be  a  requisite  of  paramount 
importance  on  the  particular  occasion  demanding  his  services.      Both 
had  long  known  and  respected  the  talents  of  the  young  priest.     They 
had  heard  him  speak  in  the  impromptu  debates  gotten  up  from  time  to 
time  among  the  students  of  the  seminary;  and,  on  a  few  occasions  after 
his  ordination,  he  had  caused  them  to  open  their  eyes  in  astonishment 
at  his  powers  as  a  preacher.     For  these  reasons,  he,  rather  than  his 
elder  brothers  of  the  ministry,  was  chosen  to  deliver  the  sermon  after 
the  gospel  of  the  first  mass  to  be  celebrated  in  the  newly  consecrated 
church.     The  personality  of  the  preacher  of  the  consecration  sermon 
having  been  decided  upon.  Father  Abell  was  notified  immediately  of 
the  fact,  and  directed  to  report  in  person  at  Bardstown  by  a  given  date. 
That  the  young   ecclesiastic   should   have   felt  gratification   over   so 
marked  a  tribute  of  confidence  on  the  part  of  his  superiors  is  not  to  be 
doubted.     His  prideful  emotions,  however,  soon  gave  place  to  others 
that  were  nearer  allied  to  pusillanimity.     He  began  to  fear  that  he  was 


CATHOLICITY    IN   KENTUCKY.  271 

destined  to  disappoint  the  expectations  of  his  friends,  and  especially 
of  those  who  reposed  in  him  a  degree  of  confidence  that  he  could 
but  characterize  as  wonderful.  It  took  him  many  hours  to  discipline 
his  mind  to  the  proper  contemplation  of  his  position  and  its  require- 
ments. He  had  not  yet  fully  determined  upon  the  subject  matter  of 
his  discourse  and  its  mode  of  treatment  when,  in  order  to  meet  the 
appointment  that  had  been  made  for  him,  he  was  under  the  necessity 
of  mounting  his  horse  and  beginning  his  journey.  There  is  no  posi- 
tion in  which  a  man  can  be  placed  that  is  so  favorable  for  cogita- 
tion as  riding  on  horseback  along  a  little  travelled  highway.  Father 
Abell  was  a  true  lover  of  nature ;  and  at  another  time,  he  might  have 
found  pleasant  interest  in  the  contemplation  of  many  things  of  which 
his  eye  scarcely  took  cognizance  in  his  lonesome  ride.  But  his  mind 
was  now  wholly  absorbed  in  the  ordeal  that  was  before  him  and  how 
to  meet  it  to  the  acquittal  of  his  conscience  and  the  justification  of 
the  hopes  of  his  friends.  His  thoughts  soon  began  to  take  form  and 
shape,  and  long  before  he  reached  Elizabethtown,  in  Hardin  county, 
where  he  proposed  to  stop  for  the  night,  he  began  to  experience  a 
healthy  degree  of  confidence. 

Retiring  early,  he  had  scarcely  closed  his  eyes  in  sleep  before  he 
was  awakened  by  a  knock  upon  his  chamber-door.  A  messenger  had 
followed  him  all  the  way  from  his  home,  whither  he  had  gone  to  urge 
his  immediate  presence  at  the  bedside  of  one  of  his  parishioners  who 
was  supposed  to  be  dying.  Father  Abell  did  not  hesitate.  With  the 
faithful  priest,  a  call  to  the  sick  is  regarded  as  a  call  from  God.  The 
night  was  passed  in  retracing  the  road  of  the  previous  day,  and  the 
slin  had  risen  when  he  reached  the  bedside  of  the  supposed  dying 
man.*  Having  discharged  the  duties  of  his  office  toward  his  sick 
parishioner,  the  priest  recommenced  his  interrupted  journey,  and  this 
time  he  brought  it  to  a  successful  termination.  On  presenting  himself 
before  his  superiors,  he  was  asked  it  he  had  written  out  the  sermon  he 
had  been  directed  to  preach.  "No,  Father  David,"  said  he,  for  it 
was  that  rigid  disciplinarian  who  had  propounded  the  question,  "  I  had 

*The  sick  person  referred  to  in  the  text  was  Walter  S.  Coomes,  son  of 
Ignatius  Coomes,  who  was  among  the  earlier  Catholic  settlers  of  Breckinridge 
county.  The  young  man  recovered  from  his  illness,  and,  soon  afterwards, 
entered  the  diocesan  seminary,  where  he  prosecuted  his  course  of  theological 
studies,  interrupted  for  several  years  by  his  appointment  to  the  position  of  tutor 
in  the  college  of  St.  Joseph,  and  he  was  ordained  priest  in  the  year  1830. 
Father  Coomes,  or  "Father  Watty,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called  by  his  associates 
of  the  clergy,  was  an  excellent  and  useful  priesf,  and  a  thoroughly  lovable 
man.  Though  he  was  never  considered  a  man  of  marked  intellectual  gifts, 
the  defect  was  unnoticed  in  his  extreme  amiability,  and  in  the  practical,  com- 
mon-sense way  he  had  of  deciding  questions  that  were  supposed  to  affect 
Catholic  interests.  Up  to  the  date  of  his  death,  which  took  place  November 
28,  1871,  in  the  76th  year  of  his  age,  no  closer  bond  of  friendship  existed 
between  any  twain  of  the  clergy  of  Kentucky  than  that  by  which  were  linked 
the  hearts  of  Father  Abell  and  Father  Coomes.  They  were  helpful  to  each 
other,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the  stronger  of  the  two  benefitted  most  by 
their  mutual  friendship. 


272  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF  ST.  JOSEPH,  BARDSTOWN. 

no  time  for  that ;  but  I  have  been  revolving  its  matter  in  my  mind,  and 
I  think  I  can  safely  promise  you  that  it  shall  not  fall  below  your  rea- 
sonable expectations. "  The  director  of  the  seminary  was  not  satisfied. 
"We  cannot  trust  your  inexperience,"  said  he;  "but  there  is  time 
yet ;  go  to  your  room  at  once  and  write  out  for  the  inspection  of  Bishop 
Flaget  and  myself  what  you  propose  to  say." 

There  was  no  help  for  it,  and  Father  Abell  was  obliged  to  submit. 
From  noon  till  dusk,  he  kept  his  room,  noting  down  indeed  the  heads 
of  his  discourse,  but  litde  else.  After  supper,  having  a  roll  of 
paper  in  his  hand,  he  approached  his  mentors,  who  happened  to  be 
the  only  occupants  at  the  time  of  the  room  set  apart  for  the  bishop,  and 
proposed,  then  and  there,  to  read  to  them  the  sermon  he  had  pre- 
pared. Father  David  thought  it  would  be  better  to  have  him  submit 
his  manuscript  to  them  for  the  night,  to  be  returned  to  him  in  the 
morning  with  their  joint  criticism  upon  its  merits.  To  this  proposition, 
the  young  priest  objected  by  saying:  "  You  could  make  nothing  of 
it,  Father  David.  In  very  truth,"  he  continued,  "my  fingers  have 
been  clutching  the  bridle  for  so  many  hours  that  they  are  really  incap- 
able of  guiding  a  pen  so  as  to  make  my  chirography  legible  to  others 
than  myself.  If  you  will  but  retain  your  places  and  give  me  the  use  of 
the  candle  that  is  flaming  on  your  side  of  the  table,  I  will  repeat 
before  you  the  sermon  I  have  prepared  for  the  day  after  to-morrow." 
Relating  the  incident  afterwards.  Father  Abell  was  wont  to  say : 

"No  objection  being  raised  by  either  of  my  hearers,  I  reached 
over  for  the  candlesUck,  placed  it  immediately  before  me,  and  unroll- 
ing my  manuscript,  made  a  pretense  of  reading.  In  the  dim  light  given 
out  by  the  single  candle  from  its  place  on  the  table,  fully  three  feet 
beneath  my  organs  of  vision,  I  could  not  have  seen  a  letter,  to  be 
sure,  though  the  writing  had  been  as  legible  as  print;  but  that  cir- 
cumstance did  not  matter  to  me,  and,  strangely  enough,  neither  the 
bishop  nor  Father  David  appeared  to  take  any  cognizance  of  the 
anomaly.  I  began  my  sermon  in  a  key  that  was  suitable  to  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  room,  and  to  the  proximity  of  those  who  had  constituted 
themselves  the  judges  of  its  merits  ;  but,  by  degrees,  and  imperceptibly 
to  myself,  my  voice  was  raised,  not  to  its  full  pitch  by  any  means,  but 
to  a  compass  sufificiently  elevated  to  be  heard  beyond  the  walls  of  the 
building.  I  began  by  recounting  the  vicissitudes  through  which  the 
Church  in  Kentucky  had  passed  during  the  thirty-four  years  of  its  exist- 
ence; and  I  spoke  of  the  crosses  that  had  hitherto  pressed  down  the 
shoulders  of  both  priests  and  people.  I  described  the  apologies 
of  churches  in  which,  for  a  third  of  a  century,  the  great  Sacrifice  of 
Calvary  had  been  repeated  in  an  unbloody  manner  for  the  salvation  of 
God's  people  in  the  wilderness  of  Western  America.  I  spoke  of  the 
joy  with  which  the  faithful  Catholic  people  of  the  State  had  greeted 
the  bishop  that  had  been  sent  to  them  a  few  years  before,  and  of  his 
hope  and  their  own  that  the  time  was  drawing  near  when  the  Savior 
whom  they  served  would  be  provided  with  temples  in  which  to  repose, 
in  some  degree  worthy  of  His  exalted  majesty.     I  gave  to  my  hearers 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  273 

a  history  of  the  undertaking  that  had  now  been  brought  to  a  happy 
consummation.  I  returned  thanks  to  those  who,  by  their  great 
hberaUty,  had  enabled  their  bishop  to  erect,  in  a  country  but  lately 
overshadowed  by  interminable  forests,  a  cathedral  church  that  would 
be  honorable  to  the  Catholic  faith  of  any  people — a  temple  in  which 
they  and  their  children  and  childrens  children  would  meet  and  pay 
homage  to  the  living  God,  and  where,  for  generations  to  come  the 
great  sacrifice  of  the  new  law  would  be  offered  up  for  the  living  and 
the  dead.  Once  only  in  the  course  of  my  performance,  after  the 
delivery  of  a  passage  I  had  endeavored  to  make  peculiarly  pathetic,  I 
ventured  to  remove  my  manuscript  from  before  my  eyes  and  look  my 
mentors  in  the  face.  There  they  sat  with  their  hands  clasped,  sobbing 
like  children.  I  no  longer  felt  that  I  had  anything  to  fear  from  their 
criticism.  My  peroration  closed  at  length,  I  asked  my  superiors  if 
they  were  satisfied.  'Yes,' replied  Father  David,  after  considering 
for  a  moment,  as  if  fearful  of  the  ill  effects  upon  youthful  minds  of 
unstinted  eulogy,  'the  sermon  will  answer.'  There  was  no  sugges- 
tion of  change,  and  neither  was  there  of  praise.  Had  others  not 
told  me  of  their  favorable  comments,  delivered  beyond  my  hearing,  I 
might  have  supposed  they  regarded  my  labored  effort  as  common- 
place.enough."* 

Fifty  years  later  was  celebrated  at  Bardstown  the  bi-centennial  anni- 
versary of  the  consecration  of  the  cathedral,  and  on  that  occasion  the 
writer  was  fortunate  enough  to  be  present.  Two  only  of  those  who  had 
occupied  places  in  the  sanctuary  a  half  century  before  were  there  to 
return  thanks  to  God  for  having  given  them  length  of  days,  and  for 
having  vouchsafed  them  power  and  opportunity  to  dispense  His  mercy 
to  sinners.  These  were  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell  and  Rev.  Athanasius 
A.  Aud,  the  latter  of  whom  had  witnessed  the  ceremony  of  consecra- 
tion from  his  place  among  the  seminarians  then  in  attendance.  It  had 
been  the  hope  and  expectation  of  the  then  pastor  of  St.  Joseph,  Rev.  P. 
J.  Defraine,  that  the  voice  that  had  filled  the  temple  at  its  first  open- 
ing would  be  heard  from  the  same  pulpit,  measuring  its  powers  over  a 
new  generation  of  hearers,  and  exciting  in  them  feelings  akin  to  those 
that  had  filled  the  hearts  of  the  listeners  of  fifty  years  gone  by.  But 
the  state  of  health  of  the  venerable  missionary  was  such  as  to  disable 
him  from  anything  beyond  the  delivery  of  a  few  brief  sentences  from 
the  communion  railing,  at  the  close  of  the  regular  sermon  from  the 
pulpit.  As  he  rose  to  his  feet,  the  utmost  stillness  pervaded  the 
crowded  church.  For  a  moment,  he  stood  gazing  upon  the  faces  before 
him,  and,  no  doubt,  contrasting  them  in  his  own  mind  with  those  that 

*The  sermon  preached  by  Father  Abell  at  the  consecration  of  the  cathedral' 
church  of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown,  created  possibly,  more  favorable  criticism 
from  persons  supposed  to  be  capable  of  judging  of  oratorical  display,  than 
any  other  that  had  previously  been  delivered  in  that  part  of  the  State.  Among 
the  lawyers  of  the  place,  especially,  and  the  bar  of  Bardstown  included  at  the 
time  some  of  the  master  minds  of  the  country,  the  criticism  evoked  by  it  was 
in  the  highest  degree  commendatory. 

18 


274  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF  ST.  JOSEPH,  BARDSTOWN. 

had  been  turned  towards  him  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  sermon  in 
that  church.  He  spoke  at  length,  not  as  if  with  an  effort  and  feebly, 
but  well  and  eloquently.  He  spoke  of  the  Catholic  zeal  of  those  who 
had  wrought  and  suffered  to  raise  that  temple  to  the  service  of  God, 
and  of  their  joy  when  they  were  permitted  to  bow  their  heads  in  ado- 
ration before  its  newly  consecrated  altars.  "Where,  now,"  he  asked, 
"are  those  first  parishioners  of  St.  Joseph's?  Where  are  the  Sanders' 
and  the  Haydens,  the  Gwyns  and  the  Wickhams,  the  Hagans  and  the 
Webbs,  and  all  the  other  early  Catholic  settlers  of  Nelson  county?  All 
dead,  and  I  am  left  to  tell  you  what  they  did  for  religion."  He  spoke 
of  his  own  journeyings  in  quest  of  means  to  pay  for  work  done  upon 
the  church  as  that  work  progressed,  and  of  the  success  with  which 
heaven  had  blessed  his  efforts.  He  told  his  hearers  of  the  crowds  that 
had  flocked  to  the  church  on  the  day  it  was  consecrated,  some  journey- 
ing from  long  distances,  and  all  rejoicing  in  the  fact  that  the  most 
oapacious  and  the  most  beautiful  building  in  the  State  had  been  reared 
for  purposes  of  Catholic  worship.  When  he  was  compelled  to  desist, 
from  lack  of  strength  to  stand  longer,  it  is  doubtful  if  there  was  a  dry 
eye  in  the  church. 

But  a  few  months  ago,  in  this  year  of  grace  1884,  took  place  another 
celebration  in  the  former  cathedral  of  the  diocese,  that  was  alike  cred- 
itable to  its  present  pastor.  Rev.  C.  J.  O'Connell,  and  to  the  large 
congregation  that  has  succeeded  to  the  use  of  the  venerable  edifice  put 
up  jusl  two-thirds  of  a  century  ago.  This  was  on  the  occasion  of  reopen- 
ing the  church  after  it  had  been  submitted  to  the  hands  of  skilled  arti- 
sans for  extensive  repairs.  As  originally  built,  St.  Joseph's  was  an 
honestly  constructed  church.  As  firmly  stand  its  walls  to-day  as  when 
those  who  raised  them  laid  down  their  trowels  and  looked  their  satis- 
faction over  their  finished  work.  But  for  more  than  a  decade  of  years 
its  more  perishable  parts  had  been  a  source  of  concern  to  the  good  Cath- 
olic people  of  the  county  of  Nelson.  That  so  grand  and  beautiful  an 
edifice  should  be  permitted  to  perish  for  lack  of  renewal  of  the  perish- 
able material  that  had  entered  into  its  construction,  was  something  that 
was  not  to  be  thought  of  by  either  pastor  or  people ;  and  it  was  deter- 
mined that  the  threatened  evil  should  be  averted.  Setting  themselves 
vigorously  to  work,  in  a  comparatively  short  time  the  building  was 
made  to  put  on,  so  to  speak,  not  only  its  pristine  strength,  but  more 
than  its  pristine  freshness  and  beauty.  Accustomed  to  its  sight,  as 
the  writer  has  been  from  his  childhood,  he  was  wholly  astonished,  a 
short  while  ago,  at  the  transformation  it  presented  before  his  eyes. 
Inside  and  out,  its  appearance  is  suggestive  of  the  idea  of  newness. 
Its  walls  and  ceiling  are  beautifully  frescoed,  and  the  empty  niches  in  its 
facade,  presumably  left  tenantless  by  the  builders  for  lack  of  means  to 
pay  the  costs  of  the  ornamentation,  are  filled  to-day  with  life-size  statues 
of  St.  Joseph,  the  four  Evangelists,  and  the  representations  known  as  the 
Sacred  Hearts  of  Jesus  and  Mary.  The  central  figure  is  that  of  St. 
Joseph,  patron  of  the  church.  Next,  on  the  right,  appear  in  the  order 
named,  those  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  and  St.  John  and  St.  Luke, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  275 

To  the  left  of  St.  Joseph,  the  figures  are  those  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of 
Mary,  St.  Mathew  and  St.  Mark. 

Time  was  when  St.  Joseph's  was  undoubtedly  the  largest  and  grand- 
est church  edifice  in  the  entire  western  country ;  and  not  then,  nor 
now,  in  the  opinion  of  very  many  persons  supposed  to  be  capable  of 
judging  of  architectural  merit,  had  or  has  it  a  rival  in  attractiveness. 

From  the  date  of  its  erection,  the  line  of  pastors  of  the  former 
cathedral  of  the  diocese,  includes  the  names  of  the  ecclesiastics  here 
given:  Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  David,  until  about  the  year  1827  ;  Rev.  Fran- 
cis P.  Kenrick,  until  his  consecration  as  Bishop  of  Arras,  and  coadju- 
tor of  Philadelphia,  in  1830;  Rev.  Ignatius  A.  Reynolds,  from  1830 
to  1835;  Rev.  Martin  J.  Spalding,  from  1835  to  1838;  Rev.  James 
M.  Lancaster,  from  1838  to  1840,  Rev.  Charles  H.  DeLuynes,  from 
1840101841;  Rev.  Martin  J.  Spalding,  from  1841  to  1845;  Rev. 
Benedict  J.  Spalding,  from  1845  to  1848.  In  September  of  the  year 
last  named,  the  Jesuit  fathers  of  the  Province  of  Missouri  took  charge  of 
the  church  and  congregation.  The  pastors  under  their  rule,  which 
ended  in  1868,  were:  Revs.  P.  J.  Verhaegan,  F.  X.  Di  Maria,  Chas. 
Truyens,  J.  De  Blieck,  F.  J.  Boudreaux,  John  Schultz  and  Thomas 
O'Neil.  Since  the  last  given  date  the  pastorate  of  the  church  has 
been  in  the  hands  of  Rev.  Peter  Defraine,  Rev.  John  F.  Reed,  and 
the  present  pastor.  Rev.  C.  J.  O'Connell. 

It  is  to  be  noticed,  in  connection  with  the  pastorate  of  St.  Joseph's, 
that  the  pastors  of  the  church  have  at  all  times  had  the  active  assist- 
ance of  clergymen  employed  in  the  adjoining  college  of  the  same 
tide. 


276  ST.   JOSEPH'S    COLLEGE. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

ST.    JOSEPH'S    COLLEGE. 

From  the  moment  of  her  public  recognition  as  a  power  for  good  in 
the  world,  the  Church  of  God  became  the  chief  source  of  intellectual 
enlightenment  for  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Her  great  mission,  to  be 
sure,  was  and  is  to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  hearing  of  the  sons  of 
men,  and  to  plant  the  cross  in  their  sight  and  in  their  hearts.  But 
everywhere,  and  at  all  times,  she  has  proved  herself  the  foe  of  ignor- 
ance. She  has  sought  in  the  past,  and  she  still  seeks,  to  bring  to  the 
service  of  the  Most  High  all  the  capabilities  of  man's  intellectual  being, 
together  with  all  the  affections  of  his  heart.  But  never  from  the  begin- 
ning, nor  now,  nor  ever  till  the  end,  has  she  taught,  or  will  or  can 
she  teach,  the  heresy  of  divorce  of  intellectual  culture  from  that  which 
has  for  its  object  the  opening  of  the  minds  of  men  to  God's  designs  in 
their  regard. 

The  establishment  of  a  school  for  boys  of  a  higher  grade  than  any 
that  had  before  been  of  possible  acquisition  to  the  people  of  Kentucky 
had  long  been  the  subject  of  earnest  thought  with  Bishop  Flaget.  The 
school  of  his  thought,  however,  should  have  ecclesiastics  for  its  con- 
ductors; but  of  these  he  had  none  to  spare  for  any  work  less  important 
than  that  of  the  holy  ministry.  It  was  not  until  about  the  close  of  the 
year  1819  that  circumstances  favored  the  realization  of  his  desires  in 
respect  to  the  foundation  of  a  school  at  Bardstown  that  would  in  some 
degree  reflect  his  idea  of  a  proper  collegiate  institution.  He  had  seen 
his  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph  rise  from  its  foundations  a  finished  struc- 
ture. His  new  ecclesiastical  seminary  building,  standing  in  the  sha- 
dow of  the  church,  was  now  completed,  and  to  its  occupancy  he  had 
brought  the  professors  and  students  lately  engaged  in  teaching  and 
study  at  St.  Thomas'.  And  what  was  even  more  important  to  the 
educational  work  he  was  contemplating,  he  was  now  able  to  command 
the  services  of  a  priest  whose  qualifications  peculiarly  fitted  him  for 
the  post  of  president  of  a  popular  institution  of  learning.  This  priest 
was  the  late 

REV.     GEORGE    A.    M.    ELDER 

Together  wnn  the  late  Rev.  William  Byrne,  the  greater  part  of 
whose  life  was  given  to  duties  of  a  precisely  similar  character,  Father 
Elder  was  raised  to  the  priesthood  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph  by 
Bishop  David  on  the  i8th  of  September,  181 9.    He  was  a  son  of  James 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  277 

Elder,  one  of  the  early  emigrants  from  Maryland  to  the  settlement  on 
Hardin's  creek,  and  the  date  of  his  birth  is  given,  August  ii,  1794. 
If  there  ever  was  a  home  in  Kentucky  wherein  everything  was  made 
subject  to  duty,  under  the  divine  law,  that  home  was  the  one  in  which 
the  future  priest  of  the  family  passed  the  years  of  his  infancy  and  boy- 
hood. It  was  an  orderly  home,  and  a  quiet  one,  and  not  the  less  so 
because  it  was  a  cheerful  one.  The  sounds  of  prayer  and  praise  ush- 
ered in  its  ordinary  day,  and  its  ordinary  night  gave  rest  to  a  household 
fresh  from  communion  with  its  God. 

It  is  more  than  likely  that  his  father  was  George  Elder's  only 
teacher  up  to  his  sixteenth  year,  when  he  was  sent  to  St.  Mary's  col- 
lege, Emmittsburg,  then  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Dubois,  with  a 
view  to  his  education  for  the  holy  ministry.  He  was  afterwards 
transferred  to  the  seminary  of  the  Sulpician  fathers,  Baltimore,  where 
he  finished  his  ecclesiastical  studies.  Immediately  after  his  ordina- 
tion, as  stated,  he  was  charged  by  his  ordinary  with  the  work  of 
founding  a  college  at  Bardstown.  No  one,  not  previously  aware  of 
the  character  of  labor  that  had  been  marked  out  for  him,  could  have 
entered  upon  it  with  such  an  understanding  of  its  requirements  as  did 
the  young  priest.  He  had  evidently  learned  from  his  former  instruc- 
tors of  Maryland  to  measure  the  difficulties  he  would  have  to  encoun- 
ter, and  how  he  might  best  overcome  them.  He  had  striven  to  fit 
himself  for  his  work  by  study  and  observation,  and  also  by  schooling 
his  mind  to  a  just  appreciation  of  the  absolute  duties  of  his  position. 
One's  notions  of  individual  character  drawn  from  his  youthful  impres- 
sions are  apt  to  be  colored  by  either  partiality  or  prejudice ;  but  where 
the  voice  is  general,  it  is  to  be  accepted  as  truthful  and  just.  It  was 
the  public  conviction  at  the  time  that  Father  Elder  brought  to  the  con- 
duct of  his  responsible  office  of  president  of  St.  Joseph's  college, 
qualifications  of  the  rarest  excellence.  Together  with  a  natural  dis- 
position in  which  amiability  was  a  leading  characteristic,  he  carried 
into  his  work  a  power  for  discernment  that  instinctively  led  him  to 
rightful  methods  in  dealing  with  those  who  had  been  committed  to 
his  care  for  their  education.  He  was  gentlemanly  in  both  manners 
and  speech ;  and  most  careful  in  upholding  his  priestly  character  by 
uprightness  of  walk  and  conduct.  He  was  deeply  imbued  with  the 
religious  sentiment,  and  fervently  pious;  but  he  made  no  show  of 
superior  sanctity  in  his  intercourse  with  others. 

Father  Elder  was  tall  and  sparely  built;  graceful  in  action  and 
engaging  in  manner.  His  friends  were  of  all  classes  of  society,  and 
of  enemies  he  had  none.  Though  occupying,  during  almost  the 
entire  term  of  his  ministerial  life,  the  difficult  post  of  president  of  an 
institution  in  which  were  domiciled  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty  young  men — a  large  proportion  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Louisiana  and  Mississippi,  and  consequently,  if  there  be  any  truth  in 
the  generally  accepted  saying,  "a  hot  sun  breeds  a  hot  temper,"  may 
be  supposed  to  have  been  difficult  of  control — it  is  doubtful  if  he 
ever  had  an  enemy  in  the  college.     He  had  evidently  studied  human 


278  ST.  Joseph's  college. 

nature  to  some  purpose.  He  won  hearts  by  making  it  clear  to  the 
perception  of  all  that  he  was  himself  possessed  of  the  most  loving  of 
hearts.  As  a  preacher,  too,  Mr.  Elder  more  frequently  addressed 
himself  to  the  sensibilities  of  his  hearers  than  to  their  reason.  He 
seemed  to  be  convinced  of  the  fact  that  a  cold  heart  is  little  fitted  to 
perceive  either  the  beauties  or  the  sublime  truths  of  the  Catholic 
faith.  His  voice,  whether  in  reading  or  speaking,  was  irresistibly 
■  pathetic.  On  the  evenings  of  holy  Thursday  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
preaching  the  passion  sermon,  and  on  these  occasions  few  among  his 
auditors  were  enabled  to  restrain  their  tears.* 

It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  in  its  inception  St.  Joseph's  was  other 
than  a  day-school  for  boys.  In  point  of  fact,  its  first  classes  were 
made  up  of  boys  whose  parents  were  living  in  the  town,  but  few 
of  whom  had  other  ambition  than  to  acquire  for  their  children  the 
elements  of  a  sound  English  education.  During  the  entire  year  after 
the  school  was  opened,  lessons  were  learned  and  recited  in  the  base- 
ment story  of  the  seminary  building.  It  was  not  until  about  the  close 
of  the  year  1820  that  what  is  now  the  south  wing  of  the  college  was 
put  up  and  occupied  by  teachers  and  learners.  As  late,  indeed,  as 
1822,  the  so-called  primary  department  of  the  college  was  conducted 
in  the  basement  of  the  seminary,  f 

After  the  completion  of  the  south  wing,  the  president  was  enabled 
to  take  and  care  for  a  number  of  boarding  pupils — interns,  as  they 
were  designated  by  their  fellow  pupils  residing  with  their  parents  in 
the  town.  In  1823,  the  north  wing  was  built,  and  soon  afterwards 
the  front  building,  connecting  the  two  wings,  altogether  forming  one  of 
the  largest  and  best  appointed  school  structures  then  to  be  found  in 
the  entire  western  country. 

*  Father  Elder  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Catholic  Advocate,  established  by 
the  writer  in  Bardstown  in  1836.  The  articles  written  by  him  were  principally 
addressed  to  parents,  and  referred  to  the  training  and  education  of  children. 
He  had  an  idea  that  children  were  susceptible  of  moral  guidance  at  a  very 
early  age,  and  he  urged  his  views  on  this  and  other  matters  relative  to  par- 
ental obligations  in  a  series  of  well-written  and  exceedingly  interesting 
papers.  He  continued  to  write  for  the  Advocate  until  he  was  seized  with  his 
last  illness.  I  shall  ever  remember  the  gloom  which  the  report  of  his  danger- 
ous illness  spread  throughout  the  entire  community.  I  was  seated,  on  the 
evening'  of  his  death,  in  the  parlor  of  a  friend,  since  deceased,  con- 
versing with  several  members  of  his  family,  when  suddenly  the  tolling  of  the 
cathedral  bell  hushed  our  voices  into  awe.  Not  a  word  was  spoken  until  the 
iron  clang  again  thrilled  through  our  ears,  when,  with  a  choking  sob,  one  of 
the  ladies  present  exclaimed,  "O  God,  he  is  dead!  "  Few  were  the  homes, 
indeed,  wherein  was  heard  that  tolling  bell  in  which  tears  and  sighs  and 
prayers  were  not  the  fitting  accompaniment. 

tl  was  myself  of  the  number  of  juveniles  belonging  to  this  department, 
which  was  presided  over  at  the  time,  and  for  years  afterwards,  by  the  late 
Thomas  G.  Rapier,  a  grandson  of  Capt,  James  Rapier,  of  whom  mention  is 
elsewhere  made.  My  recollections  of  my  first  teacher  are  altogether  pleasant. 
His  capabilities  were  fully  equal  to  the  requirements  of  his  position.  Mr. 
Rapier  afterwards  removed  to  Louisiana,  of  which  State,  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  about  the  close  of  the  late  war,  he  was  a  much  respected  citizen. 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  279 

In  1825,  as  we  are  told  by  Dr.  Spalding,  the  public  patronage 
extended  to  the  institution  was  greatly  increased  by  the  influx  of 
pupils  from  the  Southern  States.  In  May,  of  the  year  named,  an 
ecclesiastical  friend  of  Bishop  Flaget,  previously  employed  m  a  col- 
lege in  Louisiana,  Rev.  M.  Martial,  brought  with  hmi  to  St.  Joseph's 
fifty  young  men,  whose  names  were  entered  by  him  as  pupils  in  the 
institution.*  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  extended  patronage 
enjoyed  by  the   college  from  the  States  of  Louisiana  and  Mississippi. 

In  September,  1827,  Father  Elder  was  appointed  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  church  of  St.  Pius,  in  Scott  county,  and  the  presidency  of  the 
college  was  intrusted  to  the  hands  of  Rev.  Ignatius  A.  Reynolds, 
under  whom  the  institution  suffered  neither  in  repute  nor  in  its 
condition  of  prosperity.  In  1830,  Dr.  Reynolds  was  restored  to  pas- 
toral duty,  and  the  position  of  president  of  the  college  was  resumed 
by  its  founder;  the  remaining  seven  years  of  whose  Ufe  were  unselfishly 
devoted  to  its  interests. 

But  a  sad  misfortune  was  in  store  for  the  institution;  and  that  pro- 
voked another  that  was  still  more  lamentable.  On  the  25th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1838,  the  main  college  building  took  fire  and  was  burned  to  the 
ground.  During  the  conflagration.  Father  Elder  exerted  himself  to 
a  degree  that  caused  the  illness  of  which  he  died  eight  months  later. 
This  last  sad  event  is  thus  feelingly  referred  to  by  his  friend  and  suc- 
cessor in  office,  Dr.  M.  J.  Spalding  : 

' '  His  death  was,  in  every  respect,  worthy  of  his  exemplary  and 
blameless  life.  Those  who  saw  him  during  his  last  painful  illness  of 
two  weeks'  duration,  can  not  easily  forget  the  impression  the  spectacle 
made  on  their  minds.  We  will  give,  in  the  language  of  an  eye-wit- 
ness, some  edifying  details  connected  with  his  last  sickness,  and  his 
death. 

"  '  In  the  midst  of  the  most  painful  agonies  of  his  sickness,  he  lost 
nothing  of  his  usual  calmness  of  mind.  To  his  last  breath,  he  was 
patient,  without  murmuring;  he  was  even  cheerful,  though  enduring 
the  most  excruciating  sufferings.  He  received  the  last  sacraments  of 
the  Church  with  a  fervor  the  most  edifying,  answering  the  usual 
prayers  with  hands  clasped  and  eyes  uplifted  to  heaven.  After  he 
had  received  the  Holy  Eucharist,  he  burst  forth  into  a  canticle  of 
praise  and  thanksgiving  to  God,  interspersed  with  appropriate  pas- 
sages from  the  Psalms,  which  he  repeated  with  so  much  feeling  and 
unction,  as  to  draw  tears  from  those  present.  When  it  was  suggested 
by  the  clergymen  who  attended  him,  that  he  would  exhaust  his 
strength,  he  immediately  acquiesced,  and  became  silent,  seemingly 
absorbed  in  prayer. 

*'*He  frequently  asked  those  in  attendance  to  read  to  him  some 
of  the  Psalms ;  and  he  himself  pointed  out  such  as  were  his  special 

*  The  Louisiana  college  alluded  to  had  been,  for  some  reason,  broken  up  ; 
and  Father  Martial  had  beeh  empowered  by  the  parents  of  the  pupils  to  take 
them  all  to  Bardstown.  The  priest  named  was  an  officer  of  St.  Joseph's  for 
several  years  after  the  event  recorded  in  the  text. 


28o  ST.  Joseph's  college. 

favorites:  as  the  fiftieth,  beginning,  "  Have  mercy  on  me,  O  Lord, 
according  to  Thy  great  mercy ;  "  and  the  eighty-eighth,  "  The  mercies 
of  the  Lord  I  will  sing  for  ever." 

"  *  He  retained  his  faculties  to  the  last,  with  the  exception  of  an 
occasional  incoherency  when  he  awoke  from  slumber,  or  when  his 
pains  were  most  acute.  But  even  in  these  wanderings  of  mind  he 
often  spoke  of  pious  subjects.  During  his  last  agony,  almost  every 
word  he  uttered  showed  that  his  mind  and  heart  were  directed  toward 
heaven.  Such  were  the  following  aspirations  which  he  repeated  many 
times,  especially  the  first  one:  "My  God  and  my  Savior!  I  love 
Thee  with  my  whole  heart,  and  with  my  whole  mind,  and  with  my 
whole  strength,  for  ever  and  ever!  Amen."  "  Come  nearer  to  me,  O 
my  Savior !  Come  nearer!"  "I  am  crucified  with  Christ,  crucified, 
crucified,  to  the  world !  "  ' 

"  While  the  departing  prayer  was  being  recited,  he  remained  silent 
and  collected,  with  his  hands  joined  before  his  breast.  Almost  his 
last  words  were  passages  from  the  fiftieth  Psalm,  and  the  aspirations 
given  above.  He  often  looked  at,  and  reverently  kissed  the  crucifix 
which  had  been  placed  on  his  breast  to  remind  him,  in  that  last  and 
dreadful  hour,  of  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ.  During  the  last  half 
hour  of  his  life  he  did  not  speak,  but  still  held  his  hands  clasped 
before  his  breast,  and  expired  in  that  attitude  of  prayer. 

"'Such  scenes  as  this  must  make  even  the  sternest  infidel 
acknowledge  the  power  of  religion !  They  console  the  christian,  and 
strengthen  his  faith.  In  witnessing  them  all  wiil  exclaim :  May  my 
soul  die  the  death  of  the  just,  and  may  my  end  be  like  to  theirs.'  " 

Never  before  was  there  seen  in  Bardstown  so  impressive  a  funeral 
demonstration  as  that  which  was  witnessed  when  the  body  of  the 
beloved  priest  was  consigned  to  the  earth.  The  procession  of  sorrow- 
ing friends  was  more  than  a  half  mile  long.  The  remains  were 
taken  to  the  community  burial  ground  at  Nazareth  and  there  solemnly 
interred.  • 

Naturally,  the  burning  of  the  college  had  a  disastrous  influence  on 
the  prosperity  of  the  institution.  The  building  destroyed  rose  from 
its  ashes,  to  be  sure ;  but  debt  was  incurred,  and  this  weighed  heavily 
on  the  diocese  and  its  bishop.  Excellent  and  careful  men  were  given 
charge  of  the  institution,  but  it  was  only  with  the  most  rigid  economy 
that  the  aggregate  of  debt  was  diminished  a  little  as  year  succeeded 
year.  * 

Rev.  Martin  J.  Spalding  succeeded  Father  Elder  in  the  presidency 
of  St.  Joseph's  ;  and  from  first  to  last,  until  the  institution  was  transfer- 
red, in  1848,  to  the  management  of  the  Jesuit  fathers  of  the  province 
of  Missouri,  its  affairs  were  presided  over  by  the  ecclesiastic  named, 
and  by  Revs.  James  M.  Lancaster  and  Edward  McMahon. 

*  It  will  astonish  some  of  the  well-paid  state  school  teachers  of  the  present 
day  to  learn  that  the  professors  in  St.  Joseph's  college,  during  the  years 
indicated,  were  in  the  receipt  of  salaries  for  their  services  of  from  seventy-five 
to  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  281 

Among  the  alumni  of  St.  Joseph's,  between  the  years  1823  and 
1848,  were  many  young  men  afterwards  distinguished  in  the  learned 
professions  and  in  poHtics  and  trade.  Among  these  may  be  named : 
Hon.  Lazarus  W.  Powell,  governor  of  Kentucky ;  Hon.  James  Speed, 
attorney-general  under  President  Lincoln's  administration;  Col.  Alex- 
ander Churchill  and  Hon.  Samuel  B.  Churchill,  of  Louisville;  Hons. 
Otho  R.  Singleton  and  William  R.  Miles,  members  of  congress  from 
Mississippi ;  Governors  Roman  and  Wickliffe,  of  Louisiana ;  Rt.  Rev. 
John  McGill,  bishop  of  Richmond ;  Alexander  Bullitt,  editor  of  the  New 
Orleans /'/Vaj'?///^;  Rev.  Burr  H.  McCown,  or  Anchorage,  Kentucky 
Hon.  Charles  Kelly,  of  Springfield,  Kentucky;  Hon.  Charles  Winter- 
smith,  Judge  William  Lancaster  and  William  Wilson,  Esq.,  of  Eliza- 
bethtown,  Kentucky;  Judge  Buckner,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky;  Drs. 
Wm.  Donne,  Thomas  E.  Wilson  and  John  J.  Speed  and  Messrs.  Joshua 
F.  Speed,  Henry  Tyler,  Daniel  Dwyer,  WiUiam  M. ,  Cuthbert  and  G. 
Washington  Bullitt,  of  Louisville;  Hons.  John  Rowan  and  Rowan 
Hardin  and  Dr.  Harrison  McCown,  of  Bardstown;  Hons.  William  B. 
Anthony,  of  Owensboro,  and  George  W.  Dixon,  of  Henderson,  Ken- 
tucky; Hon.  Cassius  M.  Clay,  of  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky;  and 
very  many  others,  all  professionally  or  otherwise  distinguished  in  the 
localities  that  knew  them  as  citizens,  whose  names  the  writer  is  not  now 
able  to  recall.* 

*  For  the  history  of  St.  Joseph's  under  the  conduct  of  the  Jesuit  fathers, 
the  reader  is  referred  to  a  subsequent  chapter. 


282  ST.    MARY'S   COLLEGE. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

ST.  Mary's  college, 

St.  Mary's  college  is  situated  near  St.  Mary's  Station,  on  the  Knox- 
ville  branch  of  the  Louisville  and  Great  Southern  railroad,  about  six 
miles  from  the  town  of  Lebanon,  county  seat  of  Marion  county.  The 
land  upon  which  the  college  buildings  stand  was  purchased  of  a  Mr. 
—  Ray,  by  the  late  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  immediately  preceding  the 
last  visit  made  by  that  notable  missionary  to  Europe  in  1820.  He 
named  the  place  Mount  Mary,  and  his  intention  was  to  found  upon  it 
a  charitable  institution  to  be  conducted  by  a  religious  brotherhood, 
competent  to  give  instructions  to  boys  in  letters,  christian  doctrine  and 
certain  of  the  useful  trades.* 

While  Father  Nerinckx  was  absent  in  Europe,  in  182 1,  Bishop 
Flaget  had  himself  supplied  his  place  at  the  church  of  St.  Charles  and 
the  adjacent  stations.  Now  it  was  in  his  power  to  give  to  the  Catho- 
lics of  the  district  the  services  of  a  priest  who  was  in  many  respects 
singularly  qualified  for  the  position  temporarily  vacated  by  their  old 
pastor.  Father  William  Byrne  was  as  zealous  in  good  works  as  he  was 
energetic  in  action.  He  never  took  account  of  labor  so  long  as  its  ani- 
mus was  the  accomplishment  of  results  that  might,  even  by  possibility, 
affect  favorably  the  prime  and  abiding  interests  of  those  among  whom, 
for  the  time  at  least,  his  lot  was  cast.  Early  in  1821,  he  conceived  the 
idea  of  establishing  a  school  for  boys  on  the  Mount  Mary  farm.  Near 
the  church  of  St.  Charles,  the  principal  seat  of  his  mission,  the  sisters 
of  Loretto  had  even  then  a  flourishing  school  for  girls ;  and  he  was 
anxious  to  provide  for  the  boys  of  the  congregation  and  the  surround- 
ing districts  similar  advantages.  He  took  but  time  to  seek  and  obtain 
Bishop  Flaget's  assent  to  his  plans  before  he  was  busily  engaged  in 

•On  his  return  from  Europe  in  1822,  Father  Nerinckx  was  accompanied  by 
the  late  Brother  Charles  Gilbert,  a  man  of  rare  capabilities  as  an  artisan,  who 
had  agreed  to  accept  the  superintendence  of  the  mechanical  department  in  the 
proposed  institution.  The  arrangement  favored  by  Father  Nerinckx  was  not 
carried  out ;  and  Brother  Charles  became  a  most  useful  attache  of  the  neighbor- 
ing convent  and  school  of  Loretto,  where  he  remained  until  the  year  1844.  He 
took  a  somewhat  similar  position  in  the  year  named,  with  the  Jesuit  fathers, 
then  having  charge  of  St.  Mary's  college  ;  and  he  accompanied  them  to  New 
York  two  years  later.  About  the  year  1851,  he  returned  to  Kentucky,  where, 
for  the  remaining  years  of  his  life,  he  gave  his  services,  still  of  great  value,  to 
the  sisters  of  Loretto,  managing  for  them,  especially  at  their  boarding-school  in 
the  suburbs  of  Louisville,  most  of  their  out-door  business. 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  283 

carrying  them  into  effect.  He  was  neither  discouraged  by  his  own  nor 
his  people's  poverty.  He.had  faith  in  Providence  to  make  up  for  the 
deficiencies  of  both.  Happily  his  primary  want  was  already  supplied; 
the  Mount  Mary  farm,  bought  by  Father  Nerinckx,  was  awaiting  an 
occupant.* 

Without  awaiting  the  slow  process  of  subscription-raising,  and 
after-building,  Father  Byrne  took  advantage  of  a  favorable  circum- 
stance to  begin  his  school  at  once. 

There  happened  to  be  on  the  premises  an  old  stone  distillery 
house  of  fair  dimensions;  and  having  put  this  in  decent  repair,  and 
filled  it  up  with  the  roughest  of  school  furniture,  he  announced  from 
the  pulpit  of  St.  Charles'  church,  that  St.  Mary's  academy  would  be 
opened  next  day  for  the  reception  of  pupils.  The  school  was  quickly 
filled  to  overflowing;  and  after  a  few  years  it  became  necessary  to 
put  up  other  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  the  ever  increasing 
number  of  applicants  for  school  privileges,  f 

Without  money  to  build,  the  good  father's  only  resource  was  his 
parishioners.  Happily,  they  had  learned  to  measure  their  pastor's 
capabilities  and  worth  by  what  he  had  already  done  for  their  children. 
His  contracts  with  them  were  based  on  the  plan  of  interchange — com- 
modities for  schooling.  Many  of  them  made  advances  to  him  of  the 
products  of  'their  farms,  and  these  were  in  part  shipped  off  and  sold 
for  ready  money,  and  in  part  retained,  to  be  again  exchanged  for  the 
skilled  and  unskilled  labor  needed  in  the  construction  of  the  buildings. 
When  these  were  about  ready  for  occupancy.  Father  Byrne  posted 
himself  off  to  Louisville  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  groceries  and  certain 
house  furnishings  that  were  not  to  be  had  in  the  neighborhood.  He 
came  back  to  find  but  ashes  and  fire-defaced  walls  where  he  had  left 
a  stately  edifice.  Another  in  his  place  might  have  given  way  to  such 
depression,  as  to  render  himself  incapable  of  even  attempting  to 
repair  the  disaster  which  had  befallen  him.  Not  so  this  patient, 
christian  priest.  He  appeared  to  accept  the  misfortune  as  a  test  of 
his  fidelity.  Without  permitting  a  single  day  to  intervene  between  his 
resolve  and  its  execution,  he  went  again  to  work,  and  a  few  month's 
later  the  building  was  to  be  seen  resurrected  from  its  ashes.  A  pros- 
perous career  attended  the  school  for  a  number  of  years.     The  debts 

*Upon  his  return  from  Europe  in  1822,  Father  Nerinckx  was  much  disap- 
pointed at  learning  that  his  plan  of  forming  an  industrial  school  on  the  Mount 
Mary  farm  had  been  changed  by  the  action  of  Father  Byrne.  But  as  the  latter 
had  therein  acted  under  the  authority  of  his  bishop,  he  submitted  with  becom- 
ing humility.  Dr.  Spalding  is  mistaken  in  saying,  as  he  does  on  page  272  of 
his  "Sketches  of  Kentucky,"  that  Father  Byrne  purchased  a  farm  and  paid  for 
it  by  subscriptions  raised  among  those  favorable  to  his  undertaking. 

t  Dr.  Spalding  tells  us  (page  273  of  his  Sketches),  "  that  Father  Byrne  was  at 
first  unassisted  by  anyone  in  the  management  of  his  school.  He  was  quick, 
however,  in  discerning  the  talents  of  his  pupils,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he 
was  able  to  form  a  corps  of  teaching  assistants  from  their  ranks."  The 
author  of  the  "Sketches,"  who  was  at  the  time  only  fourteen  years  of  age, 
was  himself,  possibly,  the  most  noted  of  Father  Byrne's  boy  professors, 


284  ST.  Mary's  college. 

of  the  establishment  were  paid  off,  and  a  new  wing  to  the  main 
school  building  had  just  been  completed  when  another  disaster,  simi- 
lar to  the  first,  involved  the  good  father  in  unlooked-for  trouble.  In 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  the  building  took  fire  and  was  burned  to 
the  ground.  Burdened  now  with  a  debt  of  $4,000,  his  position  was 
in  no  wise  enviable;  but  no  murmuring  word  escaped  his  lips,  and 
when  morning  dawned  he  repaired  to  the  altar,  and  there  offered  up 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  in  thanksgiving  to  God,  for  having  spared  the  main 
building.  He  succeeded  very  soon  afterwards  in  replacing  the  burnt 
wing  by  one  that  was  much  larger;  and  after  a  few  years  of  pros- 
perous activity,  not  only  was  the  institution  free  from  debt,  but  it  was 
regarded  everywhere,  and  by  all,  as  an  honorable  fixture  among  the 
educational  institutions  of  the  State. 

Twelve  hundred  youths — so  Dr.  Spalding  tells  us — were  either 
wholly,  or  in  part,  educated  at  St.  Mary's  during  the  twelve  years  that 
Father  Byrne  remained  at  its  head.  From  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  this  term,  the  school  was  regarded  with  favor  by  CathoUc  parents 
all  over  the  State.  The  popular  feeling  in  regard  to  it  was  due,  in 
the  first  place,  to  the  fact  that  discipline  was  preserved  in  the  school. 
Moral  and  religious  obligations  were  as  faithfully  impressed  on  the 
minds  of  the  pupils,  as  was  that  knowledge  which  is  merely  intel- 
lectual. The  boys  were  returned  to  their  parents  not  only  with  capaci- 
ties improved,  but  with  souls  uncontaminated.  Then  the  tuition 
cnarges  were  placed  at  figures  barely  sufficient  in  the  aggregate  to 
cover  the  necessary  and  very  moderate  expenses  of  the  establishment. 
Father  Byrne  valued  money  only  for  the  good  he  could  do  with  it,  and 
that  good  was  always  associated  in  his  mind  with  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  salvation  of  souls.  It  was  for  the  reasons  enumerated  that 
St.  Mary's   academy  was  deservedly  popular  throughout  the  State. 

In  the  beginning  of  his  career  as  an  educator,  and  for  several 
years  afterwards,  as  Dr.  Spalding  observes.  Father  Byrne  had  little 
assistance  from  any  one.  ' '  He  was  president  of  the  institution,  sole 
disciplinarian,  sole  prefect  and  almost  sole  professor."  His  rest  was 
often  interrupted  by  sick  calls,  and  his  waking  hours  by  other  minis- 
terial duties.  "  Yet,"  says  the  same  authority,  "he  found  time  for 
everything."  In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1831,  he  gave  a  most  con- 
vincing proof  of  the  utter  unselfishness  of  his  character  by  contract- 
ing with  the  fathers  of  the  society  of  Jesus,  two  associates  of  which 
order  had  reached  Kentucky  in  answer  to  an  invitation  sent  to  their 
provincial  in  France,  by  Bishop  Flaget,  to  surrender  to  them  the 
entire  ownership  and  control  of  the  St.  Mary's  academy  property. 
He  felt  that  more  was  being  expected  of  the  institution  than  it  was 
capable  of  giving  under  his  direction.  He  was  not  himself  a  learned 
man ;  nor  were  his  finances  in  a  condition  to  enable  him  to  employ  a 
competent  corps  of  professors.  He  had  labored  in  the  past,  not  for 
the  lucre  that  perishes,  nor  yet  for  human  glory,  but  with  a  view 
singly,  so  far  as  he  was  capable  of  conserving  them,  to  the  interests 
for  time  and  eternity  of  those  who  had  been  entrusted  to  his  guardian- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  285 

ship  and  tuition.  But  another  and  a  better  standard  of  education  was 
now  needed  and  expected  by  parents ;  and  he  thought  righdy  that  he 
should  take  advantage  of  the  presence  of  the  Jesuit  fathers  to  promote 
scholarship  among  the  youth  of  the  State. 

It  was  arranged  that  he  should  retain  the  presidency  of  the  insti- 
tution for  a  year,  after  which,  as  his  biographer  of  the  "Sketches" 
avers,  it  was  his  expectation  to  establish  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  or 
in  the  extreme  western  part  of  Kentucky,  an  institution  similar  to  that 
of  St.  Mary's  academy. 

Speaking  one  day  to  Bishop  Flaget  of  this  project  of  his,  that  pre- 
late raised  the  objection  that  he  had  no  money  with  which  to  carry  out 
his  design.  "  Little  will  be  needed,  bishop,"  he  answered,  "  I  think 
I  can  manage  the  business  with  a  horse  that  I  can  call  my  own,  and 
ten  dollars  in  money."  It  is  doubtful  if  Father  Byrne  was  provided 
with  a  more  extravagant  capital  when  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the 
present  St.  Mary's  college.  Nothing  ever  came  of  these  projects; 
they  ended  with  his  life  in  1833. 

William  Byrne  was  born  in  Wicklow  county,  Ireland,  about  the 
year  1780.  His  parents  were  simple  laboring  people,  pious  and  of 
good  repute.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  his  widowed  mother  and 
a  large  family  of  younger  children  were  principally  dependent  upon  the 
young  man  for  maintenance.  At  a  very  early  age  he  had  conceived 
the  idea  of  becoming  a  priest ;  bui  it  was  not  until  after  his  arrival  in 
America,  at  the  age  of  twenty -five  years,  that  opportunity  was  afforded 
him  to  prosecute  his  studies  to  that  end.  Soon  after  reaching  Balti- 
more, he  applied  for  admission  into  Georgetown  college,  then  and 
still  conducted  by  the  Jesuit  fathers,  as  a  candidate  for  holy  orders. 
He  was  received  on  probation;  but  it  was  soon  found  that  the  inade- 
quacy of  his  scholastic  attainments  would  prove  a  bar  to  his  priesdy 
preferment  in  the  society  of  Jesus.  He  next  presented  himself  before 
Archbishop  Carroll,  by  whose  advice  he  applied  for  admission  at  St. 
Mary's  college,  Emmittsburg.  Dr.  Dubois,  afterwards  bishop  of  New 
York,  received  him  kindly,  and  encouraged  him  to  persevere  in  the 
design  he  had  formed  to  study  for  the  sacred  ministry.  Very  soon  he 
was  appointed  to  an  important  office  in  the  college,  every  duty  of 
which  he  performed  with  exactitude  and  fidelity,  and  to  the  great 
satisfaction  of  his  superiors.  Mr.  Byrne  began  his  Latin  studies  when 
he  was  thirty  years  old.  At  an  age  so  advanced  comparatively,  he 
must  have  found  the  road  to  learning  filled  with  difficulties.  He  per- 
severed, however,  and  so  successful  were  his  efforts  regarded  by  his 
friends  that  he  was  in  time  accorded  a  place  among  the  students  of 
theology  in  St.  Mary's  seminary,  Baltimore.* 

*To  no  other  similar  institution  is  Catholicity  in  the  United  States  so  much 
indebted  for  priestly  recruits  as  to  the  Sulpician  seminary  of  St.  Mary's,  Balti- 
more. Bishop  Flaget  was  himself  a  member  of  the  order  of  St.  Sulpice,  and 
he  was  at  one  time  a  professor  in  the  Baltimore  institution.  A  number  of  our 
Kentucky  priests,  and  notably  Dr.  Reynolds,  late  bishop  of  Charleston,  pursued 
their  studies  at  St,  Mary's,     Among  the  officers  of  the  seminary  during  the  brief 


286  ST.  Mary's  college. 

Owing  to  some  difficulty,  the  nature  of  which  his  biographer  has 
not  chosen  to  communicate  to  the  readers  of  his   "Sketches,"   Mr. 
Byrne  left  the  seminary  a  short  while  after  having  entered  it.     He  was 
then  in  subdeacon's  orders,  and  he  was  therefore  bound  to  the  service 
of  the  Church  by  irrevocable  vows.     It  is  quite  certain  that  in  leaving 
St.  Mary's  he  had  no  idea  of  abandoning  his  chosen  vocation.     It  was 
most  likely  in  the  spring  of  1 8 13  that  he  journeyed  to  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  had  an  interview  with  Bishop  Flaget,  who  was  then  returning  from 
a  visit  he  had  paid  to  his  metropolitan,  the  archbishop  of  Baltimore. 
Soon  afterwards  we  find  him  a  student  in  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St. 
Thomas,  where,  if  the  writer's  chronology  be  not  defective,  he  must 
have  remained  until  the  date  of  his  ordination,  September  i8th,  18 19. 
That  ceremonial  took  place  in  the  then  recently  consecrated  cathedral 
of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown.     The  ordaining  prelate  was  Rt.  Rev.  John 
B.  David,  who,  only  a  month  before,  had  been  himself  raised  to  the 
episcopal  dignity  by  the  first  bishop  of  the  See.     The  late  Rev.  George 
A.  M.  Elder  was  also  ordained  at  the  same  time,  and  by  the  same  prelate. 
Father  Byrne  died  suddenly  of  cholera  at  St.  Mary's  college,  on 
the  5th  day  of  June,  1833.     This  deadly  plague  had  appeared  in  Ken- 
tucky the  year  before,  but  it  was  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1833 
that  it  ravaged  that  part  of  the  State  in  which  dwelt  most  of  its  Cath- 
olic population.     The  Jesuit  fathers  had  possession  of  St.  Mary's  at 
the  time ;  but  Father  Byrne  was  still  acting  as  president  of  the  insti- 
tution.    On  Monday,  the  3d  of  June  of  the  year  named,  he  was  called 
to  a  negro  woman  who  had  been  attacked  with  the  disease,  at  the 
house  of  Mrs.  Clement  Hill,  about  five  miles  from  the  college.     There 
was  no  faltering  on  the  part  of  the  good  priest  on  account  of  the  dan- 
ger, or  supposed  danger  to  which  he  would  be  exposed  in  bearing  to 
the  poor  afflicted  woman  the  consolations  of  his  ministry.     He  admin- 
istered to  her  the  last  sacraments  and  returned  to  the  college.     He 
again  visited  the  house  on  the  4th,  and  found  his  patient  a  corpse. 
Returning  late  at  night,  with  the  seeds  of  the  disease  in  his  own  sys- 
tem, he  retired  at  once  to  bed ;  but  he  rose  betimes  in  the  morning  of 
the  5th,  and,  though  weak  and  suffering,  he  repaired  to  the  altar  and 
offered  up  for  the  last  time  the  great  sacrifice  of  the  new  law  for  the 
living  and  the  dead.     From  that  altar  he  was  borne  to  his  bed ;  and 
eight  hours  later,  he  had  entered  into  the  rest  after  which  he  had  been 
striving  from  the  hour  he  had  been  capable  of  discerning  the  end  of 
his  creation.     A  day  or  two  later.  Father  McGuire,  S.  J.,  and  Mr. 
Hilary  Clark,   a  brother  of  the  late  Rev.   Edward  Clark,  who  was 
studying  at  the  time  for  the  priesthood,  died  of  the  epidemic  at  St. 
Mary's  college. 

A  unique  character  was  Father  Byrne.  He  was  an  ascetic  by 
nature.  He  rarely  smiled,  and  he  never  laughed.  Than  he,  no  man 
ever  more  completely  bridled  his  tongue  against  useless  speeches. 

stay  of  Mr.  Byrne  in  the  institution,  were  Drs.  John  Tessier,  Lewis  Deluol  and 
Edward  Damphoux,  all  men  of  great  learning  and  piety. 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  26]' 

But  once,  that  was  ever  heard  of  him,  during  his  entire  career  at  St. 
Mary's,  was  he  known  to  use  language  upon  which  it  was  possible  to 
place  a  jocular  construction.  When  the  destruction  by  fire  of  one 
wing  of  his  college  building  involved  him  in  heavy  pecuniary  losses, 
he  gave  way  to  no  repinings ;  but  he  complained  loudly  when  he  found 
that  the  same  conflagration  had  deprived  him  of  his  hat.  He  was  a 
rigid  disciplinarian,  austere  in  manner  and  speech,  and  it  must  be 
acknowledged,  harsh  at  times,  in  reproving  the  faults  of  his  pupils.* 

But  he  was  as  faithful  to  understood  duty  as  any  man  that  ever 
lived.     There  was  not  a  blot  of  selfishness  in  his  nature.      He  was 
strong  in  faith,  earnest  in  piety,  and  in  giving  himself  to  the  service  of 
God  m  the  sacred  ministry,  the  dedication  included  all  the  faculties  of 
his  mind  and  all  the  endurance  of  his  body.     The  archives  of  8t. 
Mary's  college,  while  that  institution  was  under  the  control   of  the 
Jesuit  fathers,  which  are  still  preserved  in  one  of  the  establishments  of 
the  society  in  New  York,  contain  in  substance  the  annexed  reference 
to  Father  Byrne:  "During  the  two  years  that  Father  Byrne  remained 
at  St.  Mary's  after  his  proffer  of  the  house  and  farm  to  the  society,  his 
whole  course  of  action  was  but  an  exhibition  of  christian  disinterested- 
ness towards  those  who,  after  a  brief  while,  were  to  succeed  him  in  the 
ownership  and  control  of  the  institution.    While  arranging  to  pass  over 
the  farm  and  college  to  us,  he  continued  to  spend  all  the  surplus  money 
he  received  in  improving  the  college  buildings,  apparatus  and  acces- 
sories.    He  did  everything  as  though  he  were  himself  to  enjoy  the 
fruits  of  his  labor.     He  did  this,  too,  in  the  face  of  the  fact,  that  dis- 
possessing himself  of  his  property  and  means,  he  was  literally  casting 
himself  upon  the  care  of  Providence  in  his  old  age,  which  was  fast 
approaching,  without  any  human  provision  for  his  maintenance.     No 
better  proof  than  is  here  recorded,  could  be  given  of  the  truly  apostolic 
character  of  this  good  priest.     He  led  a  most  austere  life,  and  he  was 
as  remarkable  for  his  devotedness  to  duty,  as  for  his  perseverance  and 
energy,  "t 

*  A  circumstance  that  came  within  my  own  Observation  will  indicate  what 
is  here  meant  by  the  term  harsh,  as  applied  to  Father  Byrne.  His  biographer 
does  not  mention  the  fact,  but  from  having  been  a  pupil  in  the  institution  I 
happen  to  know  that  in  1825  or  1826,  the  president  of  St.  Mary's  was  for  sev- 
eral weeks,  if  not  for  several  months,  attached  to  St.  Joseph's  college.  Bards- 
town.  On  the  occasion  to  which  I  refer  he  was  acting  in  the  capacity  of  prefect 
of  studies.  Near  the  close  of  the  study  hour,  one  of  the  lads  sitting  near  me, 
ordinarily  a  good  and  studious  boy,  was  guilty  of  some  slight  breach  of  the 
rules.  The  watchful  eyes  of  the  new  prefect  detected  the  act — I  forget  whether 
it  was  a  whispered  remark  addressed  to  the  boy  to  his  right,  or  a  grimace 
directed  to  the  one  on  his  left — and  in  answer  to  the  official's  beckoning  finger, 
the  detected  culprit,  little  fearing  anything  beyond  a  whispered  reprimand, 
marched  slowly  up  to  the  over-looking  rostrum.  To  the  surprise  of  the  lad's 
companions,  and  to  his  own  astonishment,  Father  Byrne  seized  him  by  the  arm 
and  boxed  his  ears  soundly.  I  have  never  since  doubted  that  on  that  occasion 
Father  Byrne  acted  harshly  as  well  as  rashly. 

tThe  notice  of  Father  Byrne  in  Dr.  Spalding's  "Sketches  of  Kentucky.  " 
is  the  substance  of  an  eulogy  pronounced  by  the  author  in  the  chapel  of  St. 


288  THE   MISSION    OF    LOUISVILLE. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE    MISSION    OF    LOUISVILLE. 

Though  the  greater  number  of  the  early  Catholic  colonists  of 
Kentucky  first  touched  the  soil  of  the  State  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio, 
after  leaving  the  rude  river  conveyances  upon  which  they  found  pas- 
sage from  Pittsburgh,  few,  if  any  of  them,  remained  in  the  town  for  a 
length  of  time  exceeding  a  week.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  was  a  single 
resident  of  the  town  who  pretended  to  be  a  Catholic  earlier  than  the 
year  1790,  The  first  Catholic,  or  rather  nominal  Catholic,  known  to 
have  lived  in  Louisville  as  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  was  Patrick  Joyes,  the  father  of  Thomas  and  Judge  John 
Joyes,  afterwards  leading  citizens  of  the  place.* 

Among  the  earlier  Irish  and  American  born  Catholic  residents  of 
Louisville  are  to  be  named,  Aaron  Brown,  William  Kearney,  Zacha- 
riah  Edelin,  John  Carroll,  Kieron  Campion,  Peter  Kearney  Thomas 
Clancy,  John  Enos,  Patrick  Rogers,  Edward  O'Brien,  Patrick  Maxcy, 

Lawrence  Byrne,  Thomas  K.  Byrne,  Andrew  Byrne,  Wybrant, 

James  Kennedy,  Pearce,  Patrick  and  John  Shannon,  Daniel  Dwyer, 
J.  McGilly  Cuddy,  John  Lyons,  Thomas  Haynes,  Peter  Rooney, 
John  P.  Declary,  Martin  Crowe,  James  Rudd,  Frank  McKay, 
James  Carroll,   Bernard   McGhee,  John  O'Beirne,  Daniel  Smith  and 

Mary's  college  on  the  5th  of  June,  1843,  the  anniversary  of  Father  Byrne's 
death.  The  occasion  was  the  erection  of  a  monument  by  the  fathers  over  the 
grave  of  their  benefactor.  This  monument  is  a  marble  prism  with  base  about 
three  feet  square,  rising  about  six  feet  above  the  pedestal.  It  was  put  up  with 
becoming  solemnity;  the  entire  college,  professors  and  students,  marching  in 
procession  to  the  little  grave-yard  on  the  crown  of  the  hill,  the  third  of  a  mile 
west  of  the  college,  where  rest  the  remains  of  the  founder  of  St.  Mary's,  and  of 
others  who  died  about  the  same  time.  A  clerical  friend  who  was  present  writes 
me:  "Some  charming  things  were  said  on  that  occasion  by  Fathers  Larkin, 
DeLuynes  and  Murphy.  "  I  was  honored  in  the  acquaintance  and  friendship 
of  these  fathers  and  I  have  reason  to  doubt  if  the  society  was  ever  represented 
in  this  country  by  three  more  learned  or  eloquent  men. 

*  He  is  not  supposed  to  have  practiced  his  religion  at  all,  since  his  children 
named,  both  of  whom  I  remember  fifty  years  ago,  were  never  regarded  as 
members  of  the  Church.  Judge  John  Joyes,  who  died  about  twelve  years 
ago,  became  a  Catholic  on  his  death-bed.  Patrick  Joyes,  Esq.,  a  leading 
lawyer  and  capitalist,  of  Louisville,  is  a  grandson  of  the  Irish  emigrant  first 
named  in  the  text. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  289 

Edward  Hughes.  All  of  these  are  supposed  to  have  been  residents 
of  Louisville,  some  as  early  as  the  year  1805,  and  all  as  early  as 
1825. 

In  December,  1792,  three  French  priests  met  in  Louisville,  each 
on  his  way  to  a  different  mission.  These  were,  Fathers  Lavadoux, 
Richard  and  Flaget.  Father  Lavadoux's  destination  was  Kaskaskias, 
that  of  Father  Richard,  Prairie  du  Rocher,  and  that  of  Father  Flaget, 
Vincennes.  It  is  more  than  likely  that  mass  was  celebrated  by  one 
or  the  other  of  them  at  some  point  in  the  town,  and  if  so,  it  is  reason- 
ably certam  that  this  was  the  first  time  that  knees  were  bent  in  adora- 
tion of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio.  Old  people 
assert  that  the  first  mass  offered  up  in  Louisville  by  a  missionary  priest 
accredited  to  the  CathoHc  people  of  the  State  was  celebrated  by  Father 
Badin,  in  the  house  of  Aaron  Brown,  some  time  during  the  year 
1805.* 

From  the  year  1806  to  the  year  181 1,  Father  Badin's  visits  to 
Louisville,  or  rather  to  those  parts  of  the  city  as  now  organized,  which 
were  then  independent  suburbs,  and  bore  the  names  of  Shippingport 
and  Portland,  were  as  frequent,  most  likely,  as  once  a  month. 
During  the  first  year  named  a  large  colony  of  Frenchmen,  with  their 
families,  reached  Louisville,  and  bought  lands  lying  from  one  and  n 
half  to  two  miles  south  of  the  city  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  river. 
The  idea  of  their  leaders,  John  A.  and  Louis  Tarascon,  was  to  use 
the  power  of  the  falls  for  milling  purposes.  All  of  these  should  h^ive 
been  Catholics,  and  a  few  of  them,  possibly,  were  such.  They  were 
compatriots  of  Father  Badin,  at  any  rate ;  and  it  was  but  natural  that 
he  should  have  taken  interest  in  their  religious  welfare.  Over  some 
of  them  he  did  acquire  influence  enough  to  induce  them  to  go  to  con- 
fession at  long  intervals,  and  though  the  great  body  of  them,  especially 
the  heads  of  families,  were  even  worse  than  neglectful  of  the  obliga- 
tions of  Catholic  faith,  he  had  but  to  suggest  to  them  an  expenditure 
for  any  worthy  object  in  order  to  secure  their  liberal  asssistance.f 

From  1806  to  181 1,  when  the  first  church  of  St.  Louis,  corner  of 
Main  and  Tenth  streets,  was  erected,  the  nominal  members  of  the  con- 

'■  This  Mr.  Brown  was  an  earnest  and  edifying  Catholic,  and  a  special 
favorite  of  both  Father  Badin  and  Bishop  Flaget.  Mr.  Thomas  Carroll,  of 
Louisville,  whose  acquaintance  I  have  valued  for  more  than  a  half  century, 
who  married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Brown,  tells  me  of  a  conversation  once  held 
between  his  father-in-law  and  the  proto-priest  of  the  United  States: 

"You  have  been  a  good  friend  to  the  Church,  Mr,  Brown,"  said  Father 
Badin. 

*'  I  have  done  little  enough  for  God,  Father  Badin,"  replied  his  friend. 

"Little  enough,  to  be  sure,"  returned  the  priest,  "but  something  to  be 
thankful  for,  and  to  be  rewarded,  too,  in  God's  good  time.  He  never  forgets 
his  friends.     It  is  not  so  with  men.     Eaten  bread  is  soon  forgotten." 

t These  are  the  people  of  whom  Father  Nerinckx  wrote  in  1807:  "The 
French  are  the  worst  portion  of  the  people,  and  few  catechisms  in  that  lan- 
guage are  bought,  few  confessions  heard,  but  plenty  of  curses  uttered.  There 
is,  however,  an  old  French  dragoon  of  ninety  years  who  goes  monthly  to  his 
duty."     [Life  of  C.  Nerinckx,  p  126.] 

19 


290  THE    MISSION    OF    LOUISVILLE. 

gregation  numbered  three  French  famiUes  to  one  of  any  other  nation- 
ality. With  very  few  exceptions,  however,  the  homes  of  the  former 
were  outside  of  the  town  limits.  John  A.  and  Louis  Tarascon,  the 
leaders  and  capitalists  of  the  French  colony,  built  for  themselves  a  resi- 
dence on  the  bank  of  the  river,  just  below  the  falls;  and  on  the  rocky 
bed  of  the  stream  itself,  where  there  was  little  water,  and,  in  dry  sea- 
sons, none  at  all,  they  put  up  a  large  and  substantial  flouring  mill.  ^  In 
the  vicinity  of  their  residence,  and  lower  down  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  at  the  point,  now  occupied  by  the  suburb  of  Portland,  settled  the 
greater  number  of  their  fellow-colonists;  and  in  time,  with  accessions 
to  their  numbers  of  emigrants  from  France,  grew  up  two  villages,  a  half 
mile  distant  from  each  other,  to  which  were  respectively  given  the 
names  of  Shippingport  and  Portland.* 

In  the  year  1810,  Father  Badin,  who  had  long  contemplated  a 
movement  in  this  direction,  appealed  to  his  people  of  all  nationalities, 
for  such  assistance  as  would  enable  him  to  put  up  a  church  in  Louis- 
ville. His  dependence  was  chiefly  upon  his  French  compatriots,  bu' 
he  saw  very  plainly  that  he  could  not  depend  upon  these  to  fill  the 
church  after  it  should  be  built.  Hence  it  was  that  he  insisted  upon  a 
site  for  the  church  inside  of  the  town  limits  of  Louisville.  The  site 
finally  fixed  on  was  the  lot  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Tenth  streets, 
which  Father  Badin  would  seem  to  have  previously  secured  as  a  place 
of  burial  for  Catholics,  and  which,  as  the  tradition  runs,  was  a  gift  from 
John  A.  Tarascon.  When  the  contract  was  made  for  the  building  of 
the  church.  May  ist,  181 1,  the  sum  of  two  thousand  and  one  hujadred 
dollars  had  been  subscribed  toward  its  erection,  f 

*In  the  spring  of  1832,  in  the  company  of  two  lady  friends  of  the  family,  I 
visited  the  surviving  brother,  Louis  Tarascon,  vi^ho  was  living  at  the  time  with 
an  unmarried  daughter  or  niece  in  the  then  somewhat  dilapidated  one-story 
brick  cottage  put  up  by  the  brothers  in  1806.  The  mill  erected  by  them  at  the 
same  time  was  then  idle.  So  strongly  were  its  foundations  laid,  however,  that 
to  the  present  day  it  is  regarded  as  substantial  enough  to  answer  all  the  require- 
ments of  its  present  owners,  the  Louisville  Cement  Company,  who  are  prose- 
cuting in  it  their  heavy  operations  in  the  grinding  of  cement.  Only  partially 
have  I  been  successful  in  my  endeavor  to  secure  the  names  borne  by  the  French 
colonists  of  1806.     Prominent  among  them,  however,  were  the  brothers  John  A. 

and   Louis  Tarascon,  James  and  Nicholas  Berthoud,  Dr.  James  Offand,  

Huguenn,  Daniel  and  Samuel  Raymond,  John  and  Fortunatus  Gilly,  Marius 
Offand,  John  A,  Honore,  M.  DeGallon,  M.  Cerode,  M.  DuPont  and  Eugene 
Perot. 

tl  have  in  my  possession  the  "plans  and  specifications,  "  submitted  by  the 
trustees  of  the  church,  the  first  for  any  form  of  worship  built  in  Louisville,  and 
the  contract  signed  by  the  builders.  Both  of  these  documents  are  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Warden  Pope,  then  and  for  long  years  afterward,  the  county  clerk 
of  Jefferson.  The  names  of  the  trustees  as  given  are  "  Warden  Pope,  Stephen 
T.  Badin,  J.  Gwathney  and  J.  A.  Tarascon.  "  Those  of  the  builders  are  Wil- 
liam Kearney  and  Zachariah  Edelin.  It  will  surprise  the  reader  to  learn  that 
Mr.  Pope  and  Mr.  Gwathney,  both  of  whom  I  remember  well,  were  non-Cath- 
olics. Mr.  Pope,  certainly,  however,  and  possibly  Mr.  Gwathney,  also,  was 
Father  Badin's  personal  friend,  and  it  was  from  him,  as  often  as  from  others,  he 
accepted  hospitality  when  in  Louisville.     Of  the  first  named  of  the  builders, 


M.  HENRY  DeGALLON, 
From  a  crayon  drawing,  executed  in  1819,  by  John  James  Audubon. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  291 

The  church  of  St.  Louis  was  opened  for  service  on  Christmas  day, 
or  thereabouts,  1811.  It  was  not  finished,  however,  for  years  after- 
wards. In  February,  181 7,  Bishop  Flaget  issued  a  printed  circular 
addressed  "  To  the  Inhabitants  of  Louisville,"  in  which  he  informs 
them  that  he  had  appointed  in  place  of  Father  Badin,  who  had  resigned 
the  pastorship,  "  Rev.  G.  I.  Chabrat  to  take  charge  of  the  congrega- 
tion." He  goes  on  to  say.  "  Knowing  his  good  will  and  zeal,  I  hope 
he  will  use  his  utmost  endeavors  to  comply  with  his  duty  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  deserve  the  approbation  of  the  Catholics  of  Louisville 
and  my  own."  "Considering,"  says  he,  "the  pitiable  and  ruinous 
state  your  church  is  in,  I  have  particularly  enjoined  him  to  set  forth  a 
new  subscription  for  the  finishing  it;  and  I  flatter  myself  that  you  will 
redouble  your  exertions  (to  that  end),  and  by  showing  your  generosity 
encourage  me  to  provide  you  with  the  regular  attendance  of  a  good 
pastor.  The  Lord  loves  cheerful  givers,  and  as  He  is  the  sovereign 
dispenser  of  all  blessings.  He  never  suffers  himself  to  be  overcome  in 
acts  of  generosity."  Since  the  church  was  soon  afterwards  finished, 
it  is  to  be  supposed  that  the  bishop's  appeal  was  heeded  by  Catholic 
public  sentiment,  and  the  costs  promptly  met  by  liberal  donations. 

It  is  not  believed  that  a  regular  pastor  for  the  congregation  of  St. 
Louis  was  provided  before  the  year  1822,  when  occurred  a  fever  epi- 
demic that  carried  off  hundreds  of  the  population.  As  has  always 
been  the  case,  in  this  country  and  elsewhere,  when  visitations  of  this 
kind  have  decimated  populations  and  caused  people  to  flee  their 
homes  in  order  to  escape  sickness  and  death,  there  was  no  faltering 
on  the  part  of  the  clergy.  Father  Philip  Horstman,  a  young  priest 
of  the  diocese,  then  but  a  few  years  ordained,  had  been  charged  by 
his  bishop  with  the  care  of  the  churches  of  St.  Michael,  Fairfield,  St. 
John,  Bullitt  county,  and  St.  Louis,  Louisville.  On  the  appearance 
of  the  disease  among  his  parishioners  of  Louisville,  he  was  called 
immediately  to  the  city,  and  there,  night  and  day,  he  literally  gave 
himself  up  to  the  needs  of  the  occasion;  and,  with  no  thought  of  self, 
labored  to  make  his  ministry  effective  for  the  good  of  souls.  This  he 
did  until,  himself  prostrated  by  the  disease,  he  rose  upon  its  sombre 
wings  as  high  as  heaven.  * 

William  Kearney,  I  have  no  Recollection.  If  I  mistake  not,  he  was  the  father 
the  late  John  Kearney,  Esq.,  at  one  time  a  leading  lawyer  of  Louisville,  and  a 
pious  Catholic,  and  the  father-in-law,  also,  of  the  late  Hon.  James  Speed,  for- 
merly mayor  of  the  city.  Zachariah  Edelin,  whom  I  knew  well  in  his  later 
years,  was  a  most  exemplary  Catholic.  I  am  inclined  to  the  belief  that  he  was 
the  only  emigrant  from  Maryland  among  the  early  Catholic  residents  of  Louis- 
ville. He  lived  for  a  half  century  on  the  corner  of  Jefferson  and  Brook  streets, 
where  he  died  about  the  year  1852. 

*  Father  Horstman  was  known  in  all  the  congregations  served  by  him  as 
Father  Austin.  Mr.  Michael  Rogers,  an  old  and  much  respected  citizen  of 
Louisville,  a  son  of  Patrick  Rogers,  who  came  to  the  city  early  in  the  present 
century,  tells  me  of  an  occasion  when  he  was  sent  to  Fairfield  by  his  father  to 
summon  Father  Austin  to  the  bedside  of  one  of  his  dying  parishioners.  The 
epidemic  fever  of  1822  was  supposed  at  the  time  to  be  the  yellow  fever  of  the 


292 


THE    MISSION    OF    LOUISVILLE. 


In  1823  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell  was  removed  from  his  former  mis- 
sion in  Breckinridge  county  and  other  districts  in  Southwestern  Ken- 
tucky, and  given  charge  of  the  church  and  congregation  of  St.  Louis, 
Louisville.  Here  there  was  presented  to  this  talented  young  priest  a 
field  of  labor  that  was  altogether  different  from  those  that  had  hitherto 
wakened  his  zeal  and  given  occupation  to  his  hands.  In  the  country, 
he  had  met  with  poverty,  indeed,  but  it  was  not  of  that  grinding 
character  which  is  so  frequently  a  phase  of  its  presence  where  men 
congregate  together  in  large  numbers.  On  the  other  hand,  his  associa- 
tion had  been  with  plain  country  people,  wholly  unsophisticated,  good 
livers,  it  may  be,  but  possessing  nothing  for  ostentation;  and  now  he 
found  himself  at  times  an  honored  guest  in  the  houses  of  the  rich  and 
the  fashionable,  and  sometimes  in  those  of  the  intellectual  and  ambi- 
tious. He  naturally  found  many  new  phases  of  life  to  study,  did  this 
student  of  nature,  and  the  lessons  he  learned  were  not  unfavorable  to 
his  ministerial  efficiency.  The  little  church  was  better  filled  now  than 
formerly,  and  it  was  noticed  that  there  were  now  many  more  Protest- 
ants and  non-Catholics  among  the  auditors  when  time  for  preaching 
arrived. 

Father  Abell's  parishioners  at  'this  time,  were  not  alone  the 
Catholic  residents  of  Louisville  proper,  and  its  neighboring  suburbs  of 
Shippingport  and  Portland.  He  was  amenable  to  calls  at  any  time  to 
any  part  of  the  surrounding  country,  as  far  south  as  St.  John's  church 
in  Bullitt  county,  and  to  visitations  of  the  sick  in  both  Jeffersonville 
and  New  Albany,  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Ohio.  Then  his  bishop 
was  constantly  finding  for  him  extraneous  work  hundreds  of  miles 
away  from  the  seat  of  his  mission,  and  at  times  beyond  the  borders  of 
Kentucky.  On  one  such  occasion,  when  he  was  called  to  a  point  in 
Southern  Kentucky  that  lay  close  to  the  border  line  of  Tennessee,  an 
incident  took  place  that  will  bear  relating.  It  is  to  be  borne  in  mind 
that  at  the  time  referred  to,  popular  ignorance  in  respect  to  Catholicity 
and  Catholics  was  much  more  common  than  now.  There  were  then 
numbers  of  people  to  be  found,  honest  and  well-meaning  men  and 
women,  too,  who  would  no  more  willingly  have  admitted  a  Catholic  to 
social  companionship  with  them,  than  they  would  have  granted  a  like 
boon  to  an  untamed  savage.  With  the  presence  of  Catholics  in  con- 
siderable numbers  in  different  parts  of  the  State,  this  popular  senti- 
ment of  mixed  hostility  and  fear  gradually  disappeared  from  the  minds 
of  non-Catholics  residing  in  these  particular  neighborhoods,  but  u  still 
retained  its  hold  upon  those  of  others  who  were  living  in  wholly  Pro- 
testant districts.  Into  such  a  neighborhood  Father  Abell  happened  to 
be  thrown  on  the  occasion  to  which  reference  has  been  made.  The 
journey  was  a  long  one,  and  in  order  to  prosecute  it  as  directly  as  pos- 
sible, he  was  obliged,  for  a  part  of  the  way,  to  pass  through  a  district 
of  country  with  which  he  was  wholly  unfamiliar.     About  the  middle 

tropics.     Its  fatality  was  so  great  that  fully  one-fifth  of  the  population  was 
carried  off  by  its  ravages. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  «93 

of  the  afternoon,  on  his  second  day  out  from  home,  being  at  the  time 
much  fatigued,  he  stopped  at  a  comfortable  looking  farm  house  on  the 
roadside,  and  applied  for  accommodations  for  the  night.  He  was  told 
by  a  negro  woman  who  appeared  at  his  summons,  that  her  master  and 
mistress  had  "gone  to  camp-meeting,"  but  that  she  was  expecting 
them  soon,  and  she  had  no  doubt  they  would  "keep  him  over- 
night." She  had  scarcely  ceased  speaking,  when  the  parties  she  had 
referred  to  were  seen  approaching  the  house.  They  soon  reached  the 
stile,  and  Father  Abell  repeated  his  request,  this  time  to  the  proper 
party,  by  whom  he  was  welcomed  with  the  ordinary  show  of  hos- 
pitality, and  bidden  to  dismount  and  have  his  horse  cared  for. 

"You  are  just  in  time  for  a  square  meal,  stranger,"  he  added; 
"we  have  ourselves  eaten  nothing  since  breakfast,  and  we  are  going 
to  have  our  dinner  and  supper  all  in  one."  Upon  reaching  the  house, 
water  and  a  towel  were  placed  before  the  priest  for  his  ablutions,  and 
for  a  httle  while  he  was  left  to  himself.  Dinner  was  soon  served, 
however,  and  it  proved  to  be  both  excellent  and  plentiful.  The  meal 
over,  Father  Abell  was  asked  to  take  a  seat  on  the  porch  while  his  host 
was  attending  to  some  business  on  the  farm.  The  opportunity  was  a 
favorable  one  for  finishing  his  office,  begun  in  the  saddle,  and  the 
priest  did  not  permit  it  to  pass  unimproved.  It  had  been  threatening 
rain  all  the  afternoon,  and  Father  Abell  had  but  finished  his  office  and 
returned  his  book  to  his  pocket  when  a  storm  set  in  that  gave  promise 
of  long  continuance.  While  still  engaged  upon  his  office,  he  had 
noticed  that  the  children  of  the  household,  of  whom  there  appeared  to 
be  fully  a  dozen,  pardy  white  and  partly  black,  were  peeping  furtively 
at  him  from  the  doorway,  and  by  the  time  the  rain  had  set  in  they  had 
invaded  the  porch  and  were  noisily  engaged  in  play  at  its  further  end. 
Presently  the  farmer  himself  entered  upon  the  scene,  drew  up  a  chair 
to  the  priest's  side,  and  began  to  ply  him  with  questions: 

"  A  minister  of  the  Gospel,  I  reckon?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  Father  Abell. 

"Presbyterian?" 

"No." 

"  Baptist,  maybe  ?" 

"No." 

' '  You  aint  a  Methodist  circuit  rider  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Nor  a  'Piscopal  minister  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Nor  a  Congregational,  nor  New  Light?" 

"No." 

' '  Then  what  sort  of  minister  are  you  ?  "  demanded  the  astonished 
man,  who  had  evidently  reached  the  extremity  of  his  knowledge  of 
Protestant  denominational  nomenclature. 

"  I  am  a  Roman  Cathohc  priest,"  answered  Father  Abell. 

Had  a  bombshell  exploded  beneath  his  feet  the  man  could  not  have 
betrayed  more  unqualified  terror.     He  jumped  from  his  chair  and 


294  THE   MISSION   OF    LOUISVILLE. 

sprang  toward  the  parti-colored  group  at  the  end  of  the  porch  as  if  his 
first  thought  was  for  the  protection  of  these  from  the  fangs  of  some 
ravenous  animal  that  had  suddenly  found  lodgement  in  their  midst. 

"  Children,"  cried  he,  "  go  in  to  your  motlier  !  And  you,"  he  con- 
tinued, addressing  their  black  companions,  "cut  away  to  your  cabins!" 
He  then  began  to  shout  for  "Joe,"  who  turned  out  to  be  a  colored  youth 
of  twenty,  having  charge  of  the  stables.  In  a  moment  more  this  per- 
sonage was  to  be  seen  leaping  toward  the  porch  through  the  driving 
rain;  and  upon  his  approach,  his  master  said  to  him  in  a  decisive  tone 
of  voice :  "Joe,  go  to  the  stable  and  get  this  man's  horse.  He  can't 
stay  here  to-night." 

"  Yes,  massa,"  replied  the  boy,  turning  to  depart. 

"Stop,  Joe  !  "  thundered  Father  Abell,  as  he  raised  himself  to  his 
fall  height  and  contemptuously  regarded  the  fear-stricken  farmer; 
"  your  master  does  not  mean  to  turn  me  out  into  the  rain  !  He  would 
treat  a  dog  with  more  consideration  than  that.  Besides,  I  know  when 
I  am  well  off,  and  my  determination  is  fixed  not  to  stir  a  foot  beyond 
my  present  quarters  to-night."  Turning  then  to  the  farmer,  he  con- 
tinued, "Look  you,  sir!  You  pretend  to  be  a  christian,  and  yet,  in 
defiance  of  christian  precept  and  of  christian  usage  from  the  day  the 
Redeemer  walked  the  earth  to  the  present  moment,  you  would  drive  a 
fellow  human  creature  from  your  door  and  out  into  a  storm  like  this ! 
The  priest  and  the  levite  spoken  of  in  the  gospel  only  '  passed  on  the 
other  side;'  they  did  no  personal  injury  to  the  victim  of  man's 
malevolence  and  cupidity.  Had  they  done  as  you  propose  to  do,  they 
would  have  finished  the  work  begun  by  the  robbers  and  saved  the 
good  Samaritan  the  costs  expended  by  him  for  the  unfortunate 
traveler's  treatment  and  maintenance  at  the  inn.  You  know  nothing 
about  Catholics  or  their  religion.  You  imagine  both  to  be  just  what 
they  are  not.  Catholics  could  do  you  no  injury  if  they  would  ;  neither 
would  they  if  they  could.  Now,  sir,"  he  continued,  "  I  am  going  to 
be  perfectly  frank  with  you.  I  shall  hold  you  strictly  to  your  pledged 
word  to  furnish  me  with  lodgings  for  the  night;  and  my  advice  to  you  is 
this  :  Bid  this  colored  fellow  go  about  his  business,  and  show  me  to 
my  room."  The  priest's  suggestion  was  followed  out  by  the  farmer, 
but  ungraciously  enough,  and  Father  Abell  retired  to  a  comfortable 
chamber  and  bed.  He  was  up  betimes  in  the  morning;  but  early  as  he 
had  arisen,  the  farmer  was  up  before  him,  and  the  first  objects  that 
met  his  eyes  upon  reaching  the  spot  where  the  colloquy  of  the  even- 
ing before  had  taken  place,  were  his  own  beast,  tethered  to  the  hitch- 
ing-post  beside  the  stile,  and  the  form  of  his  disobliging  host  standing 
beside  him.  Advancing  toward  the  spot.  Father  Abell  bade  the  man 
good  morning,  and  pulling  out  his  purse,  demanded  the  amount  of 
his  bill. 

"  I  want  none  of  your  money,"  answered  the  man,  gruffly. 

"  But  I  insist  on  paying  you,"  returned  the  priest.  "You  need 
not  fear  contamination  from  handling  the  coins,"  he  continued; 
"they  have  not  been  long  enough  in  my  possession  for  that." 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY. 


295 


The  man  still  declining,  the  priest  laid  upon  the  ^tile  what  he  sup- 
posed was  an  ample  sum  to  cover  the  costs  of  his  entertainment,  and 
then,  unhitching  his  horse,  he  leaped  into  the  saddle.  Before  facing 
the  road,  however,  he  ventured  a  parting  shot  at  his  entertainer: 

"I  say,  sir  !  "  he  cried  :  "I  think  you  will  find  your  children  all 
right  this  morning;  but  in  case  you  should  find  on  anyone  of  them  the 
mark  of  the  beast,  I  want  you  to  understand  distinctly  that  its  impress 
is  due  to  another  than  myself.     Farewell,  sir !  " 

Singularly  enough,  so  runs  the  story,  this  very  man  and  Father 
Abell  became  afterwards  fast  friends.  It  is  even  said  that  on  one 
occasion  the  farmer  threatened  to  shoot  the  priest  should  he  ever  pre- 
sume to  accept  of  hospitality  in  his  neighborhood  from  another  than 
himself. 

The  jubilee  proclaimed  by  Pope  Leo  the  Twelfth  for  the  second 
quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century  took  place  in  Louisville  in  the  fall 
of  the  year  1826,  and  the  result,  y?/?v  commufiions,  was  considered  at 
the  time  as  extraordinary.*  The  preachers  of  the  jubilee  were  Rev. 
Francis  P.  Kenrick  and  Rev.  Ignatius  A.  Reynolds.  They  were 
accompanied  by  Bishop  Flaget,  who,  at  the  close  of  the  exercises, 
administered  the  sacrament  of  confirmation  to  twenty  persons. 

Some  time  in  the  winter  that  followed  the  preaching  of  the  jubilee 
in  Kentucky,  t  Bishop  Flaget  had  arranged  with  Dr.  Joseph  Rosati, 
then  but  recently  consecrated  bishop  of  St.  Louis,  to  make  with  him 
a  joint  visitation  of  the  churches  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  This  was 
done,  most  likely,  with  a  view  to  the  transfer  of  these  churches  to 
the  ecclesiastical  supervision  of  their  newly  consecrated  prelate.  A 
close  carriage  was  provided  for  the  pair,  and  they  were  accompanied 
in  their  visitation  by  Father  Robert  A.  Abell,  in  the  capacity,  as  he 
used  to  relate,  of  "postillion  and  man  of  all  work."  While  the 
bishops  were  comfortably  ensconced  inside  the  vehicle,  his  place  was 
on  the  box,  where  he  was  a  conspicuous  mark  for  the  fury  of  the 
elements.  Not  only  was  he  required  to  do  his  full  share  of  missionary 
work  from  the  beginning  of  the  visitation  to  its  end,  but  he  was 
expected  to  preach  at  every  stopping  point.  On  one  particular  occa- 
sion he  came  very  near  rebelling  against  this  latter  arrangement. 
The  party  had  been  on  the  road  from  early  morning,  hoping  to  reach 

*Let  any  Catholic  of  Louisville  of  to-day  compare  this  result  with  the 
ordinary  Sunday  morning  communions  in  his  own  parish  church,  and  he  can 
make  his  own  estimate  of  the  proportionate  increase  of  the  Catholic  popula- 
tion of  the  city  in  the  intervening  fifty-eight  years.  Reckoning  the  present 
population  of  the  city  at  150,000  souls,  it  is  the  belief  of  many  well-informed 
persons  that  all  of  one-half  of  them  have  been  the  recipients  of  Catholic  fcap- 
tism.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  regular  attendance  at  the  Sunday  services  in 
the  churches,  Protestant  and  Catholic,  exhibits  a  most  striking  comparison. 
Two-thirds  of  the  Sunday  church-goers  in  Louisville  are  undoubtedly  Catholics. 

1 1  am  in  some  doubt  as  to  the  accuracy  of  this  date.  A  memorandum 
made  by  me  several  years  ago  fixes  the  date  of  the  incident  to  be  related  in 
the  text  a  year  earlier.  The  discrepancy  will  not  affect  the  narrative,  however, 
which  came  to  me  from  the  lips  of  Father  Abell  himself. 


296  THE   MISSION   OF   LOUISVILLE. 

Kaskaskias,  where  an  appointment  had  been  made  fof  service  in  the 
evening,  in  time  for  previous  rest  and  refection.  They  had  not  pro- 
ceeded far,  however,  before  a  driving  snow  storm  set  in,  rendering 
their  after-progress  slow  and  difficult.  The  rest  of  the  story  is  pre- 
sented in  Father  Abell's  own  words : 

' '  It  was  a  biting,  blistering,  driving  storm,  the  like  of  which  is 
seldom  witnessed  in  Kentucky.  The  wind  was  direct  from  the  north, 
and,  charging  over  the  level  prairie,  it  cut  like  a  knife.  Under  its 
fierce  action  the  snow  was  powdered  into  minute  crystals  whose  sharp 
contact  with  the  exposed  parts  of  my  person  was  peculiarly  discom- 
forting. In  a  broken  and  wooded  country,  such  as  I  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  in  my  own  State,  progression  would  have  been  impossible. 
Here  there  were  no  hollows  to  be  filled  by  the  drifting  snow,  and  no 
heights  to  be  laid  bare.  As  it  was,  we  got  along  slowly  and  painfully 
enough,  and  I  could  not  help  contrasting  in  my  own  mind  the  com- 
parative comfort  of  the  dignitaries  inside  the  carriage  and  my  own 
misery.  I  might  have  complained  aloud  but  for  my  conviction  that 
either  of  the  bishops  would  have  gladly  exchanged  places  with  me 
had  they  not  both  felt  themselves  incapable  of  guiding  the  horses. 

"  It  WrtS  dusk  when  we  reached  the  residence  of  the  parish  priest 
at  Kaskaskias,  and  we  had  but  time  to  snatch  a  hasty  meal  before  we 
were  hurried  off  to  the  church.  While  on  our  way  thither,  I  ventured 
to  appeal  to  the  bishops,  for  this  once,  to  release  me  from  the  obliga- 
tion of  preaching.  'Your  Lordships,'  said  I,  'I  am  altogether  out  of 
sorts.  The  cold  has  invaded  my  mind,  as  well  as  my  bones,  and  1 
do  not^  believe  I  could  to-night  muster  an  idea  fit  to  be  thrown  to  a 
dog.'  They  would  not  heed  me,  and  though  I  made  no  complaint  in 
words,  my  vexation  was  made  sufficiently  apparent.  '  We  can  not 
excuse  you  from  preaching,  Father  Abell,'  said  Dr.  Rosati,  'but  we 
will  wilhngly  excuse  you  from  other  than  a  brief  discourse.  1  doubt  if 
another  Fenelon  could  keep  me  awake  beyond  a  half-hour  to-night.' 

"  Reaching  the  church,  the  bishops  and  the  resident  pastor  robed 
themselves  and  proceeded  at  once  to  the  sanctuary,  leaving  me  shivering 
over  a  newly  lighted  fire  in  the  sacristy.  I  felt  at  the  time,  if  it  were 
only  to  be  had,  that  a  glass  of  wine  would  do  much  to  relieve  the 
dead  feeling  that  pervaded  me,  body  and  mind ;  and  seeking  diligently, 
I  was  fortunate  enough  to  discover  a  bottle  of  vin  ordinaire,  two-thirds 
full,  snugly  resting  on  a  shelf  in  the  sacristy  cupboard.  It  was  well 
for  me  that  there  were  no  temperance  societies,  so-called,  in  those  days. 
Had  there  been,  and  had  my  name  appeared  on  any  one  of  their  rolls 
of  membership,  it  is  beyond  question,  in  the  face  of  circumstances  so 
overpowering,  that  I  would  have  incontinently  backsUded  and  proven 
myself  an  unfitting  subject  for  reform.  A  couple  of  glasses  infused 
warmth,  and  a  third,  exhilaration.  I  was  a  new  man ;  and  as  I 
mounted  the  pulpit-stairs  a  few  minutes  later,  I  felt  that  I  was  equal 
to  the  effort  I  had  suddenly  determined  to  make.  My  sermon  should 
be  of  the  longest,  and  Dr.  Rosati  should  be  made  to  acknowledge 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  297 

that  he  had  not  slept,  nor  been  inclined  to  sleep,  during  its  delivery. 
'*I  am  not  always  certain  of  my  capabilities  while  endeavoring  to 
elucidate  a  particular  topic,  but  on  this  occasion  my  self-confidence  was 
assured.  I  had  preached  on  the  same  subject  many  times  before,  but 
I  had  not  felt  on  any  one  of  those  occasions  a  tithe  of  the  impulse 
that  seemed  now  to  pervade  and  expand  my  whole  intellectual  being. 
A  new  and  strange  train  of  thought  had  taken  possession  of  me,  and 
it  appeared  as  if  my  tongue  had  suddenly  learned  the  trick  of  culling 
from  the  vocabulary  of  expression  the  precise  terms  that  were  best 
suited  to  convey  to  others  the  evolutions  that  were  going  on  in  my  own 
mind.  I  went  on  and  on,  alike  forgetful  of  my  surroundings  and  the 
passage  of  time,  until  my  voice  began  to  fail;  and  it  was  then  only  that 
I  ceased  to  speak. 

"The  service  having  been  hastily  concluded  by  the  bishops,  we  all 
repaired  to  the  sacristy.  I  was  beginning  to  feel  a  little  nervous,  and 
the  looks  of  Dr.  Rosati  were  not  particularly  reassuring.  He  said  not 
a  word,  however,  until  he  had  disrobed  himself  and  reassumed  his  ordi- 
nary apparel.  Then,  diving  into  his  pocket  after  his  watch,  he 
approached  me  and  held  its  face  immediately  under  my  eyes.  I  began 
to  stammer  out  an  apology,  when,  throwing  his  arms  about  me,  he 
exclaimed:  'No  apologies,  Father  Abell!  You  have  to-night  well  nigh 
wrought  a  miracle!  You  have  held  me  from  the  alpha  to  the  omega  of 
your  two  hours'  discourse  chain-bound  to  interest,  which,  as  you  should 
know,  is  death  to  somnolency.  Ah,  Father  Abell,  yours  is  a  wonderful 
gift!  You  spoke  as  if  you  were  inspired!'  When  I  told  him  of  the 
source  of  my  inspiration,  his  fat  sides  fairly  shook  with  unrestrained 
laughter. " 

From  and  after  the  year  1826  the  flow  of  Catholic  emigration  to 
Kentucky  was  perceptibly  on  the  increase,  and  almost  its  entire  tide 
turned  to  Louisville.  Not  as  formerly  were  the  emigrants  American 
born,  and  few  of  them  were  from  France.  Little  by  little,  and  increas- 
ing each  year  with  greater  force  until  1855,  ^^^  stream  of  emigra- 
tion that  set  toward  the  State  was  from  Ireland  and  Germany,  much  the 
greater  part  of  its  volume  being  from  the  former  country.  The  little 
church  of  St.  Louis  was  becoming  uncomfortably  crowded  at  both  first 
and  second  mass ;  and  Father  Abell  began  to  perceive  that  he  would 
soon  be  compelled  to  provide  in  some  way  a  more  commodious  church 
for  his  congregation.  This  idea  of  his,  however,  was  temporarily 
displaced  by  a  journey  he  made  to  Europe  in  the  summer  of  1826. 
Whether  this  journey  was  prompted  by  his  desire  to  see  something  of 
the  world  beyond  his  own  country,  or  was  suggested  and  planned  by 
Bishop  Flaget,  as  was  supposed  at  the  time  and  since  by  a  number  of 
the  best  informed  of  the  clergy  of  the  diocese,  in  order  to  give  his 
young  cleric  opportunities  to  learn  through  personal  intercourse  with 
certain  French  rhetoricians  to  whom  it  was  his  purpose  to  commend  him, 
wherein  there  was  room  for  improvement  in  his  style  of  oratory, 
has  been  with  the  writer  a  question  of  serious  doubt. 


jpS  THE   MISSION   OF    LOUISVILLE. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  the  first  bishop  of  Kentucky  was  not 
wholly  satisfied  with  his  subordinate's  ofi"-hand  manner,  whether  in 
the  pulpit  or  out  of  it,  and  it  may  well  be  that,  having  such  deep 
convictions  respecting  his  mental  superiority,  he  should  have  consid- 
ered it  an  advantage  gained  if  he  could  induce  him  to  submit  to  a 
toning-down  process  with  French  polish.  * 

He  is  supposed  to  have  reached  Paris  as  early  as  June,  1826,  and 
to  have  remained,  for  the  better  part  of  a  year,  a  guest  of  one  or 
another  of  his  bishop's  ecclesiastical  and  personal  friends.  In  manner, 
Father  Abell  was  superior  to  art,  and  though  it  is  not  unlikely  that  he 
learned  much  during  his  sojourn  in  Paris  that  he  found  afterwards  of 
value  to  him  as  a  priest,  it  is  questionable  if  he  was  a  whit  improved 
in  those  particulars  wherein  he  had  been  accounted  most  faulty.  He 
could  neither  learn  or  comprehend  the  nicer  conventionalities  of  soci- 
ety. Long  afterwards  he  was  wont  to  say  of  himself,  '  *  I  am  but  a 
child  of  nature,  and  I  owe  little  to  education  for  the  development  of 
my  mental  powers.  If  any  spark  of  eloquence  has  hitherto  fired  my 
tongue,  it  was  caught  up  from  the  flints  of  my  own  native  hills."  It  is 
more  than  questionable  if  the  precise  and  pedantic  modes  of  pulpit 
oratory  so  much  affected  by  men  of  learning  and  piety  fifty  and  odd 
years  ago  were  not  absolutely  distasteful  to  him. 

The  writer  has  often  heard  him  relate  incidents  of  his  residence  of 
nine  months  in  Paris,  but  his  memory  retains  to  the  present  day  but  the 
two  to  which  he  here  gives  place. 

It  was  a  bright  and  beautiful  day  in  early  autumn  when  Father 
Abell,  in  company  with  an  ecclesiastical  friend,  set  out  for  a  walk  of 
three  miles  beyond  the  city  gates  to  keep  an  engagement  he  had  made 
to  visit  the  residence  of  a  then  well  known  and  wealthy  member  of  the 
city  government.  In  due  time  the  pair  entered  the  wide  portals  of 
their  host's  palatial  mansion,  where  they  were  met  and  welcomed,  not 
by  the  head  of  the  family,  who  had  been  unexpectedly  called  away, 
but  by  his  wife  and  a  grown-up  daughter.  The  story  of  this  visit 
will  be  better  appreciated  as  afterwards  related  by  the  priest  himself: 

"I  never  before  fully  understood  what  was  meant  in  ultra  fashion- 
able society,  by  the  terms  'style'  and  'etiquette.'  There  was  no 
intimation  of  frigidness,  much  less  of  contempt,  toward  their  visitors, 
evidenced  in  the  manners  of  the  ladies,  and  I  am  quite  sure  it  was 
their  earnest  desire  to  treat  us  with  marked  consideration.  I  felt,  as  by 
intuition,  that  it  would  be  necessary  for  me  to  conform  myself,  as  much 
as  was  possible  to  my  stubborn  nature,  to  that  which,  I  had  wit  enough 
to  recognize,  was  purely  conventional.  In  the  course  of  the  morning, 
with  the  ladies  for  our  guides,  we  were  shown  over  the  house  and  its 
attached  gardens.  My  companion  had  doubtless  seen  magnificence  in 
art  even  surpassing  that  to  which  our  eyes  were  directed.     Not  so 

*  It  has  been  suggested  to  me  that  Father  Abell's  visit  to  France  in  1826-7 
was  wholly  in  the  interests  of  the  missions  of  Kentucky,  which  were  then  much 
in  need  of  assistance. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY  299 

myself  1  was  utterly  astonished,  and  I  began  to  revolve  in  my  mind  the 
question  of  questions,  '  what  will  it  profit  a  man  to  gain  the  whole  world 
and  lose  his  own  soul  ?'  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  these  were  not  good 
and  pious  women.  No  less  than  others,  were  their  hearts  open  to  the 
pleadings  of  the  poor  and  to  the  needs  of  the  Church.  They  had  been 
simply  educated  up  to  the  idea  that  they  were  subjected  to  rules  of  con- 
duct and  procedure  that  had  been  evoked  out  of  social  prominence 
since  the  world  was  young.  In  our  rounds  we  came  to  a  garden  which 
was  wholly  devoted  to  the  culdvation  of  grapes.  These  appeared  to 
me  to  be  of  endless  variety,  and  I  could  but  look  and  admire  as  group 
after  group  of  peculiar  fruitage,  all  ripe  and  luscious,  and  apparently 
asking  to  be  pulled  and  eaten,  were  passed  and  commented  on  by  our 
voluble  hostess.  We  came  at  length  to  a  vine  the  like  of  which  never 
to  this  day  have  I  seen.  The  clusters  were  enormous,  of  a  brownish 
purple,  and  shaded,  as  it  were,  with  a  rhythm  of  gossamer  that  was  made 
up  of  dew  and  sunshine.  I  was  entranced  at  the  sight  and  stood  in 
wonder  over  a  phenomenon  of  excellence  that  I  had  not  dreamed  of  out- 
side of  the  garden  of  paradise.  '  Try  them,  Father  Abell, '  said  the 
elder  lady;  'there  are  no  better  in  all  France.'  Knowing  litde  of  eti- 
quette, and  not  caring  to  pluck  more  than  my  appetite  craved,  I  con- 
tented myself  with  denuding  a  particularly  fine  cluster  of  about  a  third 
of  its  fruitage,  picking  and  eating  a  berry  at  a  time. 

"  Unless  for  the  reason  that  a  half  stripped  cluster  of  grapes,  still 
hanging  on  the  vine,  is  an  unsighdy  object  to  fastidious   eyes,  1  can 
give  no  reason  for  the  fact  that  it  is  considered  a  breach  of  good  man- 
ners in  France  to  rob  a  vine  by  piece-meal.      The  younger  of  our 
guides,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  was  inexpressibly  shocked  at  what. she 
conceived  to  be  a  breach  of  good  manners  on  the  part  of  a  guest. 
She  said  nothing  at  the  time,  however;  but  she  then  and  there  deter- 
mined, before  the  day  should  be  over,  to  administer  to  me  a  lesson  in 
etiquette.     A  little  later,  followed  by  a  servant  bearing  a  tray,  she 
entered  the  room  in  which  my  companion  and  myself  were  conversing 
with   her   mother.     Approaching   me,  she    said  :      '  Father    Abell,  I 
have  brought  you  a  choice  selection   of  grapes,  and  when  I  tell  you 
that  I  cut  them  from  the  vines  myself  for  your  special   delectadon,  I 
make  no  doubt  that  you  will  gratify  me  by  partaking  of  them.'     I 
expressed  my  thanks  in  the  choicest  French  I  could  muster,  and  then 
turned  my  eyes  toward  the  tray.     The  underlying  clusters   were  so 
posed  as  to  form  a  marked  contrast  with  a  half-denuded  one  that  top- 
ped the  pile.     Looking  at  the  latter  intendy,  I  had  no    difficulty  in 
recognizing   it   as   a   former   acquaintance.     At  the    same    time   the 
thought  flashed  upon  me  that  its  reappearance  was  designed  for  a  pur- 
pose, and   not   impossibly  for  a  rebuke.     Taking  it  up  tenderly,    I 
thus  addressed  myself  to  my  young  lady  hostess  :     '  If  I  mistake  not 
Mademoiselle,  this  is  the  identical  cluster  to  which  I  erstwhile  paid 
my  devoirs  in  the  garden.     To  the  sight,  it  is  no  longer  a  thing  of 
freshness  and  beauty,  but  I  can  vouch  for  its  sweetness  and  delicacy  of 
flavor.     In  these  respects  it  is  typical  of  certain  phases  of  human  exist- 


300  THE   MISSION   OF   LOUISVILLE. 

ence  and  character.  The  examples  are  not  to  be  judgec^  by  the  out- 
ward senses,  but  rather  by  the  inward  understanding.  They  are  often 
lacking  in  the  comeliness  that  is  of  earth,  but  they  are  never  wanting 
of  the  fragrance  that  is  of  heaven.  They  are  envious  of  none ;  they 
suffer,  and  yet  they  give  thanks ;  their  strength  is  in  their  patience. 
Should  you  ever  meet  with  any  such,  Mademoiselle,  I  trust  that  you 
will  give  to  them  as  honorable  a  place  in  your  thoughts  as  you  have 
given  prominence  to  this  fragmentary  bunch  of  grapes  among  its  more 
showy  sister  clusters;  with  your  leave,  I  will  now  proceed  to  consum- 
mate the  union  that  was  begun  in  the  garden  between  this  ragged 
cluster  and  my  own  personaUty.'  Seeing  that  her  design  had  miscar- 
ried, the  young  lady  wisely  accepted  the  situation,  and  acknowledging 
her  fault,  she  was  at  once  forgiven." 

On  another  occasion  the  Kentucky  priest  was  invited  to  dine  with 
an  army  officer  of  high  rank  to  whom  he  had  brought  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction from  his  bishop,  the  late  Dr.  Flaget.  The  guests  on  the  occa- 
sion were  many,  and,  for  the  most  part,  were  military  men  of 
different  nationalities.  The  conversation  that  ensued  at  dinner  and 
after  dinner,  relating  as  it  did  to  matters  connected  with  the  science 
of  war,  had  in  it  little  interest  for  a  professed  advocate  of  the  arts  of 
peace.  At  length  a  subject  was  broached,  in  the  discussion  of  which 
he  would  have  willingly  taken  part  had  he  not  been  restrained  by  a 
feeling  of  diffidence,  caused  by  the  strangeness  of  his  surroundings. 
It  referred  to  the  average  stature  of  men  of  different  nationalities. 
The  discussion  was  long  continued  and  spirited,  and  for  once  in  their 
lives  the  military  men  present  were  content  to  wage  battle  against  each 
other,  unsupported  by  other  arms  than  such  as  were  strictly  polemical. 
The  contestants,  whether  they  were  English,  French,  German  or 
Spanish,  appeared  to  be  equally  convinced  that  their  countrymen  were 
severally  entitled  to  rank  highest  in  the  scale  of  physical  conforma- 
tion. In  a  lull  of  the  dispute  the  host  of  the  occasion  caught  sight  of 
Father  Abell,  and  addressing  him  aloud,  he  asked  to  be  favored  with 
his  impressions  regarding  the  average  stature  of  his  countrymen  as 
compared  with  other  people.  The  single  representative  at  the  table 
of  American  institutions,  manners,  and  altitude,  who  had  been  sitting 
during  dinner  in  a  low  chair,  purposely  sought  and  found  by  him  in 
order  that  he  might  not  appear  to  be  overlooking  the  company,  lifted  up 
his  eyes  in  the  direction  of  his  questioner,  and  thus  answered  him  : 
"  I  am  inclined  to  the  belief  that  America  can  beat  the  world  for  men 
of  large  growth." 

' '  Is  that  so  ?  "  exclaimed  a  dapper  little  French  officer  from  the 
opposite  side  of  the  table.  "And  pray.  Monsieur,"  he  continued, 
' '  what  may  be  the  average  stature  of  men  on  your  side  of  the 
Atlantic?" 

Straightening  himself  up,  and  slowly  unfolding  his  extremities, 
"emblems  of  infinitude,"  as  Kit  North  would  have  called  them,  the 
Kentuckian  arose  to  his  feet  and  quietly  answered  :  "  Ex  pede  Hercu- 
lem  !    In  the  United  States  I  pass  for  a  man  of  fair  average  stature !  " 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  30I 

The  announcement  was  received  with  shouts  of  good  humored 
laughter,  and  from  that  moment  Father  Abell's  reputation  as  a  wit 
was  estabhshed  in  certain  circles  of  Parisian  society. 

Whatever  there  was  to  be  seen  in  travel  that  was  grand  and  sub- 
lime, so  much  was  legitimately  appropriated  by  Father  Abell  to  the 
great  advantage  of  his  descriptive  powers,  as  well  in  the  pulpit  as  in  con- 
versation. He  was  no  longer  confined  to  figures  of  speech  wholly 
drawn  from  the  vocabulary  of  a  people  whose  surroundings  were 
litde  ampUfied  by  anything  that  had  not  its  birth  and  being  within 
the  wooded  waste  that  bounded  their  sight,  and  in  the  patriarchal 
employments  whereby  their  livelihood  was  secured.  He  could  talk 
now  of  sculpture  and  painting ;  of  grand  edifices  reared  to  perpetuate 
human  pride,  and  of  grander  still  in  which  were  voiced  words  of 
prayer  and  songs  of  praise  in  the  hearing  of  God  and  His  angels. 
He  had  seen,  and  could  well  describe  the  mighty  ocean  in  calm  and 
storm,  sunsets  at  sea,  and  stars  glistening  and  streaming  in  the  bosom 
of  "  the  waters  that  are  under  the  heavens,"  which  God  in  the  begin- 
ning had  "  gathered  together  in  one  place."  Never  was  there  a  man 
with  clearer  perceptions  of  the  felicitous  in  description  than  Father 
Abell.  This  was  the  faculty,  above  all  others,  that  gave  to  his  con- 
versation  its  chiefest  charm. 

When  Father  Abell  reached  the  port  of  New  York  on  his 
homeward  journey,  he  found  Bishop  Flaget  awaiting  his  arrival.  The 
two  remained  in  the  city  named  for  several  weeks,  and  they  afterwards 
visited  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore.  In  each  of  these  cities  Father 
Abell  preached  on  more  than  one  |occasion,  and  always  to  vast 
throngs  of  hearers.  His  sermons,  it 'was  noticed,  were  much  better 
appreciated  by  the  people  than  they  were  by  the  learned  divines,  ;who 
were  regarded,  or  who  regarded  themselves,  as  accomplished  pulpit 
orators.  Dr.  Power,  in  New  York,  Dr.  Gartland,  in  Philadelphia, 
and  Dr.  Pise,  in  Baltimore,  looked  upon  him  as  a  wonder  indeed,  but 
they  all  shrank  from  the  idea  of  imitating  him.  They  came,  and 
listened,  and  found  fault;  but  their  fault-finding  did  not  prevent  them 
from  repeating  their  experiences  as  often  as  opportunities  were  afforded 
them  for  doing  so.  His  rough-shod  eloquence,  while  it  shocked  their 
nice  perceptions  of  the  appropriate  in  manner,  diction  and  illustra- 
tion, appeared  to  fascinate  them.  This  was  particularly  the  case  with 
the  well  known  Dr.  C.  C.  Pise,  of  Baltimore,  whose  fastidiousness  in 
the  matters  of  dress,  manner  and  declamation  did  not  prevent  him 
from  afterwards  becoming  one  of  the  most  useful  and  highly  honored 
members  of  the  American  hierarchy. 

Having  heard  Father  Abell  preach  several  times,  Dr.  Pise  one  day 
ventured  to  ask  him  what  books  he  was  in  the  habit  of  consulting  in 
the  preparation  of  his  sermons.  The  Kentucky  priest  managed  to 
evade  an  answer  at  the  time,  but  the  question  was  repeated  when  the 
two  were  dining  at  the  table  of  the  archbishop,  with  a  number  of  other 
clerical  guests.  Turning  to  his  interlocutor,  Father  Abell  exclaimed : 
"Books,  Dr.  Pise!     Why,  my  dear  sir,  we  have  no  books  in  Ken- 


302  THE   MISSION    OF   LOUISVILLE. 

tucky !  And  having  no  books,  we  go  to  nature  for  inspiration  !  The 
elements  are  our  books,  and  in  them  we  are  able  to  trace  the  designs  of 
a  beneficent  God.  Forest  and  field,  hill  and  dale,  sweeping  river  and 
purling  brook;  the  bearded  grain  bending  to  the  zephyr's  breath;  the 
lightning's  flash  and  the  thunder's  roar;  humanity  itself,  aspiring, 
hoping,  struggling  and  succumbing  to  its  inevitable  bourne  beneath 
the  earth's  carpet ;  these,  and  a  thousand  other  things  upon  which  our 
eyes  are  accustomed  to  rest,  and  which  our  other  senses  take  in,  teem 
with  instruction  for  us  and  with  inspiration.  What  need  have  we  of 
books  ?  And  even  though  we  had  them,  we  would  have  no  time  to 
consult  them  !  Our  normal  condition,  I  would  have  you  know,  is  one 
of  toil;  but  then  we  know  how  to  draw  profit  to  our  minds  and  hearts 
from  the  very  touch  of  the  implements  of  labor  with  which  our  horny 
hands  are  made  familiar.  That  touch  serves  to  make  us  humble,  and 
reverent,  and  faithful  to  duty.  It  serves  to  crush  out  of  our  hearts  all 
pride  and  all  uncharitableness.  And  when,  as  some  amongst  us  are 
called  to  do,  we  ascend  the  pulpit  to  instruct  others  in  the  ways  of 
God,  the  Holy  Ghost  just  tells  us  what  to  say,  and  we  say  it!  " 

In  his  absence,  Father  Abell's  pastorship  of  the  church  of  St. 
Louis  had  been  supplied  from  Bardstown.  Upon  his  return  he 
resumed  his  estopped  efforts  to  secure  for  the  congregation  a  larger 
and  better  appointed  church  edifice.  This  was  the  more  necessary 
now  than  ever,  for  the  reason  that  the  single  year  of  his  absence  had 
brought  to  the  congregation  numerous  accessions,  almost  wholly  of 
emigrants  direct  from  Ireland.  He  opened  subscription  lists,  and 
these  he  not  only  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  influential  of  his  parish- 
ioners, but  in  those,  also,  of  liberal-minded  non-Catholics,  many  of 
whom  had  previously  given  him  voluntary  assurance  of  their  willingness 
to  assist  him  in  an  undertaking  which,  they  were  wise  enough  to  see, 
would  contribute  not  a  little  to  the  growth  of  the  city  and  its  after 
prosperity.  So  liberal  were  his  own  people,  and  so  generous  were  the 
subscriptions  of  the  general  public  outside  of  the  pale  of  the  Church, 
that  the  pastor  was  soon  placed  in  a  position  to  begin  operations. 
Four  lots,  of  thirty  feet  each,  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Fifth  street, 
between  Green  and  Walnut,  and  having  a  depth  of  two  hundred  feet, 
were  fixed  upon  as  a  proper  site  for  the  church,  and  ultimately  pur- 
chased. To  this  purchase  was  afterwards  added  that  of  two  other 
lots,  upon  which  it  was  the  pastor's  design  to  build  an  asylum  for 
orphan  girls.*     The  second  church  of  St.  Louis,  in  Louisville,  was 

*  Of  the  lots  referred  to  in  the  text,  that  farthest  north  was  occupied  by  a 
modest  parsonage;  the  adjoining  three  by  the  church  of  St.  Louis,  and  the 
two  last  purchased,  by  the  first  asylum  built  in  the  State  for  the  protection  of 
orphan  children.  This  latter  establishment  was  at  first  governed  by  a  board 
of  lady  trustees,  of  which  the  late  Mrs.  Ann  Rudd  was  president.  Its  direc- 
tion was  jjiven  to  a  colony  of  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth,  with  the  late 
Mother  Catherine  Spalding  as  superior.  A  few  years  later  the  asylum  building 
was  purchased  by  the  bishop  of  the  See,  and  from  that  day  to  this  it  has  served 
as  a  residence  for  the  ordinary  of  the  diocese  and  the   clergy  of  tlie  cathedral 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  303 

opened  for  divine  service  in  1830.  From  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone to  its  final  completion,  Father  Abell  allowed  himself  no  rest. 
Early  and  late  he  was  on  the  ground,  directing  and  encouraging  the 
workmen,  and  at  times  participating  in  their  labors.* 

The  original  trustees  of  the  second  church  of  St.  Louis  were: 
Captain  James  Rudd,  Daniel  Smith,  Patrick  Maxcy,  Thomas  K. 
Byrne,  John  O'Berne,  J.  McGilly  Cuddy,  Edward  Hughes,  Martin 
Crowe,  John  Carrell,  Zachariah  Edelin,  Dr.  J.  P.  Declery  and  John  D. 
Colmesnil;  six   Irishmen,   five    Americans    and    one    Frenchman-! 

parish.  It  has  been  much  enlarged  and  altered,  however,  since  it  was  built. 
When  this  diversion  from  the  original  purpose  was  made,  I  have  no  doubt  that 
it  was  by  an  understanding  between  Mother  Catharine  and  the  pastor  of  the 
church  of  St.  Louis,  Rev.  I.  A.  Reynolds,  that  had  for  its  object  the  more 
assured  usefulness  of  the  charitable  foundation  with  which  the  mission  of  the 
former  was  associated  from  its  inception.  It  was  in  1836,  if  I  mistake  not, 
that  Mother  Catharine,  acting  in  behalf  of  the  Sisterhood  of  Charity  of  Naza- 
reth, purchased  the  then  recently  constructed  residence,  with  a  square  of  land 
attached,  of  a  Mr.  Thomas  Kelly,  who,  like  a  great  many  others  engaged  in 
business,  then  and  since,  had  built  for  himself  a  house  without  either  reckon- 
ing its  cost,  or  his  own  ability  to  pay  th«  construction  bills  when  they  should 
be  presented.  The  St.  Vincent's  Orphan  Asylum,  of  Louisville,  still  a  depend- 
ancy  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth,  has  now  been  occupying  these 
grounds  for  fifty  years. 

*  An  old  citizen  of  Louisville  tells  me  of  a  sight  he  witnessed  in  this  con- 
nection, and  of  the  impression  it  made  upon  him  at  the  time.  «' For  some 
reason,"  said  he,  "  the  hod-carriers  who  waited  on  the  masons  were  unable  to 
supply  the  needed  material  as  fast  as  it  was  wanted.  Seeing  this,  Father  Abell 
stripped  off  his  coat,  and,  as  nimble  as  any  of  his  co-laborers,  mounted  the 
ladder  with  a  hod  filled  with  bricks  on  his  shoulder,  and  he  thus  kept  up  the 
race  for  hours.  I  could  not  but  feel  that  the  purposes  of  such  a  man  were  as 
certain  of  accomplishment  as  the  decrees  of  fate." 

t Other  well  known  Catholic  citizens  of  the  day  were:  Daniel  Dwyer, 
Elzie  Beaven,  Thomas  Haynes,  Frank  McKay,  Ben.  I.  Harrison,  Thomas 
Blancagnil,  Kerian  Campion,  John  Kearney,  John  Lyons,  Ben.  Gittings,  Bern- 
ard McGee,  Lawrence  Byrne, Carroll,  M.  J.  O'Callaghan,  John  Lilly,  Ben. 

Griffin,  John  Keagan,  George  Schnetz  and  Thomas  Carroll.  The  last  named 
of  these  is  the  only  one  in  the  list  now  known  to  me  to  be  living.  Of  Daniel 
Dwyer,  I  have  already  spoken.  One  of  his  daughters,  Mrs.  Mary  Hayes, 
widow  of  the  late  John  Hayes,  is  still  a  member  of  the  cathedral  congregation. 
Amelia,  a  daughter  of  Ben.  I.  Harrison,  was  afterwards  known  as  Sister  Lau- 
rentia,  of  the  Nazareth  community.  She  was  one  of  the  most  valuable 
teachers  in  the  community  and  greatly  admired  and  beloved  by  both  her  asso- 
ciates and  her  pupils.  She  died  while  in  attendance  on  the  sick  of  yellow  fever 
at  Holly  Springs,  Mississippi,  but  a  few  years  ago.  Kerian  Campion  was  the 
father  of  Hon.  Patrick  Campion,  who  has  served  for  repeated  terms  his  con- 
stituency of  Louisville  in  the  Kentucky  State  legislature.  He  was  wont  to  say 
that  the  first  time  he  went  to  confession  in  Louisville  the  sacrament  was 
administered  by  Father  Badin  under  the  shadow  of  a  tree  on  the  west  bank 
of  Beargrass  creek.  Ben.  Gittings  and  Elzie  Beaven  were  from  Washington 
county.  They  were  good  practical  Catholics  and  highly  respected  citizens. 
John  Kearney  was  a  lawyer  of  high  standing  and  an  earnest  Catholic.  John 
Lyons  and  his  amiable  family  were  special  friends  of  the  clergy  and  generous 
supporters  of  the  church.  One  of  his  children,  Mrs.  Honora  Lyon,  widow  of 
the  late   Capt.  Sidney  S.  Lyon,  has  long  resided  in  Jeffersonville,  Indiana. 


304 


THE   MISSION    OF    LOUISVILLE, 


Some  of  these  were  as  well  known  in  civil  affairs  as  they  were  in  the 
church.  Capt.  James  Rudd  was  repeatedly  a  member  of  the  city 
council,  and  in  1849  he  was  one  of  the  city's  representatives  in  the 
constitutional  convention  of  that  year,  held  in  Frankfort  for  the  con- 
sideration of  changes  then  sought  to  be  made  in  the  organic  law  of  the 
State.  He  began  his  business  career  in  Louisville  as  a  mechanic,  and 
in  time  he  became  a  merchant,  and  a  successful  one.  The  writer's 
remembrance  of  him  dates  from  the  year  1832,  when  he  was  regarded 
as  the  leading  spirit,  with  the  single  exception  of  Patrick  Maxcy,  in 
all  enterprises  broached  in  Louisville,  looking  to  purely  Catholic 
interests.  In  everything  of  this  nature  he  was  more  than  seconded  by 
his  earnest  convert  wife,  Nannie  PhiUips  Rudd,  than  whom  there  was 
not  a  more  intelligent  or  indefatigable  worker  in  whatever  affected  the 
Church  and  its  charities.  She  headed  the  movement  inaugurated 
among  the  Catholic  ladies  of  Louisville  in  1832,  by  which  was  secured 
the  establishment  of  the  orphanage  of  St.  Vincent.  As  was  meet,  she 
died  of  old  age  but  a  few  years  ago  in  one  of  the  houses  of  the 
order  of  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth,  whose  introduction  to  the 
city  she  had  labored  for  and  secured  nearly  fifty  years  previous  to  the 
date  of  her  own  death.  Capt.  Rudd  was  more  noted  in  his  day  for 
his  practical,  common  sense  views  of  things,  than  he  was  for  his 
lingual  accuracy  in  their  presentation.*  His  death  took  place  on  the 
evening  of  May  8,  1867. 

Bernard,  cr  Barney  McGeej  as  he  was  usually  called,  was  a  representative 
Catholic  among  the  toilers  of  his  race  in  Louisville.  He  lived  to  be  a  very  old 
man,  and  though  reduced  to  great  poverty,  his  cheefulness  never  deserted  him. 
So  long  as  he  could  hobble  to  church,  he  seemed  to  be  content,  and  when  he 
died,  there  were  those  about  his  bed  who  would  have  been  glad  of  the  assur- 
ance that  their  own  passage  out  of  life  would  be  marked  by  such  evidences  of 
peace  in  the  present  and  of  hopefulness  of  the  future.  M.  J.  O'Callaghan,  who 
died  but  a  few  years  ago,  was  a  man  of  intelligence  and  high  respectability, 
and  exceedingly  pious.  One  of  his  granddaughters  is  a  sister  of  the  Loretto 
community. 

*In  the  State  constitutional  convention  of  1849,  the  late  Hon.  Garret  Davis, 
much  to  the  discredit  of  his  statesmanship,  as  I  think  he  saw  himself  at  a  later 
day,  introduced  an  amendment  to  the  organic  law  that  affected  adversely  the 
civil  rights  of  Catholics.  This  amendment  was  opposed  vehemently  by  repre- 
sentatives Charles  C.  Kelly,  of  Washington,  Ignatius  A.  Spalding,  of  Union, 
and  James  Rudd,  of  Jefferson,  the  only  Catholics,  as  far  as  known  by  me,  in  the 
convention.  The  amendment  was  set  for  a  hearing  at  a  future  day  by  the  con- 
vention, and  Capt.  Rudd  prepared  a  speech  to  be  delivered  on  the  occasion. 
It  was  a  good  speech  he  transferred  to  paper,  but  he  bethought  him  that  it 
would  be  best,  before  its  delivery,  to  submit  the  manuscript  to  more  critical 
eyes  than  his  own.  The  late  Rev.  James  M.  Lancaster  was  then  pastor  of  the 
church  in  Frankfort,  and  it  was  to  him  he  submitted  the  manuscript  of  his 
proposed  speech.  The  changes  recommended  by  Father  Lancaster  were 
readily  acquiesced  in  by  the  captain;  but  seeing  the  priest  busy  with  his  pen 
over  a  word  about  which  he  had  not  signified  any  objection,  he  was  stopped 
by  the  delegate's  sudden  demand,  "what  are  you  doing  there,  Father  Lan- 
caster?" "I  am  only  putting  a  ^  in  the  word /or«;^«(rr  in  your  manuscript," 
replied  the  priest.  "  Well,"  said  the  practical  leader  in  Kentucky  of  the 
phonetic  movement  that  is  now  trying  to  overturn  the  English  orthography  of 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  305 

Patrick  Maxcy,  whether  considered  as  a  Catholic  or  as  an  Irish 
American  citizen,  was  unquestionably,  for  more  than  forty  years,  and 
up  to  the  day  of  his  death,  the  leading  man  of  his  religion  and  race  in 
Louisville.  He  is  believed,  too,  to  have  been  the  first  of  either  to 
prosecute  in  the  city  heavy  operations  as  a  manufacturer.  Within  the 
memory  of  the  writer,  and  for  many  years  before,  his  establishment 
was  known  as  the  Hope  Distillery,  and  it  is  said  that  the  skilled  work- 
men in  his  employ  came  over  with  him  from  Ireland.  *  In  the  course 
of  time  he  became  one  of  the  leading  dealers  of  the  city  in  provisions 
and  butchers'  stuffs,  and  finally  a  banker.  In  person,  Mr.  Maxcy  was  a 
compactly  built  man,  of  about  five  feet  eight  inches,  with  a  moderately 
florid  complexion  and  features  that  were  most  remarkable  for  their 
kindly  and  genial  expression.  Looking  at  him,  one  could  but  feel  he 
was  in  the  presence  of  a  man  whom  he  would  like  to  make  his  friend, 
and  this  was  not  alone  the  case  with  his  fellow  countrymen  and  his  co- 
religionists, but  with  non-Catholics  as  well.  There  were  absolutely 
none  to  question  his  integrity,  and  none  to  cast  slurs  upon  his  good 
name  in  any  particular.  The  death  of  Mr.  Maxcy  took  place  in 
1850,  after  an  illness  of  only  a  few  days,  and  his  funeral  was  attended 
by  hundreds  of  friends  of  all  ranks  of  Louisville  society.  The  ser- 
mon on  the  occasion  was  preached  by  his  intimate  friend  of  the  clergy, 
the  late  Rt.  Rev.  John  McGill. 

Thomas  K.  Byrne,  J.  McGilly  Cuddy  and  John  O'Beirne  were 
Irishmen  and  well  to  do  citizens,  and  they  were  all  held  in  high  esteem 
by  their  fellow  townsmen.  Edward  Hughes  and  Martin  Crowe  were 
of  the  same  nationality,  and  their  best  eulogy  should  now  run — they 
were  earnest,  practical  and  pious  Catholics,  f    John  Carrell  was  a 

past  ages,  "  I  move  that  that  g  be  expunged !  "  Among  a  score  of  others  of 
former  friends  that  recall  my  thoughts  to  the  past,  the  photographed  repre- 
sentations of  the  faces  of  Captain  James  Rudd  and  his  wife,  hung  where  I  see 
them  daily,  seem  to  appeal  to  me  for  prayer  for  their  eternal  rest.  May  God  in 
His  mercy  so  part  me  from  all  inquity  of  earth  as  to  enable  me  to  raise  my  voice 
acceptably  in  His  hearing  and  in  their  behalf. 

■•^Conspicuous  among  these  were  Barney  McGee  and  John  Lyons,  hitherto 
referred  to  in  a  note.  Both  the  proprietor  and  his  employes  used  the  Celtic 
tongue  in  their  communications  with  each  other.  No  simple  occurences  that 
took  place  in  my  own  youth  are  more  fixed  in  my  memory  to  this  day  than  the 
conversations  held  between  Mr.  Maxcy  and  one  or  the  other  of  his  employes 
named,  while  waiting  for  the  hour  of  service  on  Sunday  mornings  in  front  of 
the  former  church  of  St.  Louis.  The  Sunday  collections  in  the  church  were 
always  taken  up  by  Mr.  Maxcy. 

tThe  late  Professor  John  E.  Crowe,  of  the  medical  department  of  the  uni- 
versity of  Louisville,  was  a  son  of  Martin  Crowe.  My  associations  with  Dr. 
Crowe  for  twenty-five  years  preceding  the  date  of  his  death  were  of  the  most 
intimate  character,  and  I  can  simply  say  he  was  an  honor  to  his  profession  in 
the  city  of  his  residence,  and  to  manhood  itself.  Much  of  his  practice  was 
with  the  clergy  and  mem'bers  of  religious  communities,  outside  of  the  city  as 
well  as  within  its  limits,  whose  respect  and  confidence  followed  him  throughout 
his  career.  He  died  very  suddenly  on  the  26th  of  September,  1881,  and  his 
obsequies  were  attended  by  as  large  a  concourse  of  sorrowing  friends  as  was  ever 

20 


3o6  iTHE    MISSION    OF    LOUISVILLE. 

brother  of  the  late  Rt.  Rev.  George  A:  Carrell,  first  bishop  of  the  See 
of  Covington.  His  death,  at  the  advanced  age  of  87  years,  took  place 
in  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  on  the  14th  of  February,  1879.  Daniel  Smith 
has  been  referred  to  elsewhere.  He  was  much  respected  as  a  citizen, 
was  singularly  quiet  in  his  manners,  and  the  early  clergy  of  the  city 
always  found  in  him  a  liberal  benefactor  of  the  poor  as  well  as  of  the 
Church.  John  D.  Colmesnil,  of  a  noble  family  of  France,  was  born  in 
Hayti,  San  Domingo,  in  1787.  He  was  a  relative  by  marriage  of  John 
A.  and  Louis  Tarascon,  to  whom  he  paid  a  visit  in  1811,  and  with 
whom  he  was  afterwards  engaged  in  business.  In  time  he  became  a 
wealthy  river  trader,  steamboat  owner  and  landed  proprietor.  He  was 
a  man  of  stern  integrity  and  great  force  of  character.  When  past 
middle  life  misfortunes  overtook  him,  and  when  he  retired  from  active 
business,  little  was  left  to  him  in  the  way  of  estate.  In  1833,  ^^  P^^' 
chased  with  what  still  remained  to  him  of  a  princely  fortune,  the  water- 
ing place  afterwards  known  as  Paroquette  Springs,  where  he  lived  until 
a  short  time  before  his  death.  He  died  in  Louisville,  July  30,  1871, 
and  was  buried  from  the  cathedral.  Dr.  J.  P.  Declery  was  a  physician 
of  much  note,  and  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Louisville.  His 
death  took  place  in  the  year  1833. 

With  the  opening  of  the  church  of  St.  Louis,  on  Fifth  street,  the 
former  chapel  on  Tenth  and  Main,  from  which  it  had  its  title,  was 
left  to  disuse  and  decay.  There  is  nothing  in  the  present  surround- 
ings of  the  spot  upon  which  it  stood  to  indicate  that  there  had  been  a 
time  when  the  Christ  of  our  adoration  had  made  of  it  an  abiding  place, 
and  had  therein  given  Himself  to  the  pure  and  repentant  in  the 
sacrament  of  His  love.* 

From  the  day  of  its  dedication  to  that  upon  which,  twenty-one 
years  later,  it  gave  place  to  the  cathedral  of  the  Assumption  that  now 
occupies  its  site  and  many  feet  of  the  adjacent  grounds,  the  church  of 
St.  Louis  was  attended  Sunday  after  Sunday,  and  upon  each  recurring 
holiday  of  obligation,  by  constantly  increasing  numbers  of  the  faith- 
ful. It  was  the  theatre,  too,  of  much  that  was  of  interest  to  the  gen- 
eral public.  In  the  first  place,  Father  Abell  began  in  it  a  series  of 
Sunday  evening  lectures,  to  which  all  were  invited,  in  which  he 
sought  to  explain  and  defend  the  dogmas  of  religion  and  the  policy  of 
the  Church  affecting  the  relations  of  its   members  with  unbelievers. 

gathered  together  on  a  similar  occasion  in  the  cathedral  of  the  Assumption, 
where,  when  its  site  was  occupied  by  the  church  of  St.  Louis,  he  had  served  as 
an  altar-boy  the  first  pastors  of  the  parish. 

*  It  was  in  April,  1832 — more  than  fifty  years  ago — that  this  little  church 
was  first  pointed  out  to  me.  It  was  unused  then,  and  had  been  tenantless  of 
worshippers  for  nearly  two  years.  I  looked  upon  it,  with  its  boarded-up  windows 
and  its  quaint  little  belfry,  with  absorbed  interest.  The  uneveuness  of  the 
grounds  around  it,  with  here  and  there  a  broken  or  levelled  wooden  cross,  or  a 
rudely  chiselled  headstone,  at  one  place  sunk  half  its  depth  into  the  yielding 
earth,  and  at  another  bending  toward  the  ground  like  a  mourner  in  despair, 
was  sufficiently  indicative  of  the  uses  to  which  it  had  been  put.  There  rested, 
in  the  hope  of  a  blessed  resurrection,  the  dead  of  our  faith  of  primitive  Louis- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  307 

Occasionally,  too,  clergymen  from  abroad,  or  from  other  parts  of  the 
diocese,  were  invited  by  Father  Abell  to  lecture  in  his  place,  and 
these  were  listened  to  with  at  least  respectful  attention,  however  inca- 
pable,  as  most  of  them  were,  of  arousing,  equally  with  the  pastor,  the 
enthusiasm  of  their  auditors  by  the  mere  force  of  eloquence.  The 
beneficial  results  of  these  lectures  may  not  have  been  especially 
apparent  in  the  inducement  of  conversions  at  the  time,  but  they  were 
noticeable  in  the  increased  good-will  accorded  to  CathoHcs  by  their 
Protestant  and  non-Catholic  fellow  citizens.* 

In  1834,  it  pleased  the  ordinary  of  the  diocese  to  transfer  Father 
Abell  to  the  town  of  Lebanon,  Marion  county,  not  far  from  the  place 
of  his  birth,  where  a  new  church  was  needed,  and  where,  as  was  evi- 
dently the  thought  of  his  bishop,  he  would  be  able,  better  than  another, 
to  secure  whatever  was  requisite  for  its  construction. 

The  new  pastor  of  the  church  of  St.  Louis  was  Rev.  Ignatius  A. 
Reynolds,  who,  like  his  predecessor  in  the  office,  was  a  Kentuckian 
by  birth.  Just  as  had  been  the  case  with  Father  Abell  throughout  his 
pastorate,  Dr.  Reynolds  began  his  ministry  in  Louisville  without  a 
clerical  associate  in  the  city.  Though  his  labors  in  the  legitimate 
sphere  of  his  duties  were  arduous  in  the  extreme,  he  found  time  to 
put  in  successful  operation  the  orphanage  of  St.  Vincent  at  its  pres- 
ent location — Jefferson,  above  Wenzel  street — to  establish  parochial 
schools  for  both  boys  and  girls,  and  to  attend  to  almost  daily  commis- 
sions for  service  of  one  kind  or  another  needed  in  the  city  by  his 
bishop  and  by  the  religious  and  educational  establishments  of  the 
diocese,  all  of  which  were  located  in  the  interior  of  the  State. 

In  the  year  1835,  Rev.  George  Hay  den  was  sent  to  the  assistance 
of  Dr.  Reynolds,  and  two  years  later,  he  had  for  additional  assistants 
Rev.  John  McGill  and  Rev.  Edward  Clark.  In  1839  his  assistants 
were  Rev.  John  McGill,  Rev.  George  Hayden,  and  Rev.  M.  Stahl- 
schmidt.  This  latter  was  a  German  priest,  whose  services  had  been 
secured  by  Bishop  Flaget  in  the  interest  of  the  German  element  of  his 
people,  now  becoming  an  important  factor  in  whatever  was  to  be  con- 
sidered affecting  the  well-being  of  the  church  in  Louisville.  Father 
Stahlschmidt  brought  the  German  Catholics  of  the  city  together  every 
Sunday  morning,  in  the  basement  chapel  of  the  church,  where  he  offici- 
ated for  them  and  sought  to  induce  them  to  buy  a  lot  and  build  a 
church  for  themselves.     Here  was  the  beginning  of  what  has  since 

ville.  Their  first  resurrection  was  inglorious.  In  the  course  of  time  the  little 
church  was  levelled  to  the  ground,  and  the  crumbling  bones  and  blackened 
mould  that  represented  all  the  mortal  that  was  left  of  our  brethren  of  the  long 
ago,  found  a  new  place  of  sepulture  in  the  St.  Louis  cemetery. 

*  These  lectures  were  exceedingly  popular  with  the  most  intelligent  and 
more  liberal  non-Catholics  of  the  city.  I  have  a  distinct  memory  of  having 
seen  among  the  auditors,  on  one  or  another  of  these  occasions,  such  men  as 
Judges  John  Rowan,  George  M.  Bibb  and  Henry  Pirtle,  and  such  lawyers, 
politicians  and  editors  as  James  D.  Breckinridge,  Patrick  H.  Pope,  Charles 
M.  Thruston,  Frank  Johnson,  Garnet  Duncan,  Alexander  Bullitt  and  George 
D,  Prentice. 


3o8  THE   MISSION   OF   LOUISVILLE. 

become  the  largest  congregation  of  Catholics  in  the  city,  that  of  the 
church  of  St.  Bonifacius,  on  Green,  between  Jackson  and  Hancock 
streets.  Father  Stahlschmidt  set  out  in  1838  on  a  collecting  tour  for  his 
proposed  church,  and  went  as  for  as  the  city  of  Mexico,  South  Amer- 
ica, where  he  died  a  year  later.  His  collections  for  the  church,  amount- 
ing to  the  sum  of  four  hundred  dollars,  were  afterwards  remitted  to 
Bishop  Flaget,  through  the  bishop  of  New  Orleans. 

In  1839,  in  the  temporary  absence  of  Dr.  Reynolds,  his  chief  asso- 
ciate, Rev,  John  McGill,  was  named  pastor  of  the  church  of  St.  Louis, 
with  Rev.  Walter  S.  Coomes  and  Rev.  John  Quinn  as  his  assistants. 
A  year  later,  on  the  return  of  Dr.  Reynolds  from  his  visit  abroad,  he 
resumed  the  pastorship,  with  his  assistants  unchanged.  Of  two  of 
these,  Fathers  Walter  S.  Coomes  and  John  Quinn,  the  writer  prefers 
to  notice  here  what  he  considers  of  interest  in  their  lives. 

Walter  S.  Coomes,  then  a  young  man  of  twenty  or  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  was  living  with  his  father,  Ignatius  Coomes,  in  Breckin- 
ridge county,  in  the  year  181 9,  when  Rev,  Robert  A.  Abell  had 
charge  of  that  mission.  About  the  first  of  August  of  the  year  named, 
he  was  seized  with  an  illness  of  such  severity  as  to  demand  on  the 
part  of  his  parents,  as  a  precautionary  measure,  the  calling  in  of 
their  pastor.  The  messenger  sent  to  his  residence  at  Long  Lick,  found 
that  Father  Abell  had  but  that  morning  been  called  to  Bardstown. 
Following  on  in  his  track,  he  only  got  speech  with  the  priest  at 
Elizabeth  town,  after  the  latter  had  retired  for  the  night.  Without 
longer  delay  than  the  time  necessary  to  get  his  horse  saddled  and 
brought  from  the  stable,  priest  and  messenger  hastened  back  by  the 
road  they  had  come.  The  young  man  was  prepared  for  death,  but  he 
was  an  old  man  and  a  priest  himself,  when  he  was  finally  called  away. 
When  completely  recovered,  he  entered  the  theological  seminary  at 
Bardstown,  where  he  remained,  engaged  partly  in  study  and  partly  in 
teaching  in  St,  Joseph's  college,  until  his  ordination,  which  is  supposed 
to  have  taken  place  in  1829  or  1830,  He  remained  an  officer  of  the 
college  until  1832,  when  he  was  given  charge  over  the  congregations 
of  St,  Thomas  and  St.  Benedict  in  Nelson  county,  and  that  of  St. 
Clare,  in  Hardin,  In  addition  to  these  charges,  he  was  superior  of 
the  seminary  of  St,  Thomas  up  to  the  year  1839,  In  1840  he  was 
transferred  to  Louisville.  Two  years  later,  and  after  the  location  of 
the  See  had  been  changed  from  Bardstown  to  Louisville,  Father 
Coomes  was  transferred  to  St.  Joseph's  college,  and  thence,  in  1843, 
to  the  missions  of  Daviess  county,  Kentucky,  where,  with  an  interval 
of  a  single  year,  he  remained  up  to  the  year  1855.  With  physical 
energies  impaired  by  constant  and  exhaustive  labors,  his  bishop  was 
obhged  at  length  to  grant  him  as  a  measure  of  relief  the  chaplaincy  of 
the  St.  Vincent's  Orphan  Asylum,  Louisville,  in  which  position  he  was 
found  at  the  date  of  his  death,  November  28,  187 1.* 

*With  barely  a  sufficiency  of  learning  to  enable  him    to  discharge   intel- 
ligently the  functions  of  his  sacred  office,  and  unendowed  with  gifts  of  mind 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  309 

^  REV.  JOHN  QUINN. 

John  Quinn,  together  with  a  younger  brother,  Francis  Quinn,  emi- 
grated from  Ireland  to  the  United  States  about  the  year  1830.  They 
were  both  young  men  of  excellent  principles  and  faithful  to  religious 
duty.  Though  neither  of  them  had  received  other  than  a  rudimentary 
education,  it  was  the  hope  of  both  that  the  elder  might  one  day 
become  a  priest.  Coming  to  Louisville  a  few  years  later,  Francis,  or 
Frank  Quinn,  as  he  was  afterwards  known,  became  a  peddler  of 
small  commodities,  in  which  business  he  prospered  to  such  a  degree 
as  to  enable  him  to  keep  his  brother  at  school  for  a  year  or  two.  In 
1834,  as  is  believed,  John  Quinn  made  application  to  its  director  for 
a  place  in  the  diocesan  seminary,  and  his  request  was  granted.  His 
ordination  to  the  priesthood  took  place,  as  is  supposed,  toward  the 
close  of  the  year  1839.  A  happy  man  was  Frank  Quinn  when  he 
was  permitted  to  touch  with  his  lips  the  hand  of  a  priest  who  was  his 
own  brother.  Father  John  Quinn  spent  the  entire  term  of  his  life  as 
a  priest  in  the  service  of  the  congregation  attached  to  the  church  of 
St.  Louis  and  the  cathedral  of  the  Assumption  which  afterwards  occu- 
pied its  site.  No  one  filling  a  similar  position  ever  labored  with 
greater  earnestness  to  make  his  ministry  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God 
and  of  those  whom  he  had  been  commissioned  to  serve.  Especially 
was  his  zeal  directed  to  the  amelioration  of  the  bodily  wretchedness 
of  the  poor,  very  many  of  whom  were  countrymen  of  his  own,  and 
to  the  reclamation  of  the  vicious  among  them.  In  point  of  fact,  he 
was  a  model  priest,  and  he  became  deservedly  popular  with  the  well- 
to-do  of  the  parish  who  were  the  witnesses  of  his  indefatigable  endeav- 
ors to  promote  the  welfare  of  all. 

In  the  course  of  time,  many  meritorious  working  men  and  work- 
ing women  were  led,  not  by  his  own  solicitations  assuredly,  but  by  the 
confidence  they  reposed  in  his  integrity,  to  make  Father  Quinn  the 
repository  of  their  earnings  and  accumulations.  Being  a  careful,  as 
well  as  a  just  man,  he  not  only  invested  these  trust  funds  safely,  but  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  insure  to  himself  a  small  source  of  revenue  over 
and  above  the  sums  he  had  bargained  to  return  to  the  depositors 
whenever  demanded.  This  step  of  his  was  but  the  introduction  to 
after  misfortune.  In  the  course  of  time  his  accumulations  increased, 
and  though  he  saw  not  that  it  was  so  himself,  his  friends  were  pained 

that  could  be  called  extraordinary,  it  is  to  be  regarded  as  doubtful  if  his 
ministry  would  have  been  found  effective  of  better  results  had  all  this  been 
reversed.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  known  to  me  by  personal  observation,  that  the 
most  devoted  of  his  friends  among  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  were  precisely 
those  whose  natural  gifts  and  acquired  knowledge  were  the  least  disputable. 
Between  these  and  their  humble  co-worker  in  the  vineyard  of  their  common 
Master  there  were  bonds  of  sympathy  that  would  be  inexplicable  but  for  my 
knowledge  of  the  attractiveness  of  a  character  whose  single  ambition  was  to 
serve  God  with  fidelity  and  to  have  consideration  for  his  neighbor,  as  being 
equally  entitled  with  himself  to  every  blessing  scattered  Qut  of  heaven  among 
the  children  of  men. 


3IO 


THE   MISSION   OF    LOUISVILLE. 


to  find  that  he  was  always  interested  when  talking  of  securities  and 
money-values.  Imperceptibly  to  himself,  he  was  losing  in  much  more 
important  matters  his  influence  for  good  with  the  unsordid  of  his  par- 
ishioners. But  this  was  not  all,  and  happily  for  him,  he  did  not  live 
to  see  the  last  terrible  consequence  of  his  blunder.  Toward  the 
latter  end  of  June,  1852,  cholera  appeared  in  Louisville,  and  for  two 
weeks  the  clergy  of  the  cathedral  were  kept  busily  employed  in  min- 
istering to  those  who  had  been  stricken  by  the  malady.  Returning 
from  a  visit  of  this  nature  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  July,  Father 
Quinn  found  that  he  had  himself  contracted  the  disease.  Every 
effort  was  made  to  save  his  life,  but  all  without  avail,  and  the  morn- 
ing of  the  7  th  found  him  a  corpse. 

Father  Quinn's  estate  was  found  to  be  even  greater  than  had  been 
expected,  and  the  whole  of  it  reverted  to  his  brother,  by  whom  the 
most  of  it  was  invested  in  real  property  on  Main  street,  upon  which  he 
built  a  block  of  houses  afterwards  known  as  "Quinn's  Row."  The 
tragic  story  of  this  property  and  its  proprietor  forms  one  of  the  most 
disgraceful  episodes  that  disfigure  the  past  history  of  Louisville.  On 
the  5th  of  August,  1855,  a  day  of  dishonor  to  the  whole  country,  and 
since  recognized  by  the  title  then  won  for  it  of  "Bloody  Monday,  " 
Quinn's  row  was  fired  by  a  fanatical  mob  and  burnt  to  the  ground;  and, 
what  was  far  more  lamentable,  its  wretched  owner,  innocent  as  a  child 
of  all  offense,  no  matter  against  whom,  was  shot  to  death  on  his  own 
threshold. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact,  that  very  many  intelligent  and  pious  Cath- 
olics, who  are  in  no  wise  inclined  to  superstition,  are  strongly  impressed 
with  the  conviction  that  the  estates  of  clergymen  have  but  one  rightful 
line  of  inheritance,  Christ  in  His  Church,  and  Christ  in  his  poor. 
These  will  tell  you  of  instances,  not  a  few,  where  such  estates,  left  to 
or  inherited  by  individuals,  have  carried  with  them  much  more  of  mis- 
fortune than  of  blessing.  The  writer  has  to  acknowledge  that  his  own 
notions  have  run  in  this  direction  for  years. 

But  there  is  another  point,  and  one  of  great  delicacy,  suggested  by 
what  has  been  related  above,  upon  which  comment  would  seem  to  be 
imperative.  It  refers  to  a  system  that  once  prevailed  in  Louisville 
whereby  priests  were  made  the  repositories  of  money  belonging  to 
individuals  among  their  parishioners.  The  writer  holds  this  to  be  an 
axiom :  A  priest  abuses  his  credit  whenever  he  becomes  the  banker  of 
his  people.  Sad  instances,  in  our  own  city  of  Louisville,  are  not  want- 
ing to  show  how  full  of  danger  is  the  custom  to  both  priests  and  peo- 
ple. It  is  all  well  so  long  as  the  pastor  of  a  church,  for  instance, 
accepts  with  the  approval  of  his  ordinary  deposits  of  money  to  be 
used  for  the  liquidation  of  previous  debt,  or  for  any  purpose  of 
pressing  need  direcdy  connected  with  the  interests  of  his  parish ;  but 
the  moment  he  accepts  of  such  deposits,  though  they  carry  with  them 
no  cumulative  interest,  with  the  idea  of  investing  them  to  his  own 
individual  profit,  that  moment  he  sinks  his  personality  to  the  level  of 
the  trader  in  commodities.     Then,  venture  and  risk  come  in  as  set-offs 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  3II 

to  anticipatea  profit;  and  how  shall  he,  wholly  uninstructed  In  the  laws 
of  finance  and  trade,  and  governed,  as  it  ^s  natural  and  meet  he  should 
be,  more  by  sensibility  than  worldly  prudence,  know  how  to  place 
securities  so  as  to  remain  himself  uninvolved  in  trouble  of  some  kind, 
either  with  those  for  whom  he  acts,  or  with  those  with  whom  he  is  act- 
ing? True,  we  have  all  known  priests  who  were  possessed  of  extraor- 
dinary ability  as  financiers ;  but  who  will  say  that  the  exercise  of  this 
talent  of  theirs  ever  added  a  feather's  weight  to  the  Catholic  public's 
estimate  of  their  characters  as  ministers  of  Christ  ? 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  however,  that  where  misfortune  has  followed 
the  custom  referred  to,  its  priestly  victims  have  ordinarily  been  large- 
hearted  men,  who  were  devoted  to  pastoral  duty.  Impatient  of  pro- 
gress in  the  direction  of  church  extention  and  other  meritorious  works, 
they  went  out  of  their  sphere,  a  step  at  a  time,  and  finally  found 
themselves  entangled  in  meshes  of  care  and  solicitude,  out  of  which 
extrication  appeared  to  them  impossible.  The  least  to  be  envied,  as  it 
appears  to  the  writer,  of  such  as  have  subjected  themselves  to  the 
dangers  of  this  custom,  have  been  precisely  those  who  have,  in  a 
worldly  point  of  view,  profited  most  by  their  supposed  foresight. 


'12  REV.    AND   RT.    REV.    IGNATIUS   A.    REYNOLDS. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

REV.  AND  RT.  REV.    IGNATIUS  A.  REYNOLDS. 

The  church  of  St.  Louis — second  of  that  title  in  Louisville — pre- 
sents an  array  of  names  in  its  pastorate  that  is  still  referred  to  as  extra- 
ordinary by  those  who  are  at  all  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  parish 
Three  of  these  pastors  were  born  in  Kentucky,  and  the  fourth  was 
brought  to  the  State  when  he  was  under  ten  years  of  age.  To  the 
first — Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell — reference  has  already  been  made ;  and 
what  is  further  to  be  said  concerning  him  will  more  appropriately  find 
consideration  under  other  headings.  His  successors  in  the  pastorate 
in  the  order  named,  were.  Rev.  Ignatius  A.  Reynolds,  Rev.  John 
McGill,  and  Rev.  Martin  John  Spalding.  Only  of  the  first  named  of 
these  three,  the  writer  proposes  to  speak  in  this  chapter. 

Of  all  the  native  priests  of  Kentucky,  the  late  ^Dr.  Reynolds  was 
possibly  the  least  understood  and  the  least  appreciated  by  others  than 
men  of  discriminating  judgment.  Nature  had  not  given  to  him  the 
pleasing  ways  by  which  persons  so  endowed  are  able  to  attract  and 
lead  captive  the  hearts  of  men.  Still,  it  was  not  because  his  own 
heart  was  not  open  as  the  day  to  all  gentle  influences  that  such  was 
the  case.  It  was  for  the  reason,  rather,  that  his  was  a  peculiarly  sen- 
sitive nature.  No  man  ever  had  a  juster  appreciation  of  the  transcen- 
dent dignity  of  the  priesthood.  He  appeared,  indeed,  at  all  times,  as 
it  he  were  fearful  lest,  by  some  inadvertent  act,  or  some  frivolous 
speech,  he  might  cause  men  to  lose  sight  of  the  unworldly  character 
of  his  ministry.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  natural  abilities,  learned, 
thoughtful  and  prudent ;  and  neither  was  the  confidence  of  his  superiors 
nor  the  respect  of  his  fellow-priests  lacking  to  him  for  a  single  moment 
during  his  entire  ministerial  career  in  Kentucky.  The  reserve  that  was 
habitual  to  him  in  society  was  so  modified  in  his  intercourse  with  these 
latter,  as  it  was  also  in  respect  to  his  intimate  friends  of  the  laity,  that 
not  one  of  either  class  of  persons  so  favored  ever  made  the  mistake 
of  supposing  there  was  mixed  in  his  character  an  element  of  unwor- 
thy personal  pride. 

Ignatius  Aloysius  Reynolds  was  born  in  Nelson  county,  Kentucky 
on  the  22d  day  of  August,  1798.  His  parents  were  John  Reynolds 
and  Ann  French,  emigrants  from  Maryland.  The  farm  upon  which  the 
family  lived  at  the  time  was  situated  about  three  miles  north  of  Bards- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  313 

town,  and  almost  adjoining  the  one  now  occupied  by  the  Nazareth 
community  of  Sisters  of  Charity.* 

Happily  for  the  child  and  his  future,  his  mother  was  a  woman  of 
rare  good  sense,  faithful,  prudent  and  pious.  It  was  her  aim  to  fash- 
ion the  minds  of  her  children  after  that  of  the  Divine  Model,  who, 
as  the  scriptures  tell  us,  was  subject  to  His  own  Mother,  and  "grew 
in  wisdom  and  age  and  grace  with  God  and  men."  Under  her  care- 
ful discipline,  which  was  neither  exacting  beyond  reason,  nor  loose 
beyond  prudence,  her  children,  one  and  all,  grew  up  to  be  faithful 
exponents  of  christian  life  and  deportment. 

It  would  seem  to  be  the  impression  of  those  who  have  been  con- 
sulted on  the  subject,  that  young  Reynolds  entered  the  diocesan  sem- 
inary of  St.  Thomas  when  he  was  little  more  than  fifteen  years  of  age. 
It  is  quite  certain  that  the  venerable  director  of  the  seminary.  Father 
John  B.  David,  afterwards  coadjutor-bishop  of  the  See  of  Bardstown, 
was  early  convinced  of  the  capabilities  of  his  pupil,  and  that  it  was 
at  his  suggestion  he  was  afterwards  transferred  to  the  seminary  of 
the  Sulpician  Fathers,  Baltimore,  for  the  completion  of  his  theological 
studies.  It  was,  most  likely,  in  the  fall  of  the  year  181 9  that  this  trans- 
fer was  made. 

At  the  time  referred  to,  the  seminary  named  was  under  the  presi- 
dency of  the  late  Rev.  John  Tessier,  an  ecclesiastic  of  great  learning 
and  piety,  and  one  whose  every  faculty  was  given  to  the  servibe  to 
which  he  had  vowed  himself  at  his  ordination.  His  Ufe  was  one  of 
constant  labor,  mortification  and  self-denial,  and  his  death  was  as  that 
of  a  saint, " precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord."  f 

Dr.  Reynolds  was  ordained  priest  in  Baltimore,  October  24th, 
1823,  by  the  Most  Rev.  Archbishop  Marechal.  Almost  immediately 
afterwards  he  returned  to  Kentucky,  where  he  was  employed,  up  to 
September,  1827,  in  teaching  and  in  missionary  work.  He  accom- 
panied Bishop  Flaget  in  his  visitation  of  his  diocese  in  1826,  and, 
together  with  the  late  Most  Rev.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  who  was 
a  missionary  priest  in  Kentucky  at  the  time,  preached  the  jubilee  of 
the  previous  year,  extended  by  papal  authority  for  purely  missionary 

«The  little  tumble-down  building  of  logs  in  which  the  Reynolds  family 
lived,  and  in  which  the  subject  of  my  sketch  was  born,  was  a  familiar  object  to 
me  fifty  years  ago.  It  has  passed  away,  but  not  with  it  the  memory  of  the 
devoted  priest  and  zealous  bishop  whose  infant  eyes  were  first  opened  to  its 
rude  interior. 

t  Forty  years  ago  Dr.  Reynolds  related  in  my  presence  an  anecdote  of 
Father  Tessier  which,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  will  be  more  appreciated  by  the 
older  than  by  the  younger  clergy  of  our  own  day.  "  On  a  certain  occasion," 
said  my  friend,  "the  seminarians,  accompanied  by  Father  Tessier,  were  per- 
mitted to  take  a  long  stroll  into  the  country  for  recreation.  It  was  late  when 
they  thought  of  returning,  and  their  way  led  them  near  the  residence  of  a 
pious  Catholic  lady,  who,  seeing  the  situation,  as  she  thought,  came  out  to  the 
road  and  begged  the  priest  and  his  charge  to  do  her  the  honor  of  drinking  tea 
with  her.  His  answer,  much  to  the  disgust  of  his  hungry  companions,  was 
simply:      •  Much  obliged  to  you,  madam  ;  we've  got  plenty  of  tea  at  home.'  " 


314  REV.   AND    RT.   REV.   IGNATIUS  A.   REYNOLDS. 

countries,  in  all  the  principal  congregations  of  the  vast  territory  then 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  bishop  of  Bardstown.  In  1827  he  suc- 
ceeded the  late  Rev.  George  A.  M.  Elder  in  the  presidency  of  St. 
Joseph's  college.  This  position  he  retained  for  three  years,  greatly  to 
the  advantage  of  that  institution.  At  the  expiration  of  the  term 
indicated,  owing  to  his  earnest  desire  to  be  employed  in  the  offices  of 
the  sacred  ministry,  he  was  relieved  by  his  ordinary,  and  appointed 
pastor  of  the  cathedral  congregation,  Bardstown.  In  1834,  he  was 
named  pastor  of  the  church  of  St.  Louis,  Louisville,  which  was  then 
the  only  house  of  worship  for  Catholics'.in  the  entire  city. 

Without  an  assistant  for  several  years,  and  with  but  little  assistance 
up  to  that  date.  Dr.  Reynolds  continued  to  administer  to  the  spiritual 
wants  of  his  rapidly  increasing  congregation  until  the  year  1840,  when 
he  was  dispatched  to  Europe  by  Bishop  Flaget  for  the  transaction  of 
business  relating  to  diocesan  affairs.  Upon  his  return,  in  the  follow- 
ing year,  he  resumed  his  charge  of  the  parish,  and  a  year  later,  when 
the  seat  of  diocesan  jurisdiction  was  removed  from  Bardstown  to 
Louisville,  he  was  appointed  vicar-general  by  his  bishop.  From  that 
time,  it  is  safe  to  say,  his  great  administrative  abilities  were  wisely 
exercised  for  the  general  good  of  both  priests  and  people,  and  for  the 
advancement  of  the  designs  of  the  Holy  Church  in  every  part  of  the 
State. 

Early  in  January,  1844,  Dr.  Reynolds  received  the  notification 
of  his  appointment  to  the  then  vacant  See  of  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina. No  one  better  than  he  knew  the  difficulties,  possibly  the  morti- 
fications, he  would  have  to  encounter  and  submit  to  in  a  position  so 
lately  occupied  by  one  who  had  been  universally  regarded  as  the  fore- 
most type  of  intellectual  vigor  and  robust  energy  that  had  hitherto 
presented  itself  to  the  popular  vision  from  the  ranks  of  the  American 
episcopate.  Men  are  always  placed  at  a  disadvantage  when  they  suc- 
ceed in  office,  whatever  may  be  its  character,  those  who  have  earned 
for  themselves  large  measures  of  popular  commendation  on  account 
I  of  their  faithfulness  to  the  trusts  that  had  been  confided  to  their 
hands.  In  the  annals  of  church  government  in  the  United  States,  no 
other  bishop  ever  acquired  a  more  enviable  notoriety  for  efficiency  and 
wide-spread  influence  than  did  Dr.  John  England,  first  bishop  of 
Charleston.  It  was  not  alone  that  he  was  a  profound  scholar,  an  elo- 
quent preacher  and  a  man  of  rare  genius  and  pleasant  social  charac- 
teristics; he  was  an  accomplished  and  forcible  writer  as  well,  and  his 
contributions  to  the  press  of  his  day  were  neither  better  known  nor 
more  heartily  appreciated  by  his  ov/n  people  than  they  were  by  those 
of  every  other  diocese  in  the  country.  Well  might  Dr.  Reynolds, 
modestly  distrustful  as  he  was  of  his  own  capabilities,  shrink  from  the 
occupancy  of  •  a  post  which  had  before  been  so  admirably  filled. 
Well  might  he  fear  that  popular  disappointment  would  follow  his 
advent ;  that  both  priests  and  people  would  find  little  in  him  to  com- 
pensate them  for  the  irreparable  loss  they  had  sustained  in  the  death  of 
their  first  bishop;  but  Dr.  Reynolds  was  not  the  man  to  evade  in  the 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY  31$ 

least  particular  the  requirements  of  ascertained  duty.  It  had  never 
been  his  habit  to  question  either  the  motives  or  the  wisdom  of  those  to 
whom  he  had  vowed  obedience,  and  now  that  Christ*s  vicar  on  earth 
had  given  expression  to  his  will  in  his  regard,  he  felt  that  the  proper 
course  for  him  to  pursue  was  to  render  cheerful  obedience. 

The  consecration  of  Dr.  Reynolds,  together  with  that  of  Dr.  John 
Martin  Henni  for  the  bishopric  of  Milwaukee,  took  place  in  St.  Peter's 
cathedral,  Cincinnati,  on  the  feast  of  St.  Joseph,  March  19,  1844. 
The  consecrating  prelate  was  Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  Purcell.  It  had  been 
the  hope  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  that  his  consecration  might  be  at 
the  hands  of  his  own  bishop,  Dr.  Flaget;  but  the  great  age  and  the 
infirm  physical  condition  of  that  venerable  prelate  rendered  this  desire 
of  his  heart  of  impossible  attainment.  Bishop  Flaget  could  do  no 
more  than  be  present  at  the  ceremonial  and  pray,  as  he  no  doubt  did, 
that  this  son  of  his  adoption  might  be  led  by  the  spirit  of  God  to  bear 
with  humility  and  courage  the  heavy  weight  of  responsibihty  with 
which  he  was  to  be  burdened  for  the  remainder  of  his  days.* 

Having  already  taken  leave  of  his  old  parishioners  and  friends  in 
Kentucky,  Bishop  Reynolds  hastened  to  his  appointed  post  of  duty 
almost  immediately  after  his  consecration.  On  reaching  his  episcopal 
city  of  Charleston,  he  was  received  with  every  demonstration  of 
respect  and  confidence  by  both  priests  and  people.  That  he  encoun- 
tered difficulties  in  his  new  position  is  not  to  be  doubted;  for  to  do  so 
is  incident  to  the  exercise  of  authority,  whether  in  Church  or  State;  but 
he  was  prudent  as  well  as  firm,  compassionate  as  well  as  just,  and  it  is 
as  litde  to  be  doubted  that  in  his  case  difficulty  was  overcome  by  per- 
severance. The  writer  of  the  notice  of  his  death,  published  in  the 
Catholic  directory  of  1855,  says  of  him: 

"During  the  eleven  years  of  his  episcopate  he  labored  with  untir- 
ing zeal  to  promote  the  cause  of  religion.  Among  the  acts  of  his 
administration  may  be  mentioned  the  publication  of  the  writings  of 
BishoD  England,  and  the  erection  of  the  beautiful  cathedral  of  the  city 
of  Charleston.  He  watched  with  solicitude  over  the  Catholic  institu- 
tions of  the  diocese,  and  he  strove  earnestly  and  anxiously  to  encourage 
their  erowth,  and  to  extend  the  sphere  of  their  influence.  He 
endear'ed  himself  to  his  clergy  by  his  courtesy,  kindness  and  gener- 
osity, and  he  won  for  himself  the  love  and  respect  of  his  people,  and 
even  of  those  who  were  not  of  the  'household  of  the  faith'  by  his 
urbanity  and  gentleness.     In  him,  the  poor,  the  afflicted  and  the  dis- 

*I  was  present  at  the  consecration,  and  I  remember  to  have  been  greatly 
struck  by  an  incident  that  took  place  immediately  after  the  newly-consecrated 
bishops  had  imparted  the  episcopal  blessing  to  the  kneeling  crowds  that  filled 
the  cathedral.  I  observed  from  where  I  sat  the  tottering  form  of  our  late 
saintly  prelate  being  led  up  the  steps  of  the  high  altar.  In  a  moment  after,  in 
accents  so  feeble  that  they  could  scarce  be  heard  at  the  extremity  of  the  church, 
he  intoned  the  initiatory  words  of  the  solemn  episcopal  benediction,  Sit  Nomen 
Domini.  When  he  turned  to  give  the  blessing,  every  knee  was  bent  to  receive 
ji,  whether  of  bishops,  priests  or  people. 


3l6  REV.  AND    RT.  RIV.  IGNATIUS   A.  REYNOLDS. 

tressed,  found  a  father,  a  consoler  and  a  friend.  The  virtues  that  had 
distinguished  him  during  the  thirty  years  of  his  laborious  ministry, 
shone  more  conspicuously  as  his  life  drew  to  its  close.  The  patience 
and  resignation  with  which  he  bore  his  sufferings,  especially  during  the 
last  and  more  painful  stages  of  his  disease,  elicited  the  admiration  of 
all  who  approached  him.  " 

Dr.  Reynolds  was  a  man  of  imposing  presence.  He  was  of 
medium  height,  compact  of  form,  and  moderately  full  of  habit.  His 
face  was  slightly  oval,  smooth  and  somewhat  florid.  In  mixed  com- 
pany, and  especially  in  the  presence  of  strangers,  his  demeanor  was 
grave  without  being  forbidding.  He  was  habitually  courteous  to 
everyone,  high  and  low,  but  his  courtesy  was  not  at  all  of  the  kind  that 
invited  familiarity.  Relaxation  in  this  respect  only  took  place  in  the 
company  of  his  intimate  friends.  Then,  indeed,  though  he  never 
appeared  to  lose  sight  of  the  sacredness  of  his  calling,  he  would  so 
far  reveal  his  heart  as  to  insure  sympathy,  and  the  treasures  of  his 
mind  to  the  extent  of  inciting  admiration. 

As  early  as  1824  he  had  already  acquired  a  reputation  for  elo- 
quence that  was  only  second,  in  the  entire  diocese,  to  that  of  Rev. 
Robert  A.  Abell,  who  was  ten  years  his  senior.  Ten  years  later, 
another  eloquent  Kentuckian  took  his  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  clergy 
of  the  State,  in  the  person  of  Rev.  Martin  J.  Spalding,  who  became 
in  time  still  more  widely  known  for  his  ability  as  a  speaker;  and  still 
another  in  the  person  of  Rev.  John  McGill,  a  young  cleric  of  extra- 
ordinary mental  gifts  and  acquirements,  who  soon  proved  himself  the 
equal  of  the  others  in  his  ability  to  attract  popular  attention. 

The  history  of  local  churches  in  the  United  States  has  scarcely 
furnished  a  more  extraordinary  array  of  native  talent  than  is  presented 
in  the  names  of  these  cotemporary  Kentucky  priests.  They  attached 
to  men,  who,  in  their  day  and  generation,  ranked  deservedly  with  the 
most  noted  ecclesiastics  of  the  country.  Intellectually,  they  were  all 
highly  endowed;  and  to  all  of  them  had  been  given  grace  from  on 
high  to  use  their  gifts  of  intellect  to  the  ends  of  God's  glory  and  the 
exaltation  of  His  Holy  Church. 

In  much  ahke,  they  were  also  in  much  dissimilar.  There  was  an 
element  of  magnetism  in  Father  Abell,  possessed  in  a  much  less  degree 
by  the  others,  that  was  most  attractive  of  popular  interest ;  and,  with 
the  exception,  possibly,  of  the  late  archbishop  of  Baltimore,  he  was 
more  demonstrative  of  sympathy  than  the  others  in  the  presence  of 
woe  and  suffering.  Then,  he  was  much  richer  in  both  fancy  and  wit 
than  either  of  his  cotemporaries  named.  These  lighter  resources  of 
his  mind  were  made  available  where  the  ponderous  syllogisms  of  the 
others  would  have  created  scarcely  a  ripple  of  interest.  While  he  was 
much  less  scholarly  then  either  of  them,  he  surpassed  them  all  as  a 
student  of  nature.  Impulsive  and  unmethodical,  and  wholly  regard- 
less of  posthumous  honors,  he  was  more  fitted  for  emergencies  than 
for  purposes  requiring  for  their  development  concentrated  thought 
and  laborious  and  long-continued  action.     He  wrote  but  little,  and 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  317 

not  even  from  his  correspondence  with  his  friends  has  his  volunteer 
biographer  been  able  to  glean  much  of  value  concerning  him  that  was 
not  before  known  to  him  through  the  medium  of  personal  intercourse. 
Dr.  Martin  J.  Spalding  differed  from  his  friend  and  relative  last 
named,  in  the  circumstance  that  his  acquired  knov/ledge  was  at  once 
more  exact  and  more  diversified.     Then,  in  the  matter  of  application, 
there  was   a  wide  difference  between  them,  as  there  was,  indeed, 
between  the  elder  of  the  two  and  the  others  whose  names  have  been 
mentioned.     Father  Abell,  it  is  true,  was  not  only  the  most  interesting 
conversationalist  of  his  day  in  all  Kentucky,  but  he  was  likewise  a  pro- 
found thinker.     It  was  his  misfortune,  however,  to  be  unable  to  utilize 
his  great  mental  resources  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  were  to  come 
after  him.     It  was  not  so  with  Dr.  Spalding.     Application  and  perse- 
verance were  habits  of  his  nature  ;  and,  unless  for  necessary  mental  or 
bodily  rest  and  recuperation,  he  was  never  idle.     Then,  in  every  thing 
he  did  or  attempted  to  do,  there  was  to  be  discerned  expansion  of  idea 
as  well  as  definitiveness  of  purpose.     While  they  were  alike  genial  in 
their  dispositions,  the  manners  of  the  younger  priest  were  far  more 
courtly.     They  were  both  singularly  approachable,  especially  to  the 
weak  and  timid.     The  elder  of  the  two,  possibly  never  in  his  life 
went  to  the  pulpit,   knowing  precisely  what  he  was  going  to   say. 
The  younger  rarely  addressed  an  audience  without  having  previously 
considered  all  the  details  of  his  proposed  subject.     In  preaching,  the 
articulation  of  both  was  good,  but  that  of  the  younger  the  nearest  to 
perfection ;    and  while  the  voice   of  the  elder  was  often  husky  and 
apparently  strained  to  a  degree  that  was  painful  to  the  listener,  that  of 
the  younger  was  as  musical  as  it  was  expansive.     Had  it  possessed 
something  of  the  pathos  that  was  natural  to  that  of  Father  Abell,  there 
could  have  been  nothing  in  human  intonation  more  desirable  or  more 
extraordinary. 

Dr.  John  McGill  differed  from  his  cotemporaries  named,  in  the 
fact  that  he  was  a  more  admirable  logician  than  either  of  them.  His 
mind  was  clearly  analytical.  It  was  his  habit  in  preaching  to  submit 
evidences  of  the  verity  of  his  propositions,  and  to  hedge  them  about 
with  logical  deductions.  Educated  for  the  profession  of  law,  which  he 
practiced  for  a  short  time  before  entering  upon  his  theological  studies, 
his  pulpit  discourses  resembled  in  much  the  pleadings  of  the  trained 
advocate.  It  was  because  of  this  peculiarity  of  his  preaching  that  the 
converts  he  made — and  few  priests  of  the  olden  time  in  Kentucky 
were  more  successful  in  their  efforts  to  lead  the  estranged  into  Catholic 
unity — were  very  generally  persons  of  education  and  ripe  intelligence. 
Toward  the  enemies  of  the  Church,  and  especially  toward  the  aggres- 
sive bigots  of  his  own  day  and  locality,  whose  philippics  from  the  pul- 
pit and  press  were  addressed  directly  to  himself  as  the  acknowledged 
champion  of  Catholic  teachings,  he  was  unmercifully  satirical,  as  well 
in  his  writings  as  in  his  lectures.  He  was  always  an  interesting 
speaker ;  but  when  spurred  to  the  effort  by  his  indignant  feelings,  he 
appeared  to  lift  himself  to  a  plane  of  eloquence  whence  his  impas- 


3l8  REV,  AND    RT.  REV.  IGNATIUS  A.  REYNOLDS. 

sioned  words  fairly  blistered  themselves  into  the  minds  of  his  hearers. 
Like  Dr.  Spalding,  and  very  unlike  leather  Abell  and  Dr.  Reynolds, 
he  had  little  power  over  the  pathetic  in  oratory;  and  yet,  just  as  was 
the  case  with  the  late  archbishop  of  Baltimore,  his  heart  was  tender, 
and  he  was  deeply  sympathetic  in  the  presence  of  trouble  and  afflic- 
tion. There  are  thousands  living  to-day  who  only  knew  him  from 
having  been  the  witnesses  of  his  christian  and  benevolent  action  in 
behalf  of  the  wounded,  the  sick  and  the  prisoners  brought  into  his 
episcopal  city  of  Richmond  during  the  dark  days  of  civil  strife  in  which 
the  country  was  engaged  from  i86i  to  1865. 

In  society  Dr.  McGill  had  the  reputation  of  being  not  a  little  dis- 
putatious. This  was  due  in  part  to  his  natural  disposition,  in  part  to 
his  training  for  the  profession  of  the  law,  but  more  particularly  to  the 
fact  that  he  was  governed  by  principle  in  giving  expression  to  his 
convictions.  He  was  not  to  be  brought  to  give  even  the  doubtful 
assent  of  silence  to  asseverations  that  were  repugnant  to  his  sense  of 
justice,  truth  or  propriety;  and  whether  it  was  a  baseless  proposition,  a 
faulty  argument  or  an  uncharitable  allusion  that  was  given  utterance 
to  in  his  presence,  he  appeared  to  be  impelled  by  a  sense  of  duty  to 
combat  it  then  and  there.  Though  it  is  to  be  said  of  him  that  he  was 
always  plain-spoken  in  his  rebukes  of  those  of  his  parishioners  whose 
lives  were  irregular  or  scandalous,  it  is  also  to  be  said  of  him  that  no 
one  was  ever  more  persistent  in  his  efforts  to  suppress  adverse  and 
unchristian  criticisms  of  personal  character.  Less  only  of  the  four 
named,  than  Dr.  Reynolds,  was  he  sensitive  to  personal  slights  and 
insults;  but  no  breath  of  complaint  ever  escaped  his  lips  on  account 
of  either.  It  was  the  direct  reverse  with  him  when  his  religion  was 
traduced  and  its  profession  made  the  subject  of  public  and  invidious 
remarks.  Then,  indeed,  he  appeared  to  consider  it  as  much  a  privi- 
lege as  a  duty  to  enter  the  lists  as  a  contestant,  not  for  defence  only, 
but  for  aggressive  action. 

Dr.  Reynolds  was  more  than  ordinarily  proficient  in  his  knowledge 
of  theology,  both  dogmatic  and  moral ;  but  of  all  the  prominent 
Catholic  divines  of  his  day  in  Kentucky  he  was  the  least  given  to 
controversy.  His  sermons  were  models  of  persuasive  oratory, 
addressed  to  Catholics  and  to  the  end  of  their  sanctification.  Pos- 
sibly he  was  more  conversant  with  biblical  literature  than  either  of  his 
associates  hitherto  named ;  but  his  study  of  the  word  of  God  had 
evidently  been  prosecuted  f'or  edification  rather  than  for  proofs  where- 
with to  support  the  integrity  of  Catholic  dogma.  In  preaching,  as  a 
rule,  holy  writ  furnished  him  with  both  the  subject-matter  of  his  dis- 
courses and  his  illustrations.  His  pastoral  letters  were  almost  para- 
phrases of  uiose  addressed  to  the  early  churches  by  the  apostles 
of  our  divine  Lord. 

Order,  promptness  and  punctuality  in  the  performance  of  his  reli- 
gious and  pastoral  duties  were  prominent  characteristics  of  his  every- 
day life.  He  was  an  early  riser,  and  his  daily  mass  was  always  said 
as  early  as  five  o'clock.     At  the  altar  his  very  appearance  was  breath- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  319 

ful  of  edification.  Deliberate  in  action,  absorbed  in  manner,  and 
reverent  of  aspect,  he  looked  the  embodiment  of  sacerdotal  decorous- 
ness  and  dignity. 

Dr.  Reynolds  revisited  his  native  State  for  the  last  time  in  the 
autumn  of  the  year  preceding  the  date  of  his  death.  He  was  ill 
at  the  time,  and  when  he  left  for  his  home,  it  was  the  common  fear  of 
his  former  parishioners  of  Louisville  that  they  had  taken  their  last 
farewell  of  their  old  mentor  and  friend.  He  suffered  much  during  the 
winter  of  1854-55,  and  with  the  approach  of  spring  of  the  latter 
year,  his  condition  grew  rapidly  worse.  After  a  long  agony,  under- 
gone with  sublime  patience  and  resignation,  he  yielded  his  soul  to  God 
on  the  9th  day  of  March,  1855.* 

Thtx  mortal  remains  of  Dr.  Reynolds  rest  to-day  beside  those  of  his 
great  predecessor  of  the  See  of  Charleston,  under  the  high  altar  of  St. 
Finbar's  cathedral  in  that  city,  toward  the  erection  of  which  his 
energies  were  notably  directed  during  the  greater  part  of  his  episcopal 
life.  He  was  the  first  of  the  associates  named  to  pass  through  the  gates 
of  death  to  eternal  life.  The  death  of  Dr.  McGill  took  place  in  his 
episcopal  city  of  Richmond  on  the  14th  of  January,  1872.  Dr.  M.  J. 
Spalding  died  metropolitan  of  the  Church  of  the  United  States,  in 
Baltimore,  on  the  7th  of  February,  1872.  The  last  to  pass  away  was 
the  elder  of  the  four,  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell,  who  died  suddenly  in 
Louisville,  on  the  27th  day  of  June,  1873. 

Widely  apart  He  the  ashes  of  these  servants  of  God  and  friends  of 
each  other,  who  had  so  long  prosecuted  together  their  priestly  labors  on 

*  My  personal  recollections  of  Dr.  Reynolds  date  from  the  year  1824.  He 
was  then  one  of  the  professors  at  St.  Joseph's  college,  in  which  institution  I 
was  a  pupil.  Eleven  years  later  I  was  led  to  confer  with  him  in  reference  to 
the  establishment  of  a  Catholic  diocesan  newspaper,  a  project  that  had  occu- 
pied my  thoughts  almost  from  the  time,  five  years  before,  I  had  conceived  the 
idea  of  learning  the  art  oi printing.  At  the  time  referred  to,  he  was  pastor  of 
St.  Louis'  church,  Louisville,  and  my  own  position  was  that  of  foreman  over 
the  jobbing  department  in  the  office  of  the  Loniszille  Jourual.  My  overtures 
were  at  once  kindly  and  heartily  entertained,  and  after  a  lengthened  corres- 
pondence between  himself  and  the  Rev.  president  and  other  officials  of  St. 
Joseph's  college,  they  were  accepted  by  the  latter  with  the  full  concurrence  of 
the  ordinary  of  the  diocese.  Our  relations  may  be  said  to  have  been  intimate 
from  this  time  to  the  end  of  his  life.  His  friendly  interest  in  me  and  my  affairs 
during  all  these  years,  exerted  in  many  ways  and  on  many  occa-ions,  and  the 
confidence  he  reposed  in  me,  can  neither  be  effaced  from  my  memory  nor  from 
my  sense  of  gratitude.  Reticent  with  others,  I  was  happy  enough  to  enjoy  his 
confidence;  and  I  can  truly  say  that  the  more  he  revealed  himself  to  me,  the 
greater  was  my  respect  for  him  as  a  man,  and  the  more  was  my  reverence  for 
him  as  a  priest.  Under  a  cold  exterior,  he  carried  a  heart  that  was  all  aglow 
with  charity  and  abounding  in  sympathy.  He  was  continually  planning  meas- 
ures of  relief  for  friends  in  trouble.  To  the  poor  and  suffering  among  his 
parishioners,  he  was  kindness  itself.  I  happen  to  know  that  the  greater  part  of 
his  income,  which  was  at  no  time  more  than  a  pittance,  was  devoted  by  him  to 
the  relief  of  the  distressed  poor.  For  the  supply  of  his  own  personal  necessi- 
ties his  confidence  in  the  favor  of  providence  was  absolute.  He  once  told  me 
that  relief,  often  from  unexpected  quarters,  had  never  failed  him  in  his  most 
urgent  needs. 


320  REV.   AND    RT.   REV.  JOHN    M'GILL,  D.  D. 

the  soil  of  Kentucky.  Almost  in  sight  and  sound  of  the  ever-mourn- 
ing Atlantic,  three  have  their  monumental  rest  in  the  darksome  crypts 
of  cathedrals  at  whose  altars  they  were  wont  when  living  to  lift  their 
consecrating  hands  to  bring  down  Heaven  to  earth,  the  Lord  of  ell  to 
be  the  food  and  nourishment  of  the  souls  of  men.  Most  meetly,  the 
remains  of  Father  Abell,  child  and  lover  of  nature  as  he  was,  are  laid 
away  where  the  sunbeams  of  morning  and  the  dews  of  evening  alter- 
nately smile  and  weep  as  they  kiss  the  sod  that  covers  them.  What 
was  of  earth  of  the  grand  old  priest  whom  everybody  loved  is  com- 
mingling with  the  dust  of  his  native  State  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  of 
St.  Louis,  near  Louisville. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

REV.   AND    RT.   REV.  JOHN    M'GILL,  D.  D. 

Much  that  was  remarkable  in  the  character  and  career  of  Dr. 
McGill  has  been  referred  to  and  commented  on  in  the  preceding 
sketch  of  the  life  of  his  ministerial  and  episcopal  associate,  Dr.  I.  A. 
Reynolds.  His  parents,  James  McGill  and  Lavenia  Dougherty,  both 
of  Irish  birth,  and  both  reared  from  childhood  in  Philadelphia,  were 
married  in  that  city  in  the  year  1808.  Ten  years  later,  with  their  fam- 
ily of  five  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
they  removed  west  and  settled  in  Bardstown,  Kentucky.  When  the 
college  of  St  Joseph  was  established,  in  1820,  the  name  of  John  McGill 
was  among  the  first  registered  in  its  preparatory  department.  The 
term  of  his  college  life  extended,  without  interruption,  to  the  year  1828, 
when,  with  the  class  of  that  year,  he  graduated  with  distinguished 
honor.*  Soon  afterwards  he  entered  the  office  of  the  late  Hon. 
Charles  A.  Wickliffe  as  a  student  of  law,  and  in  due  course  of  time  he 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts  of  the  district.  For  some  reason, 
most  likely  by  the  persuasion  of  some  of  his  Creole  friends  of  the 
south,  with  whom  he  had  been  an  associate  in  college,  it  was  not  long 
before  he  determined  to  remove  to  Louisiana  and  endeavor  to  secure 
for  himself  a  position  among  the  rising  of  his  profession  in  the  city  of 
New  Orleans.  This  movement  proving  unsatisfactory,  he  returned  to 
Bardstown  in  less  than  a  year,  where  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure 

*  The  class  of  graduates  at  St.  Joseph's  for  the  year  1828  were :  Joseph  P. 
Jones,  William  E.  M.Wells,  Arnold  L.  Vienne,  Reuben  B.  Garnett,  John  McGill, 
William  F.  Pope,  William  P.  Bain,  and  Leonard  Spalding. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  32 1 

an  association  with  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  town,  the  late 
Hon.  Thomas  Chilton,  both  before  and  afterwards  the  representative 
in  congress  from  the  district.  His  position  waG  now  regarded  by  his 
friends  as  in  the  highest  degree  enviable,  and  such  v/oukl  have  cer- 
tainly been  the  case  had  his  heart  been  in  his  profcc:ion.  As  it  was, 
he  received  the  gratulations  of  his  friends  with  looho  that  betrayed 
much  more  of  dismay  than  pleasure,  and  in  less  than  half  a  year,  he 
astonished  every  one  by  casting  aside  all  his  worldly  prospects  and 
entering  the  diocesan  seminary  as  a  candidate  for  holy  orders.  His 
true  vocation  had  been  opened  to  him  at  last,  and  happily  for  thou- 
sands of  whom  he  knew  nothing  at  the  time,  he  persevered  in  it  to 
the  end. 

Than  the  young  cleric,  there  were  few  to  be  found  anywhere  whose 
minds  were  better  prepared  for  the  reception  of  that  superior  know- 
ledge which  has  for  its  subject  God  in  His  relations  to  the  creatures 
He  has  made  in  His  own  image.  His  faith  had  been  earnest  from  his 
youth  upward,  and  he  had  already  read  and  mastered  much  in  the 
science  of  theology  that  would  have  required  of  another  years  of  study 
to  learn.  Having  passed  two  years  in  the  seminary,  under  the  direction 
of  its  founder,  Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  David,  he  was  sent  to  the  venerable 
college  of  St.  Mary's,  Baltimore,  for  the  completion  of  his  theologi- 
cal studies.  Returning  thence  in  1835,  he  was  ordained  priest  by 
Bishop  David,  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown,  on  the  13th 
of  June  of  the  year  named.  Almost  immediately  after  his  ordination, 
he  "was  placed  in  charge  of  the  church  and  congregation  of  St.  Peter's, 
Lexington,  where  he  remained  and  labored  for  something  more  than  a 
year,  and  where  the  results  of  his  ministry  were  as  marked  as  they 
were  encouraging.  * 

Toward  the  end  of  the  year  1836,  Father  McGill  was  transferred  to 
Louisville  as  an  assistant  to  Dr.  Reynolds  in  the  pastorship  of  the 
church  oi  St.  Louis.  Here  he  continued  until  the  summer  of  1S38, 
when  he  was  despatched  to  Europe  by  the  then  bishop  coadjutor,  Rt. 
Rev.  G.  L  Chabrat,  on  a  special  mission.  Bishop  Flaget  had  been 
absent  from  his  diocese  for  more  than  three  years,  and  now  came  word 
from  him  that  he  expected  soon  to  begin  his  return  journey.  Dr. 
Chabrat  could  not  bear  the  thought  that  one  of  such  advanced  age 
should  be  permitted  to  journey  thousands  of  miles  without  an  attend- 
ant. Hence  came  Dr.  McGill's  first  visit  to  Europe.  Vastly  bene- 
ficial, no  doubt,  did  he  find  his  experiences  of  a  single  year  in  the  old 
world.  When  he  reached  his  destination,  he  found  that  the  name  of  his 
bishop  had  become  as  well  known  in  France  as  it  was  in  Kentucky.  His 
prayers  and  his  blessing  had  wrought  miracles  among^his  own  country- 
men, just  as,  through  the  same  agency,  miracles  had  been  wrought 
in  his  own  far-away  diocese.     He  saw,  too,  in  the  public  prints,  how 

*  Many  years  afterwards,  one  of  his  Lexington  parishioners,  Dr.  John 
Blown,  evinced  his  appreciation  of  his  former  pastor's  services  by  devising  to 
"Rt.  Rev.  John  McGill,  for  the  benefit  of  his  diocese  of  Richmond,"  a  con- 
siderable part  of  his  estate.  > 

21 


322  REV.   AND    RT.  REV.  JOHN    M'GILL,   D.  D. 

successfully  he  had  labored  in  the  interests  of  foreign  missions  by  his 
advocacy  of  the  claims  upon  public  consideration  of  the  society  for  the 
propagation  of  the  faith.     It  was  something  for  the  young  priest  to 
know  that  he  was  one  of  the  comparatively  few  who  owed  direct 
spiritual  allegiance  to  a  bishop  who  was  generally  looked  upon  as  a 
saint,  and  whose  name  was  on  the  tongue  of  almost  every  one  he  met. 
In  the  company  of  his  bishop  and  of  Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  Purcell, 
bishop  of  Cincinnati,  Father  McGill  sailed  for  New  York  from  Havre 
on   the  2ist  of  August,  1839,  and  Dr.  Flaget  and  himself  reached 
Bardstown  before  the  end  of  the  following  month.     He  returned  to  his 
place  in  Louisville  in  October,  where,  in  the  absence  of  Dr.  Reynolds 
for  more  than  a  year,  he  had  the  pastoral  care  of  the  congregation. 
At  this  time  he  may  be  said  to  have  begun  a  career  that  made  his  name 
honorably  recognized  wherever  it  was  spoken  in  Catholic  society  all 
over  the  United  States.     In  addition  to  his  ministerial  work,  he  took 
upon  himself  the  editorial  control  of  the  Catholic  Advocate,  the  publi- 
cation office  of  which  had  been  purposely  removed  from  Bardstown 
to  Louisville,  in  order  that  his  services  might  be  secured  to  that  end. 
There  was  something  in  his  style  as  a  writer  that  differed  much  from 
that  adopted  by  him  in  the  pulpit.     He  was  a  terse  paragraphist  and 
an  intrepid  defender  of  the  faith  against  the  assaults  of  the  local  Protes- 
tant parsondom  of  the  day,  the  greater  number  of  whose  members,  about 
that  time,  appeared  to  be  suddenly  seized  with  the  notion  that,  without 
their  aid,  there  was  danger  of  a  revolution  in   public   sentiment  in 
respect  to  Catholicity  and  its  designs  in  this  land  of  open  Bibles  and 
experimental  religion.     Not  only  in  its  own  denominational  papers,  but 
in  the  secular  press  of  the  city,  was  the  finger  of  Protestant  parsondom 
to  be  discerned,  week  after  week,  if  not  day  after  day,  calling  attention 
to  one  after  another  of  the  supposed  monstrous  propositions  set  forth 
by  the  Church  of  Rome.    Dr.  McGill  was  here  in  his  element,  and  not 
content  with  a  logical  defense   of  Catholic   dogma  and  practice,  he 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  adversaries  of  his  faith  guns  that  had  been 
loaded  by  their  own  hands,  and  these  proved  equally  destructive  to 
the  enemy  with  those  fired  from  his  own  citadel  of  Catholic  truth. 

A  lull  of  a  year  or  more  ensued  in  the  polemical  combat  waged 
by  the  so-called  evangelical  preachers  of  Louisville  against  Catholicity 
and  its  single  trenchant  defender,  and  then  a  course  of  procedure  was 
adopted  by  them  that  could  only  have  been  evolved  out  of  minds  so 
poisoned  by  prejudice  as  to  have  lost  the  power  of  reasoning. 

This  was  a  combination,  or  "league,"  of  Protestant  ministers, 
each  holding  that  the  others  were  unsafe  guides  in  the  domain  of  relig- 
ious truth;  but  all  coalescing  for  an  onslaught  upon  the  Catholic 
Church,  the  fountain  of  all  truth  in  religion.  Eschewing  the  news- 
paper as  a  vehicle  for  the  transmission  of  their  thoughts,  they  agreed 
with  each  other  for  an  exchange  of  pulpits,  and  for  a  combined 
polemical  attack  along  the  whole  line  against  its  out-posts  and  the 
Church  itself.  Without  the  aid  of  a  reporter  for  the  press,  for  there 
was  no  such  agency  existing  at  the  time  in  Louisville,  Dr.  McGill 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  323 

managed  to  secure  a  synopsis  of  what  had  been  said  by  the  leaguers  in 
their  respective  addresses,  and  on  each  Sunday  evening,  he  lectured 
in  reply  from  the  pulpit  of  his  own  church.  Public  interest  in  these 
lectures  was  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the  church  was  thronged  on  the 
occasions  of  their  delivery,  very  many  of  the  listeners  being  members 
of  the  precise  churches  presided  over  by  the  attacking  ministers. 
These  aggressors  soon  found  that  they  had  been  guilty  of  a  great  blun- 
der; and  when  once  fully  convinced  of  this  fact,  they  quickly  put 
an  end  to  their  follv.  Their  pact  had  been  made  solely  for  offence,  and 
they  now  found  themselves  and  their  systems  attacked,  and  in  such 
sort  as  to  demand  at  their  hands  the  full  measure  of  their  defensive 
capabilities.* 

The  sermons  of  Dr.  McGill,  no  matter  what  point  in  the  domain 
of  moral  or  dogmatic  theology  he  was  endeavoring  to  define  and 
elucidate,  were  always  characteristic  of  the  mind  that  reasons.  He 
took  nothing  for  granted  except  the  law  itself,  and  from  this  premise 
he  would  argue  up  to  the  divine  wisdom  out  of  which  it  had  emanated 
and  down  to  its  necessity  as  a  conservator  of  every  human  interest 
for  time  and  eternity.  He  never  appeared  at  a  loss  for  figures  to  illus- 
tate  any  point  he  wished  to  make,  and  these  were  at  once  natural  and 
apposite.  His  sermons  resembled  each  other  only  in  style ;  there 
was  no  sameness  either  in  their  subject-matter  or  their  illustrations. 

While  yet  in  Louisville,  Dr.  McGill  engaged  in  a  newspaper  con- 
troversy, afterwards  printed  in  pamphlet  form,  with  the  late  Rev.  Jas. 
Craik,  a  highly  respected  minister  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 
This  controversy  grew  out  of  certain  statements  made  by  Lord 
Macaulay  in  his  then  recently  published  history  of  England.  Beyond 
the  fact  that  Catholics  were  well  satisfied  with  the  part  taken  in  it  by 
Dr.  McGill,  the  scope  of  this  sketch  does  not  admit  of  fuller  refer- 
ence to  its  merits.  In  1843  Dr.  McGill  began  the  translation  from  the 
original  French  of  Audin's  Life  of  John  Calvin.  The  chapters,  as 
they  came  from  the  hands  of  the  translator,  first  appeared  in  the 
Catholic  Advocate.^  The  faithfulness  of  this  translation  has  been  said 
to  be  its  only  defect.  The  author's  style,  with  his  superabundant  use 
of  the  epigrammatic  in  composition,  is  preserved  with  exactness  from 
the  beginning  of  the  book  to  its  end.  A  translation  that  had  been  less 
constrained,  but  equally  regardful  of  the  author's  intent  and  meaning, 
would  ha\e  doubtless  been  more  acceptable  to  the  majority  of  those 
in  whose  interest  it  was  made.  But  here,  as  in  everything  he  did,  his 
conscientiousness  is  apparent.  He  would  allow  liimself,  not  even  the 
small  liberty  of  clothing  his  author's  thoughts  in  other  than  the  equiva- 

*  The  members  of  "the  league  "  referred  to  in  the  text  were  :  Rer.  Wil- 
liam L.  Breckinridge,  Rev.  E.  P.  Humphrey  and  Rev.  W  .W.  Hill,  of  the 
Presbyterian  church ;  Rev.  A.  D.  Sears  and  Rev.  Thomas  S.  Malcolm,  of  the 
denomination  of  Baptists;  and  Rev.  H.  H.  Kavanaughand  Rev.  G.  W.  Brush, 
Methodists. 

t  The  entire  work  was  afterwards  published  in  one  large  octavo  volume  by 
B,  J.  Webb  &  Bro.,  Louisville. 


324  REV.  AND    RT.   REV.  JOHN    M'GILL,  D.  D. 

lents  of  the  lingual  habiliments  in  which  he  had  himself  introduced 
them  to  the  great  Catholic  public. 

On  the  accession  of  Rt.  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding  to  the  coadjutorship  of 
the  See  of  Louisville,  Dr.  McGill  was  named  vicar-general,  and  this 
was  his  position  when,  in  October,  1850,  the  bulls  were  received  by 
him  for  his  appointment  to  the  bishophric  of  the  See  of  Richmond. 
Having  recommended  the  matter  to  God  in  true  humility  of  heart,  he 
accepted  the  trust,  and  with  the  least  possible  delay,  arranged  for  his 
early  consecration.  It  was  his  desire  that  his  consecration  should  take 
place  in  the  church  in  which  he  had  made  his  first  communion,  and 
where,  from  tonsure  to  priesthood  he  had  been  invested  with  the 
insignia  of  his  holy  calling.  His  aged  parents,  too,  were  still  alive,  and 
still  residing  within  hearing  of  the  bells  of  St.  Joseph's,  the  former 
cathedral  of  the  diocese,  and  his  filial  reverence  suggested  to  him  the 
idea  that  it  would  be  becoming  in  him  to  so  arrange  matters  that  these 
might  be  of  the  number  of  the  recipients  of  his  first  episcopal  blessing. 
For  these  and  other  reasons,  the  consecration  of  Bishop  McGill  took 
place  in  the  church  of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown,  on  the  loth  day  of 
November,  1850.* 

Bishop  McGill  reached  his  episcopal  city  on  the  6th  December, 
1850,  where  he  was  received  with  much  joy  by  his  priests  and  people, 
and  with  favorable  consideration  by  very  many  of  the  leading  non- 
Catholic  residents  of  Richmond. 

Three  times  after  his  consecration  Bishop  McGill  visited  Europe 
and  Rome.  The  first  of  these  occasions  was  in  1852,  and  the  last  in 
1869,  when  he  and  the  greater  number  of  his  episcopal  brothers  of  the 
United  States  assembled  in  Rome  to  unite  with  the  entire  prelacy  of 
the  christian  world  in  voicing  the  decrees  of  the  Vatican  council. 
From  his  correspondence  with  the  members  of  his  family  in  Kentucky 
on  these  several  occasions,  the  writer  might  appropriately  give  here 
much  that  is  not  yet  devoid  of  interest ;  but  he  has  only  room  for  the 
annexed  extracts  from  a  letter  addressed  from  Paris  to  one  of  his 
sisters,  bearing  date  of  February  3,  1853: 

'I  was  present,"  he  writes,  "on  last  Sunday,  at  the  marriage  of 
Louis  Napoleon,  emperor  of  the  French,  and  the  Countess  Made- 
moiselle de  Montijo.  From  my  place  near  the  altar,  I  had  a 
good  view  of  the  emperor  and  his  spouse.     He  was  vested  as  a  gen- 

*  The  church  and  college  of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown,  were  at  this  time  under 
the  charge  of  the  Jesuit  fathers,  P.  J.  Verhcegen,  F.  Di  Maria  and  others,  and 
there  was  nothing  left  undone  by  these  to  give  solemnity  to  the  occasion. 
The  ceremony  of  consecration  was  performed  by  Most  Rev.  P.  R.  Kenrick, 
archbishop  of  St.  Louis,  assisted  by  quite  a  number  of  prelates,  of  whom  I  can 
now  recall  but  two,  Rt.  Rev.  R.  P.  Miles,  of  Nashville,  and  Rt.  Rev.  M.  J. 
Spalding,  of  Louisville.  The  most  profuse  hospitality  was  extended  to  the 
visiting  clergy  by  the  college  authorities;  and,  after  the  ceremony  of  consecra- 
tion, a  dinner  was  spread  by  them  to  which  very  many  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  the  town  were  also  invited.  Among  these,  I  remember,  was  Gov.  Charles 
A.  Wickliffe,  in  whose  office  the  newly  consecrated  prelate  had  begun  the 
study  of  law  immediately  after  his  graduation. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  3*5 

eral  in  the  French  army,  without  the  sword;  she,  in  white  velvet, 
with  a  crown  or  diadem  of  diamonds  and  other  ornaments,  veiled  m 
lace.  In  person,  they  seem  suitable,  he  being  forty-eight,  and  she 
twenty-six  years  of  age.  The  church  of  Notre  Dame,  where  they  were 
married,  was  magnificently  decorated,  and  blazed  with  light  from 
innumerable  chandeliers.  The  archbishop  and  his  clergy  were  attired 
gorgeously.  The  witnesses  of  the  ceremony  comprised  all  that  is  most 
distmguished  in  Paris.  Among  these,  in  the  sanctuary  alone,  were 
five  cardinals,  fifteen  bishops,  and  a  crowd  of  inferior  clergy.  Six 
hundred  musicians,  vocal  and  instrumental,  filled  the  choir,  and  the 
music  was  beautifully  rendered.  A  scene  of  greater  grandeur  could 
not  be  easily  conceived. 

"I  dine,  at  times,  with  the  family  of  Count  de  Maistre,  formerly 
governor  of  Nice,  who  are  spending  the  winter  here.  Beside  the 
count  and  his  lady,  I  find  an  aunt,  two  sons,  and  two  grown  daughters, 
all  pious,  and  all  intelligent— the  whole  constituting  a  charming  fam- 
ily, indeed. 

'*  When  Bishop  Ives,  Protestant  bishop  of  North  Carolina,  came  to 
Rome,  he  brought  to  me  letters  of  introduction,  and  we  afterwards  had 
long  conversations  on  the  subject  of  religion.  I  assisted  at  his  abjura- 
tion, baptism,  etc.,  on  the  2 2d  of  December,  last  (1852).  I  also 
received  into  the  Church  Mrs.  Ella  R.  Dickens,  of  North  Carolina, 
who  was  traveling  with  Dr.  Ives  and  his  lady.  I  had  been  introduced 
to  this  lady  in  Staunton,  Virginia,  the  year  before.  By  express  per- 
mission of  the  Pope,  I  gave  her  confirmation  after  baptism. 

"While  in  Rome,  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  witness  an  extraor- 
dinary wonder — the  moving  of  the  eyes  and  changes  of  expression  in 
a  picture  representing  the  crucifixion  of  our  Savior.     This  was  at  the 
church  of  St.  Marcellino  e    Pietro.     This  church  is  situated  in  the 
neighborhood  of  St.  John  Lateran,  and  it  is  attached  to  the  convent 
of  the  sisters  of  St.  Teresa.     The  picture  had  been  exposed  in  the 
church,  and  all  had  seen  the  moving  of  the  eyes.     Unfortunately, 
when  I  reached  the  temple,   the  picture  had  been  removed  to  its 
place  in  the  choir,  and  I  was  told  I  could  not  see  it.     But  I  asked  to 
be  permitted  to  speak  to  the  superioress,  and  was  shown  to  the  par- 
lor.    When  this  latter,  accompanied  by  an  attendant,  appeared  at  the 
grating,  I  stated  my  wishes,  but  was  told  I  was  too  late ;  that  no  one 
could  enter  the  cloister  without  a  permit  from  the  Pope,  and  that  it 
would   be   troublesome  to  remove  the  picture  back  to  the  church. 
'Besides,'  said  she,    'all  do  not  see  what  is   seen  by  some.'     She 
assured  me  that  it  often  happened,  out  of  a  given  number  of  lookers-on, 
that  while  some  of  the  party  saw  no  change  in  the  picture,  others 
would  be  favored  with  a  distinct  vision  of  the  awe-inspiring  wonder. 
She  did  not  know  why  God  allowed  it  to  be  so,  but  I  '  might  see  the 
picture,  and  not  the  wonder.'     I  told  her  I  was  a  bishop,  and  from 
America,  a  long  way  off;  that  I  was  obliged  to  leave  Rome  on  the  fol- 
lowing Monday,  and  could  not  come  again,  and  I  finally  persuaded 
her  to  have  the  picture  brought  down  to  the  church.     I  returned  at 


•J26  REV.   AND    RT.   REV.  JOHN    m'gILL,  D.  D. 

once,  and  while  waiting,  knelt  at  the  altar  and  prayed  to  God,  if 
he  allowed  this  wonder  to  take  place  at  all,  that  he  would  permit  me 
to  behold  it.  When  I  was  told  that  the  painting  was  at  the  grating,  which 
opens  into  a  sacristy  adjoining  the  church,  I  knelt  before  it,  and  to 
my  astonishment,  I  beheld  the  eyes  fairly  twinkling  from  side  to  side 
for  a  little  while,  and  then  begin  to  move  slowly  upward,  the  pupils 
gradually  disappearing  beneath  the  lids,  the  whites  enlarging,  and 
what  was  to  me  both  wonderful  and  awful,  the  expression  of  the 
countenance  changing,  the  face  becoming,  as  it  were,  human,  and 
having  the  appearance  of  one  dying  in  supplication  and  agony. 
Never  have  I  seen  such  a  portraiture  of  the  dying  throes  of  our  Lord 
on  the  cross !  If  possible,  the  changes  in  expression  were  more  won- 
derful than  the  moving  of  the  eyes.  After  a  few  minutes  spent  in 
prayer,  I  arose  from  my  knees  and  asked  the  sisters  to  turn  the  picture 
around.  The  representation,  be  it  remembered,  had  been  previously 
held  within  a  foot  and  a  half  or  two  feet  of  my  eyes.  They  did  as  I 
had  requested,  and  I  saw  the  canvas  back,  which  one  of  the  sisters 
struck  on  either  side  to  show  me  that  it  could  contain  no  contrivance 
to  promote  deception.  After  it  was  turned  back,  I  again  distinctly 
saw  the  motion  of  the  eyes  and  the  change  of  expression.  The  next 
day  a  large  pariy  of  bishops,  gendemen  and  ladies,  to  whom  I  had 
mentioned  the  matter,  went  from  the  hotel  at  which  they  were  stop- 
ping and  were  permitted  to  see  the  picture.  Among  these  was 
Bishop  O'Reilly,  of  Hartford.  He  and  several  of  the  party  saw  the 
same  wonder ;  but  others  of  them  did  not.  Dr.  Nicholson,  arch- 
bishop of  Corfu,  saw  it  very  disdnctly  when  it  was  exposed  in  the 
church.  I  have  no  more  doubt  that  I  saw  what  I  have  here  related 
than  that  I  saw  anything  else  in  Rome.  But  whether  the  miracle 
consists  in  an  actual  motion  of  the  object,  or  in  the  production  of  that 
sensation  and  conviction  in  the  subject  or  person,  I  know  not.  Often 
does  the  expression  I  then  saw  rise  up  before  my  mind  to  serve  as  a 
memento  of  our  Lord's  death." 

That  Bishop  McGill  labored,  throughout  the  twenty-one  years  of 
his  episcopate,  with  efficiency  and  zeal,  and  in  all  charity,  to  secure  the 
well-being  of  his  flock,  the  writer  has  abundant  evidence,  but  the 
details  of  his  labors  that  have  come  into  his  possession  are  meagre 
indeed.  In  1854,  when  the  anti-Catholic  bigotry  of  the  country 
became  concentrated  in  a  political  faction  that  sought  to  overthrow  the 
government  of  the  United  States  by  the  abrogation  of  its  leading  prin- 
ciple, he  defended  his  assailed  church  and  the  patriotism  of  its  mem- 
bers in  a  series  of  able  letters  addressed  to  Robert  Ridgway,  Esq. 
"This  controversy,"  says  a  writer  in  the  Richmond  Enquirier  in  an 
article  published  after  his  death,  "  introduced  to  the  bishop  many  of 
the  best  of  our  non-Catholic  citizens,  and  laid  for  him  the  foundation 
of  many  lasting  friendships." 

While  bishop  of  Richmond,  Dr.  McGill's  published  writings,  other 
than  the  letters  alluded  to,  consisted  of  a  treatise  on  the  "True  Church" 
and  an  admirable  compendium  of  Catholic  doctrine,  intended  as  much 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY  327 

for  seekers  after  truth  in  religion  as  it  was  for  the  fuller  instruction  of 
Catholics  themselves,  to  which  he  gave  the  title,  "  Faith  the  Victory." 
There  were  built  and  consecrated  under  his  administration  of  the  dio- 
cese Catholic  churches  at  Norfolk,  Fortress  Monroe,  Richmond,  Fred- 
ricksburg,  Warrenton  and  Fairfax  station.  During  the  war  of  the 
rebellion  he  estabUshed  and  maintained  an  infirmary  in  Richmond, 
and  after  it  was  over,  built  the  convent  of  Monte  Maria  on  Church 

Hill. 

In  the  summer  of  187 1,  he  visited  his  relations  living  m  Kentucky 
for  the  last  time.  That  he  was  ill  was  sadly  perceptible  to  these; 
but  none  of  them  considered  his  condition  one  of  extreme  danger. 
Returning  to  Richmond,  he  gradually  grew  worse  until  death  relieved 
him  of  his  sufferings  on  the  morning  of  Sunday,  January  14th,  1872.* 

*  Referring  to  the  death  of  Bishop  McGill,  and  to  the  scenes  that  were 
witnessed  at  his  funeral,  the  Richmond  Enquirer  thus  comments:  «' Bishop 
McGill  filled  too  large  and  too  hoViorable  a  place  among  us,  and  his  death  leaves 
too  great  a  void  to  be  passed  over  without  respectful,  if  not  adequate  mention. 
....  Of  the  many  hundreds  that  thronged  the  cathedral  yesterday,  to  pay 
the  tribute  of  their  love  to  his  memory,  there  was  not  one,  no  matter  what  his 
country  or  his  creed,  who  did  not  feel  that  a  great  and  good  man  had  departed, 
nor  was  there  one  who  looked  upon  the  serene  face  and  smiling  lips,  who  did 
not  there  see  shadowed  forth  the  sublime  confidence  of  his  faith — Qui  credit  in 
me,  etiam  si  mortuus  fuerit,  vivet." 

Of  his  relations,  only  his  sister,  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Webb,  with  two  of  her 
children,  both  grown,  witnessed  the  death  of  Bishop  McGill;  and  these 
reached  his  bedside  in  time  only  for  recognition  and  farewell. 


328  THE   MISSION   OF   LEXINGTON. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE    MISSION    OF    LEXINGTON. 

Of  all  the  cities  and  towns  of  the  State,  Lexington,  next  to  Bards- 
town,  has  a  Catholic  history  that  reaches  farthest  into  the  past.  It 
began  with  the  journey's  end  of  Fathers  Badin  and  Barrieres,  prosecuted 
on  foot  from  Limestone  on  the  Ohio  river,  to  Lexington,  toward 
the  close  of  November  of  the  year  1793.  "On  the  first  Sunday  of 
Advent,"  says  Dr.  Spalding,  "  M.  Badin  said  mass  in  the  house  of 
Dennis  McCarthy,  an  Irish  Catholic,  then  a  clerk  in  the  commercial 
house  of  Col.  Moyland,  a  brother  of  the  archbishop  of  Cork."  For 
a  year  and  a  half  after  the  date  given,  Father  Badin's  headquarters 
were  at  a  point  in  Scott  county  less  that  twenty  miles  distant  from 
Lexington :  and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  did  not  neglect  the 
small  number  of  Catholics  then  residing  in  that  place.  Up  to  the  year 
1800,  it  is  said,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  saying  mass  in  the  house  of  one 
Thomas  Tibbatts,  and  that  his  entire  congregation  comprised  the  mem- 
bers of  not  over  a  half-dozen  famihes. 

In  the  year  1801,  Father  John  Thayer  contracted  for  the  purchase 
of  a  lot  "adjoining  the  Baptist  graveyard,"  upon  which  stood  an  old 
log  house,  the  second  built  in  Lexington,  which  was  from  that  time 
used  as  a  chapel.  This  property  was  deeded  to  Rev.  S.  T.  Badin  by 
Samuel  Ayres  and  Jane  McNair,  on  the  20th  November,  1804,  in 
consideration  of  the  sum  of  three  hundred  dollars. 

The  feast  of  St.  Patrick,  in  1810,  was  made  by  Father  Badin  the 
occasion  of  the  opening  of  subscription  lists  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
church  in  Lexington.  At  that  time,  says  Dr.  Spalding  in  his  "Sketches 
of  Kentucky,"  a  Franciscan  friar,  of  Irish  birth,  but  attached  to  a 
monastery  of  his  order  in  France,  and  previously  driven  from  that 
country  by  the  fanatics  of  the  Revolutionary  period,  was  temporarily 
sojourning  in  Kentucky  and  serving  its  missions.  Father  O'Flynn — 
such  was  his  name — had  little  the  appearance  of  a  man  to  whom 
attached  anything  extraordinary,  whether  in  respect  to  natural  talents 
or  acquired  knowledge.  Physically,  he  was  a  weakly  creature;  he 
was  careless  in  his  dress,  reticent  at  all  times,  and  extremely  diffident. 
He  went  about  in  a  garb  of  humbleness  that  exaggerated  in  nothing  his 
heart's  deep  humility,  and  he  succeeded  in  hiding  from  those  for  and 
amongst  whom  he  labored  all  evidences  of  his  possession  of  other  than 
ordinary  talents  and  modest  capabilities.  The  contrary  of  all  this, 
however,  he  could  not  hide  from  his  superior,  Father  Badin  3   and  that 


CATHOLICITV   IN   KENTUCKY,  319 

impulsive  demonstrator  of  the  possible  in  missionary  effort,  without 
any  previous  consultation  with  his  co-worker,  had  announcement  made 
that  the  patronal  feast  of  the  Irish  people  would  be  appropriately 
celebrated  in  Lexington,  and  that  the  sermon  on  the  occasion  would 
be  delivered  by  a  priestly  son  of  St.  Patrick. 

Father  Badin  came  very  near  reckoning  without  his  host  on  this 
occasion.  When  told  of  the  appointment  that  had  been  made  for 
him — he  was  sojourning  at  the  time  at  the  church  of  St.  Francis,  in 
Scott  county — Father  O'Flynn  declared  emphatically  that  he  could  not 
fill  it.  Father  Badin  was  not  a  little  of  a  diplomatist,  however,  and 
while  seeming  to  give  way  in  the  face  of  the  objections  of  his  clerical 
co-laborer,  he  set  his  wits  to  work  to  induce  him  to  be  present,  at 
least,  at  the  meeting  he  had  called  for  the  17th  of  March  in  Lexing- 
ton. He  gained  his  point  after  much  persuasion,  and  both  appeared 
at  the  court-house  in  Lexington,  where  the  meeting  was  to  be  held,  at 
the  pre-appointed  hour.  Father  Badin  rose  at  length  and  announced 
his  intention  of  delivering  before  his  audience  a  short  preliminary 
address;  "after  which,"  he  took  occasion  to  say,  his  "clerical  friend 
would  no  doubt  have  something  to  say  to  them."  Dr.  Spalding  thus 
tells  the  after  story  : 

"Father  O'Flynn  at  length  arose  to  his  feet.  His  dress  and  whole 
appearance  were  very  lowly,  and  he  commenced  in  an  embarrassed, 
trembling  voice.  Every  one  expected  a  failure.  Soon,  however,  his 
embarrassment  ceased;  he  kindled  with  his  subject,  and  for  more 
than  an  hour  he  kept  the  large  assemblage  enchained.  All  were  lost 
in  astonishment  at  the  success  of  the  unpromising  orator.  Seldom 
had  such  a  burst  of  genuine  eloquence  been  heard  in  Lexington. 
More  than  three  hundred  dollars  were  subscribed  on  the  spot  for  the 
erection  of  the  new  church,  and  the  amount  was  soon  increased  to  ten 
times  that  sum.  Protestants  subscribed  as  liberally  as  CathoHcs. 
Among  the  former  we  may  mention  with  praise  Captain  Nathaniel  Hart 
and  Col.  Joe  Daviess."* 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  of  the  considerable  number  of  Catholic 
residents  of  Lexington  between  the  years  1800  and  181 5,  the  writer 
has  been  able  to  secure  for  this  chapter  so  few  of  the  names  by  which 
they  were  known.  It  is  still  more  to  be  regretted  that,  in  some  cases, 
at  least,  where  he  is  familiar  with  their  names,  he  is  confronted  by  the 
fact  that  the  descendants  are  no  longer  faithful  to  the  religion  of  their 
fathers.  In  Kentucky,  defections  have  been  found  most  numerous 
where  Catholics  were  numerically  but  an  inconsiderable  fraction  of 
the   community.     Comment   upon  this   fact  is   not  here   necessary, 

♦About  the  year  1814,  Father  O'Flynn's  infirmities  had  increased  upon  him 
to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  obliged  to  retire  from  missionary  work.  He  passed 
the  last  years  of  his  exile  in  America  the  honored  guest  of  the  late  Captain  Peter 
Wickham,  of  Bardstown,  a  countryman  of  his,  and  one  of  the  most  intelligent 
and  liberal  Catholics  of  Nelson  county.  Father  O'Flynn  returned  to  France  in 
1816,  where  he  filled  the  position  of  chaplain  in  a  pious  and  wealthy  family  for 
a  number  of  years  preceding  his  death. 


330 


THE   MISSION   OF    LEXINGTON. 


since  every  intelligent  American  Catholic  must  have  observed  that 
time-serving  on  the  part  of  parents,  breeds  in  the  children  indiffer- 
ence to  religion. 

Among  the  members  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Peter's,  Lexmgton, 
up  to  the  year  1825,  were:  Thomas  Tibbatts,  Patrick  Geoghegan, 
whose  wife  was  Elizabeth  Findston,  and  whose  son,  Samuel  Geoghe- 
gan, was  clerk  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  St.  Peter's  church  in  the 
year  1 838 ;  Sam.  Hickey,  father  of  Judge  Thomas  Hickey ;  Thomas  and 
Berlinda  Hardy  Worland,  from  Scott  county;  Jeremiah  Murphy;  Mrs. 
Eliza  Wirt;  Wm.  Stickney  ;  Matthew  Alton;  William  McCoy,  father  of 
Alex.  McCoy,  and  father-in-law  of  Dennis  Mulligan,  Esq.,  at  this  time 
one  of  the  most  influential  Catholic  citizens  of  Lexington ;  Mrs.  Tigarde, 
Cornelius  Coyle,  one  of  whose  grandsons  is  Judge  Walter  Cleary, 
of  Lexington,  and  Stephen  Giron.* 

The  church  of  St.  Peter  was  opened  and  dedicated  on  the  19th  of 
May,  1 81 2,  though  the  deed  for  the  lot  upon  which  it  was  built— exe- 
cuted in  favor  of  Rev.  S.  T.  Badin  by  Robert  and  Ann  Todd,  for  the 
stated  consideration  of  $312— bears  date  July  13,  1813.  The  church 
was  visited,  possibly  not  over  twice  a  month,  and  alternately,  by  Fath- 
ers Badin  and  Angier.  This  was  continued  until  about  the  year  181 7, 
when  Father  Angier  'vas  removed  from  the  mission  and  was  substituted 
by  Rev  S.  H.  Montgomery,  O.  S.  D.,  who,  for  a  short  time,  and  with 
occasional  assistance  from  Father  Badin  and  from  his  own  associates 
of  St.  Rose,  managed  to  serve  both  the  congregation  in  Scott  county 
and  that  in  Lexington.  He  was  soon  afterwards  relieved  entirely  of 
the  care  of  the  church  last  named  by  the  appointment  to  the  parish  of 
Rev.  Wm.  T.  Willett,  O.  S.  D.,  who  served  it  alone  until  disabled  by 
sickness  in  1823,  when  Rev.  Sam'l  H.  Montgomery,  O,  S.  D.,  was 
again  sent  to  his  assistance.! 

*  Major  John  H.  Hanley  and  his  family  resided  at  some  distance  from 
Lexington,  but  they  were  reckoned  among  the  members  of  the  congregation. 
Whether  as  a  Catholic  or  as  a  citizen,  no  man  stood  higher  in  all  Eastern  Ken- 
tucky than  Major  Hanley.  Twenty-five  and  more  years  ago  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  enclosing  to  my  care  his  annual  subscription  to  the  fund  of  the  charit- 
able association  known  as  the  society  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul.  His  own  death 
and  that  of  his  wife  took  place  in  1867.  Patrick  Geoghegan  and  his  wife, 
named  in  the  text,  were  long  identified  with  the  Catholic  history  of  Lexington, 
as  were  also  their  children  at  a  later  day.  The  late  Most  Rev.  Francis  P.  Kenrick 
was  much  attached  to  this  family,  several  members  of  which  he  had  known  in 
his  own  youth  in  the  city  of  Dublin. 

t  Father  W.  T.  Willett  is  represented  by  Dr.  Spalding  as  a  man  who  "was 
as  remarkable  for  his  talents  as  he  was  for  his  zeal.  He  won  the  hearts  of  all 
who  knew  him."  He  fell  a  victim  to  consumption  on  the  9th  day  of  May, 
1824,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the  Catholic  cemetery  at  Lexington. 
"Two  other  priests  are  buried  here,"  writes  a  correspondent,  "Rev.  John 
McCormick,  who  was  drowned  while  on  his  way  to  Lexington,  in  1848,  and 
Rev.  Wm.  Morgan,  O.  C.  O.  M.,  of  the  diocese  of  Nashville,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, and  a  convert  to  the  Catholic  faith,  who  died  at  the  residence  of  Major 
John  H.  Hanly,  in  November,  1840." 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  331 

In  1836,  Father  Edward  McMahon  undertook  the  serious  task  of 
building  a  new  church.  Finding  it  impossible  to  raise  the  necessary 
funds  at  home,  where  the  Catholic  body  was  litde  affluent,  he  went 
on  a  tour  of  solicitation  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  is  said  to  have 
raised  the  sum  of  $5,000.  Returning  in  1837,  he  caused  to  be 
erected  the  present  St.  Peter's,  which  was  opened  for  divine  service 
and  dedicated  by  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Chabrat  on  the  3d  day  of  December, 
1837.* 

St.  Catherine's  Academy,  Lexington,  a  branch  estabhshment  of 
the  Sisterhood  of  Charity  of  Nazareth,  dates  from  November,  1833, 
when  a  colony  of  sisters,  previously  established  in  Scott  county,  was 
removed  thither.  The  first  superior  of  this  establishment  was  Sister 
Ann  Spalding,  a  sister  of  Mother  Catherine  Spalding,  of  happy 
memory. 

In  1845,  the  late  Dr.  John  Browne  and  wife,  Mrs.  Eliza  S. 
Browne,  removed  from  Paris  to  Lexington,  where  the  remaining  years 
of  their  Uves  were  passed,  and  where  their  Catholic  charity  is  not 
likely  soon  to  be  forgotten.  The  former,  who  had  been  a  fellow-pupil 
of  Archbishop  Purcell,  occupied  for  several  years  the  chair  of  anatomy 
in  Transylvania  university.  He  was  strongly  attached  to  the  late 
Bishop  McGiU,  and  when  he  died,  in  1855,  it  was  found  that  he  had 
willed  to  him,  for  his  diocese  of  Richmond,  property  in  Lexington  of 
considerable  value.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Eliza  S.  Browne,  died  in 
1 88 1,  leaving  a  bequest  to  St.  Joseph's  charity  hospital  of  $2,200. 

The  house  and  grounds  occupied  by  St.  Joseph's  hospital  were 
purchased  by  Dennis  Mulligan,  Esq.,  for  the  sum  of  $7,000,  which 
amount  was  contributed  by  various  charitable  persons.  In  1877  the 
property  was  transferred  to  the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth.  The 
hospital  is  ably  managed,  and  it  is  in  the  receipt  of  stipends  from 
both  the  city  and  the  county  for  the  care  of  the  sick  poor. 

The  list  of  pastors  of  St.  Peter's  church,  Lexington,  between  the 
years  1824  and  1864,  includes  the  following  names:  Rev.  Guy  Igna- 
tius Chabrat,  for  the  year  1825;  Rev.  Francis  P.  Kenrick,  for  part  of 
the  year  1826;  Rev.  George  A.  M.  Elder,  from  1826  to  1830;  Rev. 
Edward  McMahon,  from  1830  to  1835;  Rev.  John  McGill,  from  1835 
to  1836;  Rev.  Edward  McMahon,  for  1837;  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding, 
until  September,  1838;  Revs.  Edward  and  Abraham  McMahon  and 
John  Joyce,  from  1839  to  1849;  Rev.  John  McGuire,  from  1849  to 
1853;  and  from  that  date  to  1864,  Rev-  Francis  F.  Di  Maria,  S.  J., 
Rev.  Peter  McMahon,  Rev.  H.  G.  Allen,  Rev.  Joseph  Brogard,  and 
Rev.  Peter  Perry. 

*  The  present  zealous  pastor  of  Lexington,  Rev.  Ferd.  Brossart,  has  lately 
expended  upon  the  repairs  of  this  church  the  sum  of  $3,000.  Its  walls  are 
adorned  by  two  pictures  of  great  merit,  "  The  Guardian  Angel"  and  "The 
Cure  of  the  Paralytic  by  St.  Peter."  A  remarkable  incident  took  place  at  St. 
Peter's  on  Sunday,  August  13,  1854.  The  entire  ceiling  fell  to  the  floor 
beneath,  flattening  everything  to  its  level  with  the  single  exception  of  a 
statue  of  Our  Lady,  and  this  had  but  one  of  its  fingers  broken  off. 


332  THE    MISSION    OF    LEXINGTON. 

In  1864,  Providence  so  disposed  of  events  as  to  provide  for  the 
Catholic  people  of  Lexington  a  pastor  of  souls  whose  name  and  fame 
should  be  as  dear  to  their  hearts  as  was  important  to  their  religious  wel- 
fare the  blessed  work  he  so  successfully  prosecuted.  This  pastor  was 
the  late 

REV.   JOHN    H.   BEKKERS. 

Reviewing  the  past  of  the  Church  in  Kentucky,  one  is  naturally 
attracted  to  the  prominent  features  in  its  history,  and  to  the  men  who 
most  conspicuously  figured  therein.  The  lives  of  such  men  as  Bishops 
Flaget  and  David,  Fathers  Badin  and  Nerinckx,  and  others  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  history  of  Catholicity  in  the  State,  must 
always  remain  representative  subjects  of  interest  for  CathoHcs.  These 
eminent  and  holy  ecclesiastics  were  so  circumstanced  as  to  attract 
what  they  neither  labored  nor  cared  for — human  appreciation  of  their 
efforts  to  win  souls  to  God — and  the  very  conditions  under  which  was 
wrought  the  work  set  for  them  to  do,  were  such  as  to  attract  public 
attention  to  their  acts  and  to  themselves.  But  the  history  of  Catholicity 
in  the  State  records,  also,  for  the  veneration  of  the  faithful  of  our 
own  times,  the  names  of  other  ecclesiastics,  much  less  noted  when 
living,  and  now  scarcely  remembered  beyond  the  constantly  narrow- 
ing circles  wherein  were  spent  their  toilsome  and  meritorious  lives, 
that  are  equally  worthy  of  consideration  with  those  to  which  repetition 
has  familiarized  our  ears.  Such  a  priest,  and  such  a  man  was  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

John  Henry  Bekkers  was  born  April  22,  1821,  in  Druten,  Prov- 
ince of  Guelderland,  Holland.  His  theological  studies  were  prose- 
cuted at  the  seminary  of  Hoeven,  near  Breda,  and  he  was  there 
ordained  priest  in  1844.  In  1853,  he  offered  his  services  to  Rt.  Rev. 
M.  J.  Spalding,  bishop  of  Louisville,  who  was  visiting  Holland  at  the 
time  with  the  view  of  securing  missionary  priests  for  his  diocese. 
He  reached  Kentucky,  in  advance  of  Bishop  Spalding,  in  May,  1853. 

Of  numbers  of  priests  whose  lives  were  passed  in  the  service  of 
the  Catholic  people  of  Kentucky,  the  writer  has  already  expressed  his 
hor>est  convictions  of  their  high  deservings.  Here  and  now,  he  has 
to  speak  of  one  who  was  his  guide,  his  mentor,  his  associate  in 
many  a  work  of  Catholic  charity ;  of  one  who  was  his  personal  friend 
from  the  time  his  feet  first  touched  the  soil  of  the  State  to  the  day 
upon  which,  twenty-five  years  later,  he  lay  waiting,  with  such  won- 
derful patience,  the  moment  of  his  release  from  the  bodily  sufferings 
he  had  been  enduring  for  the  greater  part  of  that  time.  What  Father 
Bekkers  was  must  first  be  considered :  In  person  he  was  tall  and 
spare,  and  the  expression  of  his  face  was  at  once  pleasing  and  kindly. 
He  was  extremely  methodical,  and  hence  he  found  time  in  which  to 
labor  that  would  have  been  wholly  lost  to  a  less  practical  worker. 
Never  was  man  more  thoroughly  unselfish.  He  embraced  a  life  of 
toil,  when  he  might  have  led  one  of  ease.  Provided  with  a  patri- 
mony that  was  ample  for  his  needs  in  his  native  Holland,  he  chose  to 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  333 

devote  both  it  and  himself  to  missionary  work  in  America.  Upon 
money,  as  a  factor  of  personal  enjoyment,  he  placed  no  value  what- 
ever ;  and  he  regarded  neither  toil  nor  discomforts  as  worthy  of  the 
least  consideration,  so  long  as  they  could  be  made  contributory  to  the 
welfare  of  others. 

Father  Bekkers  was  emphatically  a  worker  all  the  days  of  his  mis- 
sionary life  in  Kentucky.  In  the  discharge  of  pastoral  duty,  the  term 
exactness  would  be  far  from  expressing  his  understanding  of  its  grave 
responsibihties.  Where  another,  so  situated,  might  have  conscien- 
tiously beUeved  himself  entitled  to  rest,  this  wonderful  worker 
appeared  as  if  he  were  unconscious  of  weariness;  and  his  business  in 
hand  being  finished,  he  was  restless  until  he  found  something  else  to 
do.  He  came  to  the  country  with  little  knowledge  of  its  spoken  lan- 
guage, and  yet  he  was  able  in  less  than  three  months  to  fulfil  toward 
the  members  of  the  cathedral  parish,  Louisville,  every  duty  pertainmg 
to  his  pastoral  oiifice,  including  those  that  relate  to  instruction,  both 
catechetical  and  from  the  pulpit. 

In  the  infancy  of  the  organization  in  Louisville,  Father  Bekkers 
was  appointed  by  Bishop  Spalding  spiritual  director  of  the  then  only 
conference  in  the  city  of  the  society  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul.  He  was 
its  soul  and  its  mind;  and  it  is  due  to  his  memory  to  say  that  its  after 
expansion  and  the  admirable  influence  it  still  exerts  for  good,  as  well 
among  its  own  members  as  in  the  families  of  the  poor  who  are  its 
clients,  is  measurably  owing  to  his  enlightened  counsels  and  to  the 
charitable  and  brotherly  spirit  he  so  earnestly  labored  to  infuse  into 
the  organization.  During  these  years— from  1853  to  1 861— outside 
of  the  routine  of  his  priestly  duties,  which  were  never  neglected, 
and  never  performed  in  a  manner  that  was  the  least  careless,  it 
appeared  to  the  writer  as  if  his  constant  thought  was  of  the-  poor  of  the 
parish,  and  how  he  might  best  introduce  into  their  darkened  homes, 
often  made  so  by  their  own  evil  habits,  accessories  to  comfort,  and 
habits  of  virtuous,  christian  life. 

For  nearly  eight  years  after  his  introduction  to  the  cathedral  parish. 
Father  Bekkers  filled  the  office  of  chancellor  of  the  diocese.  In  the 
spring  of  1861,  his  health,  which  had  never  been  robust,  became  so 
much  affected  as  to  cause  him  to  seek  at  the  hands  of  his  bishop,  as  a 
measure  of  relief,  the  privilege  of  travel  in  the  character  of  a  mission- 
ary visitor  of  the  churches  situated  in  the  western  counties  of  the 
State;  and  for  several  months  he  was  engaged  in  giving  missions  in 
Union  and  the  adjoining  counties.  In  August,  of  the  same  year,  he 
was  recalled  to  Louisville  to  assume  the  pastorship  of  the  church  of 
Our  Lady,  Portland.  Here  he  remained  for  two  years,  and  it  was  dur- 
ing his  pastorate  that  the  church  was  enlarged  and  a  comfortable  pres- 
bytery built  for  the  use  of  its  pastor.* 

*  While  still  at  the  cathedral,  Father  Bekkers  had  succeeded  in  an  effort  he 
made  to  supply  the  small  resident  Catholic  population  of  Shelbyville  with  a 
church.     The  lot  upon  which  it  was  built,  was  a  gift  from  a  Mrs.  Campbell, 


334  THE    MISSION    OF    LEXINGTON. 

In  1863,  Father  Bekkers  visited  his  native  country,  and  on  his 
return  he  appUed  to  his  bishop  for  permission  to  attach  himself  to  the 
diocese  of  Covington.  His  request  being  granted,  he  was  soon  after- 
wards installed  pastor  of  St.  Peter's  church,  Lexington.  His  work 
in  this  chief  inland  city  of  the  State  is  something  wonderful  to  con- 
template. The  body  he  found  spiritless  he  renewed  with  life.  He 
banished  tepidity  and  slothfulness  from  the  households  of  his  parish- 
ioners, and  he  set  up  in  them  wholesome  standards  of  virtue  and  prac- 
tical religion.  He  sought  out  the  poor  and  degraded  in  their  homes, 
bringing  relief  to  the  former,  and  seeking  through  the  exhibition  of 
kindly  interest  to  lead  the  latter  out  of  their  debasement  into  better 
and  more  honorable  modes  of  life.  He  gathered  together  the  children 
of  the  parish,  and  imparted  to  them  catechetical  instructions;  and  it  was 
not  long  before  he  had  provided  for  them  large  and  airy  school-houses, 
with  competent  teachers  in  secular  learning,  where  they  were  in  no 
danger  of  losing  their  faith  through  a  system  of  education  that  is  appli- 
cable only  in  a  state  of  society  from  which  all  ideas  are  banished  that 
relate  to  God  and  to  a  future  life. 

The  steady  hand  of  the  good  pastor  was  still  tireless.  He  would 
now  build  to  the  honor  and  glory  of  his  Divine  Master  a  temple  more 
worthy  of  His  sacred  presence.  The  work  was  begun  in  1865,  and 
the  corner-stone  of  the  church  of  St.  Paul  was  laid  by  Rt.  Rev. 
George  A.  Carrell,  bishop  of  Covington,  on  the  12th  November  of 
that  year.  The  great  undertaking  was  accomplished  only  after  years 
of  labor  and  solicitude;  but  at  no  time  did  it  drag  along  in  uncer- 
tainty. Week  by  week  its  solid  walls  appeared  as  if  lifting  themselves 
from  the  ground,  and  yet  there  was  no  incubus  of  debt  staring  the 
devoted  pastor  in  the  face  as  he  entered  upon  his  Sunday's  duties. 
He  never  faltered,  never  wavered,  never  desponded.  He  planned 
and  his  people  planned  with  him,  to  raise  the  costs  of  construction 
as  the  work  progressed.  The  energy  he  displayed  raised  up  for  him 
friends  beyond  the  pale  of  the  Church,  and  the  knowledge  that  Catho- 
lics had  of  the  unselfishness  of  his  character  inclined  them  to  be 
generous. 

The  church  of  St.  Paul,  Lexington,  the  second  in  point  of  size  in 
the  entire  State,  wiih  appointments  little  inferior  to  most  cathedrals, 
was  finished  at  length,  and  its  solemn  consecration  took  place  on  the 
1 8th  October.  1868. 

When  Father  Bekkers  first  reached  Lexington,  he  found  subscrip- 
tions awaiting  him  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Dennis  Mulligan,  amounting 
to  the  sum  of  nine  thousand  dollars.  This  was  at  once  put  to  use  in 
the  purchase  of  the  lots  on  Short  street  upon  which  the  church  of  St. 
Paul  now  stands,  together  with  an  old  but  substantial  and  roomy 
dwelling-house  attached,  since  used  for  a  pastoral  residence,   which 

whose  husband  was  not  a  Catholic  ;  and  the  greater  part  of  the  funds  necessary 
for  the  erection  of  the  building  was  contributed  by  personal  friends  of  Father 
Bekkers  in  Louisville. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  335 

had  formerly  been  owned  and  occupied  by  Robert  S.  Todd,  the  father 
of  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln.  * 

In  1864,  the  entire  church  property  in  Lexington  was  scarcely  of  the 
value  of  $20,000.  At  the  date  of  the  death  of  Father  Bekkers,  it  could 
not  have  been  worth  less  than  $150,000.  He  had  bought  and  paid  for  a 
parochial  residence,  and  for  grounds  for  a  church  and  parochial  school 
buildings,  and  on  these  latter  he  had  erected  buildings  that  had  cost  in 
the  aggregate  for  construction  alone,  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  ten 
thousand  dollars.  He  had  estabUshed  a  charity  hospital  at  a  cost  of 
$10,000  ;  and  he  had  bought  twenty  acres  of  land  for  a  grave-yard  at  a 
cost  of  $6,500.  The  mere  mention  of  the  results  of  his  labors,  as 
these  affected  the  material  interests  of  his  pa-rish,  will  sufficiently 
indicate  the  measure  of  his  capabihties.  But  still  more  wonderful 
were  his  labors  and  their  fruits  in  giving  heavenward  direction  to  the 
minds  and  hearts,  the  aspirations  and  the  hopes  of  those  to  whom  he 
had  been  sent  of  God  that  he  might  lead  them  aright  in  the  paths  of 
virtue  and  religion.  There  was  a  sermon  in  his  very  looks,  and  in 
everything  he  did,  that  caused  men  to  wish  they  were  nearer  like  him. 
Whatever  he  took  in  hand,  and  there  were  no  idle  days  in  his  calendar 
of  time,  appeared  to  prosper.  The  estranged  from  virtue  and  the 
stragglers  from  the  fold  were  the  particular  objects  of  his  solicitude, 
and  it  was  rarely  the  case  that  one  of  either  class,  hearing  his  voice, 
was  proof  against  its  earnest  pleadings.  He  was  equally  successful  as 
as  a  propagandist  of  Catholic  truth.  In  the  fifty-two  years  of  his 
residence  in  Louisville,  the  writer  cannot  name  another  who  appeared 
to  him  to  have  such  facility  in  this  direction.  His  converts  were  many, 
and  they  remained  afterwards  faithful.  It  was  the  same  in  Lexington, 
where,  as  is  well  known,  he  was  God's  instruntent  in  inducing  the 
conversion  of  quite  a  number  of  persons,  some  of  whom  were  men 
and  women  of  prominence  in  the  community.  Then  he  showed  his 
solicitude  for  the  future  of  the  Church  of  Kentucky  by  directing  the 
eyes  of  his  more  prominent  sodalists  and  others  to  a  religious  state  of 
life.f 

What  will  be  considered  most  singular  in  respect  to  the  labors  of 
Father  Bekkers  in  Lexington,  is  the  fact  that  his  health  was  at  no  time 
good,  and  often  the  exact  reverse.  It  would  seem  that  the  spirit  that 
animated  him  was  superior  to  bodily  pain,  as  it  was  also  superior  to 
obstacles  that  men  in  robust  health  would  have  ordinaril)  deemed 
insurmountable.  As  he  neared  the  limit  of  his  earthly  existence,  his 
attacks  of  illness  became  more  frequent  and  less  easily  removed.  He 
was  seized  with  the  last  of  these,  the  one  that  finally  opened  to  him 
the  gates  of  life  eternal,  about  the  middle  of  February,  1878.  In 
despite    of    medical    attention   and    careful    nursing,  his    condition 

*  I  have  heard  it  stated  that  Mrs.  President  Lincoln  was  born  in  this  house, 
but  others  say  that  she  only  passed  in  it  the  years  of  her  girlhood. 

fl  have  reason  for  believing  that  the  diocese  of  Louisville  is  indebted  to  his 
wise  direction,  in  particular  cases,  for  several  of  its  most  useful  priests  now 
laboring  on  its  missions. 


336  THE   MISSION    OF    LEXINGTON. 

remained  unaltered  for  the  better  for  five  months.  He  then  appeared 
to  rally ;  but  his  improvement  was  as  the  flash  of  the  candle  before  its 
final  extinguishment.  In  October,  persuaded  that  his  long  sickness 
was  giving  trouble  to  his  friends,  and  especially  to  Mr.  T.  J.  Danahy, 
who  had  ministered  to  him  from  the  beginning  with  the  faithfulness 
of  a  son,  he  insisted  on  being  taken  to  the  hospital  of  Sts.  Mary 
and  Elizabeth,  Louisville.  This  demand  of  his,  though  strongly 
opposed  by  Mr.  Danahy  and  others  of  his  friends,  was  finally  acqui- 
esced in  by  them,  and  he  reached  the  hospital  only  to  linger  there 
for  twenty-seven  days,  when  the  summons  came  that  brought  him 
into  His  presence  to  whom  he  had  given  his  heart  in  youth,  and  in 
whose  service  he  had  spent  all  the  intervening  days  of  his  life,  even  to 
that  upon  which  he  had  finished  his  course.  Among  those  who  stood 
with  tearful  eyes  around  his  bed  of  death  were  Father  Lambert  Young, 
of  Frankfort;  Sister  Lucy  Todd,  of  St.  Catharine's,  Lexington;  and 
Mr.  T.  J.  Danahy,  of  the  same  city.  A  document  was  found  among 
the  papers  of  the  deceased  pastor,  the  material  part  of  which,  as  it  was 
read  from  the  pulpit  by  Very  Rev.  E.  H.  Brandts  on  the  occasion  of 
his  funeral,  was  as  a  signal  for  uncontrollable  weeping  on  the  part  of 
his  hearers.  Even  now,  the  nature  that  is  at  all  sensitive,  though  he 
may  never  have  heard  of  him  who  penned  the  lines,  will  be  inclined 
to  tears  from  their  perusal. 

The  dead  priest  had  left  instructions  that  in  lieu  of  a  sermon  or  ora- 
tion on  the  occasion  of  his  funeral,  the  paper  referred  to  as  having 
been  found  among  his  effects,  and  denominated  by  him  his  will,  should 
be  read  by  the  officiating  priest.  The  paper  alluded  to  reads  as 
follows : 

"  It  is  my  wish  that  my  remains  shall  be  buried  at  the  entrance  of 
St.  Paul's  church,  under  the  steeple;  and  that  my  grave  shall  be  cov- 
ered with  a  plain  marble  slab ;  I  desire  that  there  shall  be  no  display  or 
ostentation  at  my  funeral,  and  no  sermon  or  oration  at  the  same;  but 
that  everything  be  in  a  plain,  simple  manner. 

"I  desire  by  the  lips  of  him  who  may  officiate  at  my  funeral,  I  may 
be  allowed  to  say  to  my  separated  brethren  that  I  am  thankful  to 
Almighty  God  for  having  called  me  to  the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  and 
allowed  me  to  persevere  and  die  in  the  Catholic  faith;  and  as  in  this 
life,  so  in  death,  I  will  continue  to  pray,  that  they,  too,  may  receive 
the  precious  gift  of  faith. 

' '  To  my  late  parishioners,  I  likewise  desire  to  say  that  I  wish  them 
ever  to  remember  the  teachings  and  lessons  I  have  inculcated,  and 
the  admonitions  I  have  given  them ;  I  ask  that  they  forget  the  human 
imperfections  and  frailties  they  may  have  seen  in  me,  and  imitate  only 
my  good  example. 

"To  all  of  Catholic  parents,  who  were  baptized  Catholics,  but 
who,  attracted  by  the  things  of  this  world,  have  wandered  from  the 
Church:  remember  that  I  have  time  and  again  urged  you,  and  do  now 
implore  and  entreat  you,  to  return  to  your  Church,  and  to  the  practice 
of  that  faith  which  is  able  to  save  you.     You  will,  one  day,  like  him 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  337 

who  now  speaks  to  you,  be  called  upon  to  give  an  account  of  every 
thought,  word  and  deed.  You,  over  whom  I  was  placed  as  pastor,  will 
remember  that,  to-day,  it  is  I — to-morrow,  it  may  be  you. 

"To  the  members  of  St.  Vincent's  Conference :  I  ask  them  to 
extend  their  charity  to  every  creature.     Let  it  be  truly  Catholic. 

"To  the  youth  of  this  congregation,  knowing  the  temptations  and 
snares  that  beset  your  path  :  I  have  endeavored  to  form  you  into  a 
band,  that  I  might  frequently  have  the  opportunity  to  be  among  you, 
to  speak  with,  and  give  you  fatherly  advice,  to  fortify  and  protect  you 
against  the  man}-  evils  of  the  day. 

"  My  time  is  past ;  I  will  no  more  frequent  your  meetings  ;  I  can 
no  longer  raise  my  voice,  to  advise  or  console  you.  J  am  dead  I  But 
I  beseech  you,  never  forget  my  instruction  and  advice  to  you.  Be 
virtuous  and  good,  so  that  the  sweet  odor  of  your  example  may 
attract  others  and  lead  them  to  salvation. 

' '  To  you,  sodalists,  young  maidens  :  I  speak  now  to  you  for  the 
last  time.  Continue  under  the  protection  of  Mary  Immaculate,  and 
when  in  after-life,  you  meet  with  trials  and  sorrows,  go  to  the  Mother 
of  Sorrows  for  consolation  and  relief. 

"In  conclusion,  when  you  walk  over  my  grave,  passing  over  the 
dust  of  my  mortal  remains  to  the  altar  whereon  I  so  often  offered 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  for  you,  remember  my  poor  soul. 

"Signed,  J.  H.  Bekkers,  Pastor."* 

♦The  directions  of  the  deceased  pastor  regarding  the  disposal  of  his 
remains  were  faithfully  carried  out.  In  the  vestibule  of  the  church  is  to  be 
seen  a  slab,  upon  which  appears  this  inscription:  "In  Memory  of  John  H. 
Bekkers,  born  at  Druten,  Holland,  April  22,  1821  ;  Ordained  a  Priest,  1844; 
Came  to  America,  1853;  To  Lexington,  1864;  Founded  this  Church,  Novem- 
ber 12,  1865;  Dedicated,  October  18,  1868;  Remained  its  Pastor  until  he  died, 
September  12,  1878;  His  remains  lie  in  the  vault  beneath,    R.  I.  P," 


22 


^j8  RT.   REV.   BENEDICT    JOSEPH    FLAGET. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

RT.   REV.   BENEDICT    JOSEPH    FLAGET.* 

In  the  Church,  as  in  the  social  and  civil  affairs  of  peoples  and 
nations,  there  has  always  been  a  succession  of  extraordinary  men — 
of  men  who,  through  the  possession  of  characters  distinguishing 
them  above  their  fellows,  have  earned  to  themselves  measures  of 
fame  more  or  less  imperishable.  There  is  not  a  nook  or  corner  of  the 
christian  world  in  which  the  memory  of  some  humble  toiler  in  the 
vineyard  of  the  Great  Master,  some  valiant  soldier  of  the  cross  of 
Christ,  some  simple  virgin,  treading  barefoot  the  stony  way  that  leads 
to  heaven,  is  not  preserved  among  the  people  and  made  to  serve  them 
for  edification.  In  the  little  less  than  one  hundred  years  of  its  exist- 
ence, the  Church  of  Kentucky  has  been  blessed  with  many  such  wor- 
thies, whom  to  recall  is  to  profit  by  the  retrospect. 

Among  the  remembrances  of  my  childhood,  there  are  none  more 
distinct  than  those  which  refer  to  Bishop  Flaget.  I  cannot  remember 
when  his  features  were  not  as  familiar  to  me  as  were  those  of  my  own 
parents.f  In  1819,  when  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Joseph  was  con- 
secrated to  the  service  of  God,  Bishop  Flaget  was  in  the  fifty-sixth 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  tall,  nearly  six  feet  high,  well  proportioned 
and  of  an  upright  carriage.  To  a  noble  stature  and  commanding 
presence,  there  were  united  in  him  the  most  polished  manners  and  the 
most  benign  expression  of  features.  An  in-born  dignity  that  was  as 
suave  as  it  was  unaffected,  and  an  easy  grace  that  was  at  all  times 
charming,  characterized  both  his  movements  and  his  speech.  The 
expression  of  his  eyes  varied  with  his  emotions,  and  of  these  they 
spoke  so  clearly  that  none  had  to  look  beyond  them  to  learn  his 

*This  and  other  sketches  that  are  to  follow  were  designed  for  publication 
in  the  form  of  reminiscences.  This  will  explain  the  use  in  them  of  the  ordi- 
narily objectionable  personal  pronoun. 

t  While  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown,  was  being  constructed 
(1817-1819),  mass  for  the  congregation  was  ordinarily  celebrated  in  the  parlor 
of  my  father's  house.  Generally  speaking,  the  celebrant  of  this  mass  was 
Father  John  B.  David,  but,  not  unfrequently,  his  temporarily  vacated  place 
was  supplied  by  either  Bishop  Flaget,  Rev.  S.  T.  Badin,  Rev.  Charles  Ner- 
inckx  or  Rev.  G.  I.  Chabrat.  Though  I  had  not  yet  reached  my  sixth  year 
when  these  services  came  to  an  end  through  the  occupancy  of  the  cathedral, 
their  recurrence  is  a  defined  memory  with  me  to  the  present  day,  as  are  also 
the  forms,  faces  and  general  appearance  of  the  persons  named. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  339 

thoughts  affecting  themselves.  Both  the  worldly  afflicted  and  the 
spiritually  tainted  found  reason  to  hope  when  those  tender  eyes  beamed 
upon  them,  humid  with  sympathy.  Their  light  was  rarely  clouded 
by  sternness,  and  none  ever  saw  them  flash  with  anger.  That  he  was 
revered  by  his  priests  and  entire  flock  would  not  be  telling  half  the 
story  of  their  relationship.  He  was  one  of  those  toward  whom  the 
hearts  of  men  went  out  loaded  down  with  personal  affection.  His 
people  recognized  in  him  an  exponent  of  that  philosophy  which 
demanded  of  them  no  effort  of  elucidation ;  that  was  its  own  inter- 
preter, its  own  index,  pointing  the  way  to  their  swift  footsteps  and 
faithful  following. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  Bishop  Flaget,  throughout  his  entire  life  in 
Kentucky,  suffered  no  malignment  of  character  from  any  source.  He 
carried  in  his  face  the  signet  of  a  pure  conscience  and  a  benevolent 
heart,  and  so  marked  were  the  evidences  of  his  devotion  to  God,  to 
principle  and  to  the  best  interests  of  humanity,  that  not  even  sectarian 
rancor  could  find  in  him  a  target  for  its  shafts.  Unable  to  say  aught 
against  him,  the  bigots  of  his  day  were  in  the  habit  of  describing  him 
as  a  man  whose  virtues  were  natural  and  ingrained,  and  who  owed 
nothing  to  his  religion  for  tnose  qualities  and  properties  of  heart  and 
mind,  which  won  for  him  so  large  a  measure  of  popular  respect  and 
homage.  In  the  days  to  which  I  refer,  and  for  many  years  afterwards, 
Bishop  Flaget  was  eminently  a  worker.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  shar- 
ing with  his  clergy  the  multifarious  labors  of  their  ministry.  No  less 
prompt  than  these,  he  was  to  be  seen  at  the  altar,  in  the  confessional, 
in  the  pulpit,  on  the  road  in  answer  to  sick-calls:  wherever,  indeed,  the 
exigencies  of  the  occasion  led  him  to  believe  that  he  might  be  in  any 
wise  serviceable  to  religion  and  the  welfare  of  souls.  He  enjoyed  no 
exemption  from  labor  that  was  engaged  in  by  his  priests  and  seminar- 
ians, sharing  it  often  in  a  greater  degree.  With  these  latter,  he  took  his 
meals,  eating  of  the  same  food,  which  was  always  plain  and  sometimes 
scanty,  and  discounting  no  rule  of  the  house  in  his  own  favor,  but 
rather  using  his  supreme  authority  to  mitigate  its  rigor  in  favor  of  his 
subordinates. 

When  Dr.  Chabrat  went  to  France  in  1820,  to  make  collections  in 
behalf  of  the  newly  established  diocese.  Bishop  Flaget  gave  him  a 
document,  a  translation  of  which  is  given  below.  Here  we  find  in  his 
own  words,  an  account  of  the  trials  and  labors  which  he  and  his  priests 
had  to  undergo,  and  the  fruits  these  had  already  secured  at  that  early 
date: 

"Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  by  the  grace  of  God  and  the  favor  of  the 
Holy  See,  bishop  of  Bardstotvn,  in  Kentucky,  one  of  the  United  States 
in  North  America,  to  his  countrymen  in  France,  health  and  benediction  : 
"If  the  apostles  narrated  with  pleasure  the  successes  with  which 
God  crowned  their  ministry,  and  if  these  very  details  found  in  their  let- 
ters (epistles)  afford  us  a  great  deal  of  edification,  I  hope  that  I  am  not 
about  to  fail  against  propriety,  and  still  less  against  the  rules  of  chris- 
tian modesty,  which,  in  general,  forbid  us  to  speak  of  ourselves  and  our 


240  RT.    REV.    BENEDICT    JOSEPH    FLAGET. 

successes.  I  even  venture  to  hope  that  my  fellow-countrymen  will 
rejoice  with  me  for  the  blessings  that  God  has  deigned  to  bestow  on  my 
feeble  efforts,  and  those  of  my  fervent  missionaries,  and  that  they  will 
do  everything  in  their  power  to  second  the  designs  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence on  the  country  in  which  I  dwell,  so  that  religion  may  be  firmly 
rooted  therein,  and  be  blessed  in  the  future  with  abundant  fruits  of 
sanctity  and  salvation.  It  is  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  conscious  of 
the  uprightness  of  my  motive  that  I  am  about  to  relate  to  you  the  prin- 
cipal events  that  have  taken  place  in  my  diocese  since  my  elevation  to 
the  episcopate.  I  am  too  well  known  by  a  large  number  of  those  who 
will  read  this  to  fear  the  attacks  of  vanity,  and  I  have  my  salvation  too 
much  at  heart  to  deviate  from  the  strictest  limits  of  truth. 

After  having  declined  the  episcopal  dignity  for  two  years,  because 
I  saw  not  in  myself  either  the  necessary  virtues  or  talents,  I  was 
obliged  to  accept  it  by  the  sovereign  Pontiff  under  pain  of  disobe- 
dience. To  resist  longer  after  such  a  command  would  have  been 
stubbornness  and  presumption.  I  was  persuaded  that  it  was  best  to 
bow  my  head  humbly  and  accept  the  yoke,  how  dreadful  soever  it 
might  be.  I  was  consecrated  bishop  at  Baltimore,  by  the  illustrious 
Bishop  Carroll,  the  first  Catholic  bishop  in  the  United  States.  Towards 
the  end  of  April,  in  the  following  year,  I  set  out  for  my  diocese  with 
four  young  seminarians  (two  of  whom  were  French),  and  a  Sulpician, 
my  friend  and  confrere,  who  was  their  superior.  We  arrived  at 
Bardstown,  the  See  of  my  bishopric  on  the  9th  of  June. 

"At  that  time,  there  were  but  six  priests  scattered  here  and  there 
in  the  whole  of  Kentucky,  a  State  as  large  as  the  half  of  France, 
though  it  is  but  the  sixth  of  the  territory  over  which  I  exercise  juris- 
diction. No  provision  had  been  made  for  the  bishop  or  his  clergy ; 
no  property  on  which  they  could  settle  down ;  no  house  that  they 
could  call  their  own,  and  no  revenues  whatever  to  meet  their  most 
urgent  necessities.  God  alone  was  our  resource ;  we  abandoned  our- 
selves to  His  fatherly  care,  and  He  has  been  great  and  munificent 
towards  us. 

"After  some  months,  we  received  from  a  respectable  widow  some 
very  fine  land,  a  league  from  Bardstown.  We  there  built  a  preparatory 
seminary  J  with  a  brick  chapel  adjoining.  These  two  buildings  cost  at 
least  25,000  francs.  A  quarter  of  a  league  from  that  place,  on  the 
same  land,  the  superior  of  my  seminary,  now  bishop  of  Mauri  castro, 
and  my  venerable  coadjutor,  founded  a  convent  of  Sisters  of  Charity, 
where  there  are  twenty-two  religious,  occupied  for  the  most  part  in 
giving  a  finished  christian  education  to  those  who  are  well-to-do  in  the 
vicinity.  They  are  divided  into  three  houses,  and  their  different 
schools  are  very  popular,  and  do  a  great  deal  of  good.  Their  build- 
ings cost  more  than  20,000  francs.  We  have  also  bought  in  the  town 
a  five-acre  lot  which  cost  us  three  thousand  five  hundred  francs.  On 
this  property  has  been  built  the  large  seminary  {grand  seminaire),  on 
which  25,000  francs  have  been  expended  so  far,  though  the  building 
is  not  yet  completely  finished.     Moreover,  on  the  same  lot,  a  very 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  34I 

pretty  cathedral  has  been  erected  by  subscription,  and  I  had  the  plea- 
sure of  consecrating  it  on  the  8th  of  August  last.  The  building  cost 
nearly  100,000  francs,  of  which  25,000  are  yet  to  be  paid,  but  the 
subscribers  are  so  hard  pressed,  and  the  times  are  so  bad,  that  it  would 
be  cruelty  to  force  them  to  keep  their  engagements. 

"One  of  my  missionaries,  a  Fleming,  no  less  remarkable  for  his 
piety  than  his  talents,  has  founded,  with  my  consent,  another  convent 
of  sisters  for  the  education  of  poor  girls  and  orphans ,  they  will  also 
receive  girls  who  are  preparing  for  their  first  communion.  This  con- 
vent is  composed  of  sixty  religious,  some  of  whom  are  professed; 
others  are  still  in  their  novitiate.  They  have  three  schools  in  three 
different  parishes,  where  they  fulfil  their  duties  with  great  edification 
and  success.  By  the  austerity  of  their  life,  and  their  great  regularity, 
they  recall  the  happy  era  of  the  primitive  Church,  and  do  themselves 
great  credit.  The  cost  of  their  houses  is  more  than  forty  thousand 
hvres  (francs) ;  but  their  pious  founder  has  almost  exhaustless  resources 
in  the  charity  and  generosity  of  his  countrymen. 

' '  Exclusive  of  these  expenses,  which  certainly  are  prodigious,  what 
has  it  not  cost  us  during  nine  years  to  bring  up  the  students  that  we 
have  in  our  seminaries  ?  At  present,  there  are  twelve  students  in  the 
higher  seminary  {grand semmaire) ,  some  studying  logic,  others  theology; 
and  twenty-five  in  the  preparatory  course,  at  their  humanities.  We 
have  not  only  to  educate  these  poor  children  gratis,  but  we  must  fur- 
r»sh  thera  with  all  necessary  books,  etc. ,  and  board  and  clothe  thern. 
Nothing  is  more  frugal  than  their  table,  and  nothing  poorer  than  their 
every-day  clothes.  Yet  in  spite  of  this  rigorous  economy,  it  would  be 
absolutely  impossible  for  us  to  care  for  so  large  a  number,  if  they  them- 
selves did  not  lessen  our  expenses  by  manual  labor.  Every  day,  for 
three  or  four  hours,  they  are  zealously  working  in  the  garden  or  har- 
vesting; now  they  are  making  wine,  and  to-morrow,  they  will  make 
bricks,  and  so  on.  Such  are  their  daily  recreations,  scarcely  ever 
bothering  themselves  with  politics;  their  humility  meanwhile  striking 
deep  root,  and  their  progress  in  ecclesiastical  knowledge  and  church 
music  suffering  no  drawback: 

"Nothing  is  more  surprising,  and  at  the  same  time  more  edifying, 
than  to  witness  the  bishop  officiating  pontifically  in  the  cathedral,  with 
deacon  and  subdeacon  (students  of  the  seminary),  and  a  band  of 
tonsured  clerics  in  cassock  and  surplice,  singing  the  chant  almost  as 
well  as  if  they  had  been  brought  up  in  Paris.  Our  seminary  has 
already  given  us  seven  priests.  Their  piety  and  their  talents  would 
distinguish  them  even  in  Europe,  and  three  among  them  are  excellent 
preachers  and  controversialists. 

"This  year,  we  opened  a  college  for  those  in  easy  circumstances, 
and  we  intend  to  give  the  young  men  attending  the  institution,  an  edu- 
cation as  complete  as  can  be  obtained  in  the  colleges  in  France.  Pro- 
testants as  well  as  Catholics  are  admitted,  and  we  trust  that  the  cause 
of  morality  and  sound  doctrine  will  be  greatly  promoted  thereby.  We 
have  also  made  a  trial  effort  in  opening  a  free  school  for  poor  Catholic 


342 


RT.  REV.  BENEDICT  JOSEPH  PLACET. 


boys  who  have  not  made  their  first  communion.  The  half  of  their 
time  will  be  employed  in  work  on  the  farm,  to  defray  the  expense 
of  their  board,  and  the  other  half,  in  learning  to  read  and  write, 
and  being  instructed  in  the  catechism.  Although  it  is  in  operation 
only  three  months,  many  have  had  the  happiness  of  receiving  holy 
communion  with  the  greatest  devotion,  and  one  of  them  has 
entered  the   preparatory  seminary  with  the  intention  of  becoming  a 

priest. 

"  With  fifty  schools  like  this,  we  could  renew  the  face  of  the  whole 

diocese. 

"  A  very  natural  reflection  now  presents  itself  to  the  mmd :  Whence 
came  to  us  the  means  wherewith  to  meet  such  expenses  ?  How  was  it 
possible  for  us  to  start  so  many  undertakings  without  running  irretriev- 
ably into  debt  ?  (For,  $500  would  pay  all  my  private  indebtedness, 
whilst  it  was  $1000  when  I  took  possession  of  the  diocese.)  •  How  was 
it  feasible  for  us  to  board  and  lodge  a  family  which  never  numbered 
less  than  thirty,  for  the  past  seven  or  eight  years,  and  which  for  two 
or  three  years,  reached  as  high  as  eighty  ?  Verily,  it  is  a  prodigy  of 
God's  mercy  in  our  behalf  that  fills  us  with  both  wonder,  at  the  sight  of 
so  many  benefits,  and  confusion,  fearing  that  we  may  prove  ungrateful 
to  so  good  and  generous  a  Father.  It  is  then  to  second  the  action  of 
His  Divine  Providence  that  we  cry  out  from  the  depths  of  our  heart  for 
the  sympathy  and  help  of  our  fellow-countrymen.  The  zeal  which 
they  have  always  shown  in  the  cause  of  the  foreign  missions  is  a  sure 
guarantee  for  us  that  they  will  turn  their  eyes  towards  America,  and 
aid  us  in  establishing  our  holy  religion  and  making  it  flourish  in  a 
country  where  only  forty  years  ago,  nothing  was  seen  but  the  beasts  of 
the  forest,  and  hordes  of  savages  pursuing  them. 

"  What  has  heretofore  been  done  by  us,  is  nothing  when  compared 
to  what  still  remains  to  be  done;  and  the  work  still  to  be  accomplished 
will  never  be  undertaken  unless  generous  and  affectionate  hearts  come 
to  our  relief.  Oh,  what  consolation  even  in  this  life  will  attend  those 
who  assist  in  so  many  holy  designs !  Will  not  the  satisfaction  they  feel 
be  far  superior  to  that  enjoyed  by  worldings  who  devote  their  sur- 
plus wealth  in  the  luxuries  of  the  table,  or  in  vanity  of  dress, 
not  to  mention  things  far  more  criminal  ?  The  mere  thought  that 
a  person  has  helped  to  make  men  better  by  making  them  taste  the 
sweetnesses  of  our  most  holy  religion  and  by  uniting  them  to  God, 
is  already  a  recompense  that  repays  them  a  hundred  fold  for  all  their 
sacrifices.  And  if  we  add  to  all  this  the  thousands  of  grateful  hearts 
which  day  by  day  will  pour  forth  their  prayers  before  the  throne  of  the 
Almighty  in  behalf  of  their  benefactors,  asking  for  them  the  most 
signal  graces  of  heaven,  and  that  at  their  death,  God  Himself  will  be 
their  reward  and  eternal  joy ;  surely  it  is  tantamount  to  being  the 
enemy  of  one's  self,  to  neglect  or  refuse  sharing  in  such  inestimable 
blessings  even  at  the  cost  of  a  few  transitory  sacrifices. 
"  Given  at  St.  Joseph's  Seminary, 
"February  28,  1820.       fBENEDiCT  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Bardstown." 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.       .         343 

Among  the  letters  of  Bishop  Flaget  now  in  my  possession,  the 
following,  addressed  to  Dr.  Chabrat  when  he  was  ecclesiastical  superior 
of  the  sisterhood  of  Loretto,  may  prove  interesting.  It  refers  to  the 
proto-priest  of  the  country,  and  is  written  in  a  familiar  style  : 

"  Very  Dear  F.  Chabrat:  Although  I  am  a  little  behind  hand  in 
manifesting  the  sentiments  of  my  heart  at  the  commencement  of  this 
new  year,  they  are  none  the  less  sincere  and  affectionate.  Yes,  my 
dear  child,  I  wish  you  a  good  and  holy  year.  I  desire  that  you  be 
meek  and  humble  of  heart;  that  you  may  have  the  zeal  of  St.  Francis 
Xavier,  the  mortification  of  St.  Francis  Borgia,  the  angelic  purity 
of  St.  Francis  Assissi  and  the  penetration  of  St.  Ignatius.  In  fine,  I 
wish  with  all  these  incomparable  treasures,  you  may  live  yet  half  a 
century ;  that  you  may  share  your  immense  riches  with  all  those  souls 
confided  to  your  care ;  and  that  after  having  triumphed  over  all  the 
enemies  of  your  salvation,  full  of  good  works  and  merits,  you  may 
sleep  in  peace  on  the  bosom  of  your  divine  Savior,  to  rise  with  Him 
in  the  realms  of  glory  and  happiness. 

"You  must  acknowledge  now  that  you  have  lost  nothing  by  my 
delay,  and  that  you  are  well  disposed  to  excuse  me,  and  be  as  friendly 
as  you  were  last  year.  I  pray  you  to  extend  these  heartfelt  wishes  of 
mine  to  all  your  good  daughters  at  Loretto.  Do  the  same  in  the  case 
of  Father  Badin,  if  he  is  about;  for  since  he  has  left  St.  Joseph's 
seminary,  no  one  can  tell  me  his  whereabouts.  It  is  believed  that  he 
is  in  ten  diff"erent  places,  but  no  one  knows  where  he  resides,  and  per- 
haps it  is  unknown  even  to  himself.  At  any  rate,  if  he  is  at  Loretto, 
tell  him  that  I  love  him  most  cordially,  and  that  I  wish  a  vigorous  health 
to  his  body  and  angelic  fervor  to  his  soul.  I  would  have  a  great  many 
other  things  to  tell  him,  but  probably  they  would  be  useless:  e.  g.,2, 
little  more  order  in  rising  and  retiring;  in  his  meals,  his  prayers, 
etc.,  etc. 

' '  After  all,  these  irregularities  are  not  sins  ;  in  him,  they  may  be 
brilliant  virtues,  by  reason  of  the  motive  which  actuates  him,  which 
we  must  charitably  suppose  to  be  holy  and  divine.  Still  it  is  not  the 
less  true  that  what  in  that  apostolic  man  may  be  most  meritorious, 
would  be  a  notable  disorder  in  another  not  actuated  by  like  principles, 
and  especially  in  a  community.  To  be  better  understood,  I  will 
explain  myself:  To  this  good  father  it  is  of  little  concern  to  say 
his  mass  at  seven  o'clock  to-day,  at  eight  o'clock  to-morrow,  and  the 
day  after  at  ten;  for,  provided  he  says  it  holily  and  .fervently,  he  will 
advance  with  great  strides  in  the  path  of  perfection.  To  breakfast  at 
nine  in  the  morning,  to  dine  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  and  to  take  a 
little  refreshment  at  eleven  at  night,  may  be  all  very  good  and  very 
holy  for  an  individual,  but  if  religious  observance  were  subject  to  such 
irregularities,  what  would  become  of  it?  If,  therefore,  the  good  and 
amiable  Father  Badin  wants  the  sisters  to  interrupt  their  written  rules 
(as  I  know  he  is  tempted  to  do)  just  to  suit  themselves  to  his  varying 
habits,  then  it  would  be  necessary,  sweetly  of  course,  but  firmly,  to 
tell  him  that  such  things  cannot  be  allowed,  at  the  same  time  assuring 


344  RT.  REV.  BENEDICT  JOSEPH  FLAGET. 

him  that  anything  in  the  world  not  contrary  to  order  and  the  holy 
rule,  will  be  done  to  make  him  happy  at  Loretto. 

' '  How  glad  would  I  be  if  I  were  near  you  in  my  little  cell !  With 
what  pleasure  would  I  not  assist  at  the  spiritual  reading  of  the  good 
sisters!  I  think  my  heart  would  melt  with  devotion  in  such  an  angelic 
assembly.  But,  my  God !  when  will  I  have  the  time  ?  May  God's 
most  holy  will  be  done !  If  I  have  not  so  great  a  happiness  as  to  see 
you  and  your  holy  community,  at  least  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  cher- 
ishing you  all  in  my  heart  at  all  times,  and  in  all  places ;  and  in  these 
sentiments  I  am  going  to  commence  this  year,  and  finish  my  career 
with  regard  to  you.  Receive  then  the  most  cordial  and  affectionate 
blessing  of  Your  tender  Father, 

"January  5th,  1830.  Benedict  J.,  Bishop  of  Bardstown." 

Than  Bishop  Flaget,  the  country  has  not  known  a  prelate  who  was 
more  sensitive  in  regard  to  scandals.  Intimations  of  faults,  however 
trivial,  affecting  the  reputation  of  his  priests,  fretted  him  immeasura- 
bly. He  could  not  bear  the  thought  that  one  consecrated  to  God 
should  be  guilty  of  anything  that  would  cause  even  a  shadow  of  dised- 
ification.  A  case  in  point  that  has  to  it  an  amusing  side  has  been 
latterly  brought  to  my  notice : 

About  the  first  of  February,  1822,  a  stranger  priest  appeared  in 
Kentucky  and  applied  to  the  bishop  for  faculties  to  exercise  the  func- 
tions of  the  holy  ministry  in  the  city  of  Louisville.  He  was  evidently 
a  man  of  good  education,  and  fairly  intelligent,  and  there  was  noth- 
ing in  his  appearance  to  denote  that  he  was  the  victim  of  appetites 
that  tended  to  social  degradation.  The  papers  he  exhibited  were  evi- 
dently authentic,  and  though  the  bishop  was  at  the  time  very  greatly 
in  need  of  priests  to  attend  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  his  people  at  a 
half-dozen  points  in  the  State,  still  he  hesitated.  Why  he  did  so,  will 
appear  from  the  letter  that  follows,  addressed  to  the  applicant,  and 
bearing  date : 

"Fairfield,  Ky.,  February  16,  1822. 

^^ Dear  and  ReTi,  Sif)  After  the  conversation  I  had  with  you  last 
Friday,  I  promised  you  a  letter  this  week,  and  I  hasten  to  comply  with 
my  word.  Probably,  the  information  I  propose  to  give  you  will  not 
prove  as  agreeable  as  you  would  wish ;  but  the  withholding  of  it  would 
betray  my  conscience,  and  that  would  be  worse.  As  you  seem  inclined 
to  exercise  the  holy  ministry  in  my  diocese,  at  least  for  a  time,  I  must 
tell  you,  before  granting  you  faculties  for  that  purpose,  of  the  unfa- 
vorable impressions  you  have  made  on  the  minds  of  certain  of  my 
clergy  and  upon  those  of  some  Catholics  of  respectability  with  whom 
you  had  occasion  to  converse.  Your  short  dress-,  your  gold  ring  and 
your  ruffles  were  for  them  subjects  of  great  surprise,  or  rather  of  true 
scandal ;  and  for  the  reason,  that  no  clergymen  in  my  diocese  ever 
appeared  before  them  in  such  attire.    Mrs.  Thompson,*  at  whose  house 

*The  Mrs.  Thompson  here  alluded  to,  was  the  wife  of  the  late  Col.  Valen- 
tine Thompson,  the  then  proprietor  of  the  old  stone  tavern  on  the  high  road 
leading  from  Bardstown  to   Louisville,  about  twelve  miles  from  the  former 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  345 

you  lodged,  and  who  is  but  a  half  Catholic,  could  not  persuade  her- 
self that  you  were  a  priest  at  all,  because  there  was  nothing  in  your 
appearance  that  reminded  her  of  what  she  had  seen  in  me  and  my 
priests.  She  wondered,  too,  that  you  had  so  few  prayers  to  say,  since 
all  the  other  priests  who  had  lodged  under  her  roof  had  been  in  the 
habit,  before  retiring  to  rest,  and  after  getting  up  in  the  morning,  of 
spending  an  hour  or  two  in  prayer  and  meditation,  and  in  reading 
their  breviaries. 

' '  I  must  confess  to  you  that  your  ring  displeased  me  very  much ; 
and  that  I  manifested  my  displeasure  to  Rev.  Mr.  Butler.*  He  told 
me  that  he  had  intimated  to  your  reverence  that  the  wearing  of  it  would 
cause  scandal;  and  I,  thinking  you  would  profit  by  his  advice,  did  not 
speak  to  you  about  it.  Seeing,  however,  that  you  have  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  his  counsel,  I  consider  that  I  am  bound  in  conscience,  before 
granting  to  you  the  faculties  asked  for,  to  require  of  you  that  you  shall 
spend  some  weeks  in  my  seminary,  where  you  will  make  a  spiritual 
retreat,  and  be  able  to  note  all  our  ways  of  eating,  drinking,  dressing, 
praying,  etc.  Uniformity  in  a  diocese  is  the  mainspring  of  discipline 
and  order,  and  I  wish  you  to  see  with  your  own  eyes,  whether  or  not 
you  can  adapt  yourself  to  our  rules  and  labor  in  the  spirit  with  which 
we  are  all  animated. 

"Repair,  then,  as  quickly  as  possible  to  my  seminary.  There  I 
will  give  you  hospitality,  a  place  at  my  table  and  lodgment  under  the 
roof  that  covers  my  seminarians,  their  teachers  and  myself.  While 
you  remain  with  us,  Rt.  Rev.  Mr.  David  and  myself  will  have  oppor- 
tunities to  converse  with  you,  and  to  tell  you  of  the  manners  and  most 
common  disorders  of  our  people.  By  this  means  we  will  learn,  too, 
whether  your  practice  will  suit  the  country  or  not. 

' '  Be  persuaded,  dear  sir,  that  these  measures  are  dictated  by  the 
purest  motives,  and  that  I  have  nothing  else  in  view  but  your  own  good 
and  that  of  my  people.  With  due  regard  for  your  reverence,  I 
remain,  etc.,  Benedict  Joseph,  Bishop  of  Bardstown. 

"P.  S.  That  you  may  not  consider  my  observations  about  your 
ring  mere  Kentucky  scruples,  I  will  quote  for  you  a  decree :  Sacr(z 
rituuni  congregationis :  '■  annuli  usus  in  missa  non  solum  protonoiariis 
ecclesiarum  cathedralium  prohiberetur' — S.  Ji.  C.  Decret.,  20  Novembris 
1628  ut  supra.  If,  unfortunately,  you  will  not  submit  to  the  condition  I 
have  named,  do  not  exercise  in  my  diocese  any  of  the  functions  of  the 
holy  ministry  except  private  mass.f  B.  J.  B'p  B." 

place.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Hines,  a  Presbyterian  in  religion,  and 
a  man  of  some  note  in  the  early  history  of  the  State.  Mrs.  Thompson  was 
but  a  recent  convert  to  Catholicity  at  the  time  referred  to  in  the  text,  and 
hence  the  term  half  Catholic  applied  to  her  by  Bishop  Flaget. 

*This  Father  Butler  was  himself  a  stranger  priest  in  the  diocese.  He  is 
alluded  to  in  the  chapter  on  "The  Pottinger's  Creek  Settlement." 

tThe  copy  of  this  letter  in  my  possession  is  in  Bishop  Flaget's  own  hand 
writing.  It  was  sent  by  him  to  a  clerical  friend  on  the  day,  most  likely,  upon 
which  the  original  was  written  and  dispatched.  The  name  of  the  applicant  for 
faculties  given  in  the  letter  to  the  bishop's  friend,  is  wholly  a  strange  one  to  me. 


346  RT.   REV.  BENEDICT   JOSEPH   FLAGET. 

In  May,  1821,  Bishop  Flaget,  accompanied  by  Father  Abell,  paid 
his  first  visit  to  Tennessee.  An  amusing  anecdote  in  connection  with 
this  journey  was  told  me  several  years  ago  by  the  late  Lawrence  Finn, 
Esq.,  an  Irish  gentleman  of  fine  culture,  long  a  resident  of  the  town 
of  Franklin,  Simpson  county,  Kentucky,  to  whom  it  was  related  by 
Father  Abell  himself.  At  the  close  of  a  somewhat  disagreeable  day 
and  of  a  long  and  weary  ride,  the  travelers  reached  a  straggUng  village, 
not  far  from  the  Tennessee  line,  one  extremity  of  which  was  built  on 
an  eminence  and  the  remainder  in  the  valley  at  its  base.  The  little 
town,  they  afterwards  learned,  was  provided  with  two  hostleries  kept 
by  sisters,  the  daughters  of  a  former  tavern  proprietor  of  the  place. 
One  of  these,  known  as  the  old  tavern  was  a  conspicuous  object  on  the 
hill,  and  it  faced  the  road  at  the  point  of  its  northern  approach.  The 
other,  which  was  smaller,  and  of  more  modern  construction,  stood 
near  the  southern  extremity  of  the  town.  Of  these  particulars,  how- 
ever, the  wearied  wayfarers  knew  nothing.  They  only  knew  that  they 
needed  refection  and  rest,  and  they  hoped  to  find  both  under  the  roof- 
tree  of  the  ancient  hostlery,  with  its  welcoming  sign — "Travelers' 
Rest."  They  were  disappointed.  The  food  furnished  was  of  poor 
quality,  and  wretchedly  served,  and  what  they  regarded  as  a  still  more 
intolerable  discomfort,  the  rooms  into  which  they  were  introduced  for 
repose,  were  found  in  a  filthy  condition,  and  the  beds  infested  with 
vermin.  After  a  sleepless  night,  they  partook  of  a  breakfast  that  was 
but  a  counterpart  of  their  meal  of  the  evening  before,  and  then 
hastily  and  gladly  proceeded  on  their  journey.  Returning  by  the 
same  road  two  weeks  later,  the  bishop  and  his  companion  stopped  for 
the  night  at  the  hostlery  on  the  plain.  Here  everything  was  in  order, 
and  cleanliness  was  prominent  in  all  the  departments.  Their  supper 
was  of  the  nature  of  a  feast,  it  was  so  excellent  in  quality  and  so  lavishly 
provided.  The  sleeping  rooms  and  beds  were  models  of  perfection, 
and  fairly  invited  them  to  repose.  Sitting  at  the  breakfast  table  next 
morning,  which  was  loaded  down  with  delicacies,  the  bishop  thought  to 
compliment  his  hostess  by  making  a  comparison  between  the  enter- 
tainment in  hand  and  the  one  he  had  failed  to  enjoy  a  fortnight 
before.  He  concluded  his  address  by  saying:  "I  do  not  think  I 
ever  crossed  the  door  of  a  tavern  that  was  so  badly  kept  as  the  one  on 
the  hill."  With  no  show  of  feeling  about  the  matter,  his  hostess  here 
broke  in:  "What  everybody  says  must  be  so,  sir!  Sister  Jane 
ahvays  was  a  slattern!''  The  bishop's  face  grew  scarlet,  and  he 
uttered  not  another  word,  until  after  the  twain  had  mounted  their 
horses  and  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  village.  "  Then,"  said  Father 
Abell,  "  he  proceeded  to  lecture  his  only  listener  on  '  The  Impropriety 
of  Criticising  People  in  the  Presence  of  Strangers.'" 

I  have  heard  of  but  a  single  instance  in  which  Bishop  Flaget  was 
engaged  in  oral  controversy  with  a  Protestant  minister.  The  occasion 
is  thus  referred  to  by  Dr.  Spalding : 

"In  the  year  1816,  while  discharging  the  functions  of  an  ordi- 
nary missionary,  he  was  drawn  into  a  controversy  with  a  preacher 


CATHOLICITY    IN   KENTUCKY.  347 

named  Tapscott,  who  had  boldly  and  coarsely  asserted  'that  the  Cath- 
olics sprang  from  hell,  and  into  hell  they  must  fall!'  Though  much 
averse  to  controversy,  the  bishop  beUeved  that  the  interests  of  truth 
required  him  to  accept  the  challenge  of  the  preacher,  who  had  con- 
siderable influence  with  his  sect.  They  accordingly  met  at  the  house 
of  Elias  Newton,  in  the  present  county  of  Taylor.  The  concourse  was 
so  great,  that  the  orators  were  compelled  to  speak  in  the  open  air. 
The  bishop  opened  the  discussion  in  a  discourse  of  much  simplicity  and 
power,  on  the  civil  and  religious  principles  of  Catholics,  in  answer  to 
the  charges  of  his  opponent.  At  the  close,  he  offered  to  answer  any 
objections  which  might  be  presented.  Though  it  was  Tapscott's  turn 
now  to  rejoin,  he  availed  himself  of  this  invitation,  and  demanded 
that  the  bishop  should  first  unfold  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  on  the 
power  of  the  keys,  and  on  the  real  presence ;  after  which  he  would 
offer  his  remarks. 

"For  the  sake  of  peace,  the  bishop  complied  with  this  unreason- 
able demand ;  and  explained  '  those  two  questions  to  the  best  of  his 
power,' — the  people  listenmg  with  breathless  attention. 

"Tapscott  attempted  to  answer,  by  accusing  the  bishop  of  misquot- 
ing the  scripture;  a  charge  which  was  promptly  refuted  by  reference, 
on  the  spot,  to  the  sacred  volume.  The  preacher  then,  getting  into  a 
bad  humor,  boldly  accused  the  sainted  prelate  of  having  told  a  false- 
hood, in  stating  that  he  (Tapscott)  had  been  the  first  to  challenge  to 
the  discussion;  but  the  audience,  almost  entirely  Protestant,  sustained 
the  bishop  in  his  contrary  statement,  which  was  generally  known  to  be 
well  founded. 

"To  extricate  himself  from  his  unenviable  position,  Tapscott  next 
called  on  the  bishop  to  prove  that  the  Catholic  was  the  oldest  Church. 
The  prelate  answered,  that  as  he  had  been  speaking  already  for  several 
hours,  and  his  opponent  had  been  comparatively  silent,  it  was  now 
clearly  within  his  province  to  ask  the  preacher  some  questions.  But 
Tapscott  would  not  hear  of  this  proposal,  and  indignantly  withdrew, 
leaving  his  adversary  master  of  the  field. 

"Hereupon  the  bishop  closed  the  discussion  with  an  exhortation  to 
peace  and  charity,  which  was  rendered  more  touching  by  his  offer  of 
his  hand  to  the  preacher;  who,  however,  met  his  advance  with  an 
ungracious  refusal.  The  conduct  of  the  latter  filled  the  audience  with 
indignation;  while  the  bearing  of  the  bishop  won  all  hearts.  The 
incident  made  a  deep  impression  on  many  Protestants,  some  of  whom 
became  converts. 

"Returning  to  his  chamber,  the  bishop  poured  forth  his  soul  in 
thanksgiving  to  God  for  the  words  which  he  had  put  into  his  mouth; 
and  he  exclaimed :  '  How  happy  shall  I  be,  O  Lord,  if  I  cause  Thee  to 
be  known  and  loved  by  all  these  unfortunate  sectaries,  who  are  gener- 
ally such,  only  because  they  had  the  misfortune  to  be  born  in 
heresy  r" 


348  REV.  AND    RT.  REV.  JOHN   B.  DAVID. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

REV.  AND    RT.   REV.  JOHN    B.   DAVID. 

Father  David,  by  which  title  he  was  known  to  the  Catholic  people 
of  Kentucky,  and  called  by  them,  even  after  his  episcopal  consecra- 
tion, was  in  some  respects  a  more  extraordinary  man  than  the  bishop 
under  whom  he  rendered  services  to  the  Church  of  Kentucky  that 
have  scarcely  had  a  parallel  in  all  the  missions  of  America.  It  has 
been  said  of  him  that  he  knew  not  what  it  was  to  be  idle,  every 
moment  of  his  time  being  put  to  profitable  use;  and  this  the  writer  can 
well  believe  from  his  own  remembrances  of  the  man  and  his  indefatig- 
able spirit,  and  from  his  own  knowledge  of  the  extent  and  value  of  his 
labors.  The  nearest  approaches  to  bodily  rest  of  which  he  was  ever 
known  to  take  advantage,  unless  the  hours  of  needful  nightly  repose 
be  taken  into  the  account,  consisted  of  brief  interludes  spent  by  him 
in  organ  practice  and  improvisation.*  He  was  two  years  the  senior  of 
Bishop  Faget,  and  when  he  accompanied  that  prelate  to  Kentucky,  he 
bore  with  him  written  authorization  from  his  superior  of  the  Sulpician 
order  in  France,  to  establish  and  direct  a  theological  seminary  in  con- 
nection with  the  new  diocese.  He  had  filled  various  professorships  in 
the  seminaries  of  his  order  in  France,  and  also  in  the  one  established 
by  the  society  in  Maryland,  and  hence  he  brought  with  him  to  the  new 
field  of  his  labors,  talents  already  tried,  and  experience  that  was  inval- 
uable. Beginning  with  three  pupils,  in  1811,  their  number  had 
increased  to  fifteen  in  181 7. 

Believing  that  it  will  interest  many  of  my  readers  to  learn  the 
names  of  Father  David's  seminarians,  who,  from  first  to  last,  were 
raised  to  the  dignity  of  the  priesthood,  I  hereby  append  the  list : 

Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat,  Rev.  Walter  S.  Coomes, 

Rev.  Peter  Schaefier,  Rev.  William  E.  Clark, 

Rev.  M.  Derigaud,  Rev.  Charles  Carter, 

Rev.  Anthony  Ganihl,  Rev.  Charles  I.  Coomes, 

Rev,  M.  Champonier,  Rev.  John  C.  Wathen, 

•Father  David  was  an  accomplished  musician.  For  more  than  ten  years 
after  his  consecration  as  coadjutor  to  Bishop  Fiaget,  in  addition  to  his  duties 
in  the  seminary,  and  those  of  the  pastorate,  he  filled  the  post  of  organist  of 
the  cathedral.  He  wrote  several  masses  of  extraordinary  merit,  and  very 
many  fugitive  pieces,  all  of  a  sacred  character,  a  number  of  which  are  occa- 
sionally to  be  heard  at  the  present  day  in  the  churches  of  the  diocese. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY,  349 

Rev.  David  A.  Deparcq,  Rev.  James  Elliott. 

Rev.  Philip  Horstman,  Rev.  L.  Picot, 

Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell,  Rev.  A.  Degauquier, 

Rev.  Vincent  Badin,  Rev.  Francis  Chambige, 

Rev.  George  A.  M.  Elder,  Rev.  William  Whelan, 

Rev.  William  Byrne,  Rev.  Martin  J.  Spalding, 

Rev.  Ignatius  A.  Reynolds,  Rev.  John  McGill, 

Rev.  Joseph  Rogers,  Rev.  William  E.  Powell, 

Rev.  Linus  Coomes,  Rev.  James  M.  Lancaster, 

Rev.  Elisha  J.  Durbin,  '       Rev.  B.  J.  Spalding, 

Rev.  Robert  Byrne,  Rev.  Charles  Blank, 

Rev.  Simon  Lalumiere,  Rev.  John  B.  Hutchins, 

Rev.  Athanasius  A.  Aud,  Rev.  J.  A.  Drew, 

Rev.  Charles  Cecil,  Rev.  Alfred  Hagan, 

Rev.  Edward  A.  Clark,  Rev.  Edward  McMahon, 

Rev.  George  Hayden,  Rev.  James  Quinn, 

Rev.  Joseph  Hazeltine,  Rev.  Stephen  Ward, 

Rev.  David  MulhoUand,  Rev.  John  Joyce, 

Rev.  Abram  McMahon* 
On  the  15th  day  of  August,  1819,  one  week  after  its  consecration, 
the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown,  was  the  scene  of  a  ceremonial 
that  had  never  before  been  witnessed  in  the  country  west  of  Baltimore. 
On  that  day.  Rev.  John  B.  David  was  consecrated  bishop  of  Bolina, 
and  coadjutor  to  his  consecrator,  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget. 
Never  did  the  episcopal  office  come  to  a  man  more  worthy  of  its 
honors,  or  more  capable  of  bearing  its  responsibilities.  He  was  wise 
with  "the  wisdom  which  is  from  above;"  and  his  prudence  was  equal 
to  his  wisdom.  He  was  a  mortified  man,  and  he  was  clad  with  zeal 
as  with  a  cloak. 

Father  David  was  of  average  stature,  possibly  five  and  a  half  feet 
in  height,  of  moderately  full  habit,  deliberate  in  his  speech,  and  retir- 
ing in  his  manners.  He  had  little  of  the  vivacity  that  is  supposed  to 
be  a  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the  French  people ;  and  in  this 
particular,  he  presented  a  strong  contrast  to  his  countryman  and  fellow 
worker  of  the  Kentucky  mission,  Rev.  S.  T.  Badin.  f     He  rarely  went 

*  Of  the  above,  twenty-three  were  either  natives  of  Kentucky,  or  they  were 
reared  from  childhood  in  the  State;  nine  were  Irishmen,  nine  Frenchmen,  and 
four  Belgians,  or  Germans.  One,  Rev.  Joseph  Hazeltine,  was  a  Canadian  and 
a  convert,  and  one,  Rev.  John  McGill,  was  born  in  Philadelphia.  Four 
became  bishops,  viz. :  Rev.  G.  I.  Chabrat,  Rev.  I.  A.  Reynolds,  Rev.  M.  J. 
Spalding,  and  Rev.  John  McGill,  The  first  to  die.  Rev.  Philip  Horstman, 
known  to  the  people  as  Father  Austin,  sacrificed  his  life  to  his  zeal  in  the 
great  fever  epidemic  of  1822,  in  Louisville.  With  the  exception  of  five  of  the 
priests  named,  my  personal  remembrances  extend  to  the  entire  list.  The  sur- 
vivors are  but  two,  both  octogenarians,  viz. :  Rev.  Elisha  J.  Durbin  and  Rev. 
Athanasius  A.  Aud,  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville. 

t  When  shown  a  portrait  of  Father  Badin.  Bishop  David  raised  his  hands 
in  admiration,  and  exclaimed:  "  It  is  the  first  time  he  was  ever  at  rest  in  his 
whole  life."    (Sketches  of  Kentucky,  page  114.) 


350  REV.   AND   RT,   REV.  JOHN  B.   DAVID. 

into  society,  and  never  without  a  motive  that  had  reference  to  the  good 
of  others,  and  not  personal  gratification.  He  could  talk,  and  he  could 
reason,  eloquently  and  logically,  but  he  gave  to  his  tongue  no  license 
except  in  the  pulpit,  in  the  class-room  and  in  the  lecture  field.  *  With 
the  exception,  possibly,  of  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  Father  David  showed 
more  tendency  to  asceticism  than  any  ecclesiastic  that  has  appeared 
in  Kentucky  up  to  the  present  day.  f  I  have  no  remembrance  of  any 
occasion  upon  which  he  was  seen  to  laugh.  He  could  smile,  however, 
but  his  smiles  were  always  for  the  encouragement  of  those  who  had 
previously  laid  open  to  him  their  spiritual  or  bodily  miseries.  With- 
out being  in  any  degree  repulsive,  his  manners,  so  far  as  the  general 
public  was  concerned,  lacked  the  attractiveness  that  was  so  pleasing 
a  characteristic  in  those  of  Bishop  Flaget.  To  others  than  those  with 
whom  his  intercourse  was  constant  and  intimate,  he  appeared  as  one 
who  was  too  much  occupied  with  serious  matters  to  warrant  interrup- 
tions, except  for  a  better  object  than  the  pleasure  to  be  derived  from 
his  conversation.  It  was  not  so  with  his  seminarians,  nor  with  his 
penitents.  These  feared  not  to  approach  him,  because  they  were  able 
to  fathom  the  depths  of  his  humility.  To  their  eyes  he  presented  an 
image  of  the  great  Master,  whose  voice  sounded  in  their  ears  as  he 
spoke :   "  Learn  of  me,  because  I  am  meek  and  humble  of  heart." 

That  a  man  such  as  I  have  endeavored  to  describe  should  have 
been  better  known  to  the  public  as  an  able  and  successful  controver- 
sialist than  by  any  other  title  will  be  surprising  to  Catholics  of  the  pre- 
sent day.  I  once  wrote  of  him  that  ' '  written  and  oral  disquisitions  on 
Catholic  dogma  were  for  him  occasions  of  simple  recreation,  and  the 

*  A  jest  out  of  the  mouth  of  Bishop  David  was  as  little  to  be  expected  as 
lightning  out  of  a  cloudless  sky.  His  nearest  authentically  recorded  ap- 
proaches to  the  humorous  had  reference  to  the  personal  peculiarities  of  Father 
Badin,  as  given  in  the  preceding  note,  and  of  Father  Abell.  When,  as  has 
been  related  elsewhere,  Father  Abell  was  seized  in  the  beginning  of  his  career 
as  a  missionary  priest,  with  an  illness  that  well  nigh  terminated  fatally,  and 
when,  throughout  the  dangerous  stages  of  his  malady,  Bishop  Flaget  was  his 
nurse,  the  latter  wrote  to  his  coadjutor  a  doleful  letter,  in  which  he  depicted 
the  condition  of  his  patient  somewhat  in  this  fashion  :  "  lie  is  very  ill,  and  he 
may  die  ;  and  even  should  he  survive,  I  fear  he  will  be  found  to  have  lost  the 
power  of  articulation."  To  this  letter,  Bishop  David  replied,  hopefully  in 
respect  to  the  recovery  of  their  protege  ;  and  emphatically,  in  respect  to  the 
latter  clause  of  his  Superior's  intimation.  "  Be  assured,"  said  he,  "  that  Father 
Abell  will  not  lose  his  tongue."  Those  who  knew  Father  Abell,  and  have  had 
their  ears  pleasantly  tingled  by  the  copious  richness  of  his  spoken  vocabulary 
will  not  fail  to  see  how  very  near  the  good  bishop  was  to  the  perpetration  of  a 
joke  when  he  wrote  the  sentence  I  have  quoted. 

t  Notwithstanding  his  onerous  and  uninterrupted  labors,  Bishop  David  was 
rarely  ill.  Writing  to  his  young  friend  and  pupil,  M.  J.  Spalding,  then  a  stu- 
dent of  the  Propaganda,  he  gives  him  this  rule  for  the  preservation  of  his  health  : 
"I  have  sometimes  told  those  who  enquire  after  my  health  that  I  cannot  but 
be  well,  since  I  always  carry  my  physician  with  me;  and,  upon  their  asking 
who  that  physician  is,  I  answer  that  it  is  hunger.  The  venerable  Charles 
Carroll,  when  asked  what  means  he  employed  to  preserve  his  health  in  such 
perfect  condition,  replied  that  he  always  left  the  table  hungry." 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  35  I 

only  ones  in  that  direction  of  which  he  ever  took  advantage. "  Deeper 
reflection  and  more  exact  knowledge  demand  at  my  hands  a  modifica- 
tion of  this  declaration.  It  is  very  true  that,  beyond  the  physical 
labor  involved  therein,  the  many  debates  in  which  he  was  engaged 
caused  him  little  trouble.  He  was  entirely  familiar  with  the  subjects 
treated,  and  his  opponents  were  ordinarily  as  illogical  in  argument  as 
they  were  ill-informed  respecting  the  doctrines  of  the  Church.  It  was 
but  play,  indeed,  for  one  so  learned  and  eloquent  to  combat  success- 
fully against  men,  who,  however  sincere  may  have  been  their  con- 
victions, were  for  the  most  part,  only  less  ignorant  than  they  were 
conceited.  But  I  am  convinced  that,  in  accepting  their  challenges 
(for  in  no  instance  did  he  ever  profl'er  one),  he  was  actuated  by  a  purer 
motive  than  the  one  indicated.  He  wished,  in  the  first  place,  to 
familiarize  Catholics  with  evidences,  drawn  from  the  holy  scriptures 
and  the  history  of  the  Church,  of  the  divine  character  of  their  relig- 
ion; and,  in  the  second  place,  through  the  force  of  sound  argument 
addressed  to  their  reason,  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  open  the  minds  of 
some  among  his  non-Catholic  hearers  to  the  fact  that  Protestantism  in 
all  its  phases,  bears  the  impress  of  its  human  origin  and  development. 
In  the  absence  of  books  treating  of  dogma  in  religion,  very  general 
at  the  time,  it  was  certainly  cf  the  essence  of  wisdom  on  the  part  of 
Father  David,  by  means  of  controversial  writings  and  oral  debates,  to 
extend,  as  well  among  Catholics  as  Protestants,  fuller  knowledge  than 
either  could  have  otherwise  acquired  of  Catholic  dogma,  and  to  multi- 
ply reasons  in  their  sight  and  hearing  why  the  Catholic  Church, 
rather  than  any  one  of  the  organizations  opposed  to  her  teachings, 
should  be  regarded  as  having  authority  from  Christ  to  speak  in  His 
name. 

Others  of  the  old-time  missionaries  of  Kentucky  may  have  labored 
with  as  much  earnestness  as  Father  David;  they  may  have  undergone 
greater  fatigues,  and  encountered  greater  dangers  to  person  in  their 
constant  journeyings,  but  it  is  altogether  certain  that  not  another  left 
behind  him  when  he  died,  such  enduring  titles  to  the  grateful  remem- 
brance of  the  Catholic  people  of  the  State.  It  was  not  alone  that  he 
trained  and  educated  a  most  efficient  body  of  priests  to  perpetuate  in 
the  State  the  work  of  the  holy  ministry,  but  he  did  as  much  for  the 
gentler  sex  and  for  general  education  through  his  organization  of  the 
Sisterhood  of  Charity  of  Nazareth,  now  so  well  known  throughout  the 
country  as  educators  and  seryitors  in  hospitals  and  orphan  asylums. 

The  mere  enumeration  of  the  ofitices  filled  by  Bishop  David  after 
his  consecration  as  coadjutor  to  Dr.  Flaget,  will  show  how  fully  his 
time  must  have  been  occupied.  He  was  the  chief  adviser  of  the 
ordinary  in  everything  pertaining  to  diocesan  administration.  He 
was  pastor  of  the  church  and  had  charge  of  its  organ  and  choir.  He 
was  superior  of  the  seminary  and  was  occupied  for  hours  every  day  in 
teaching.  He  was  superior  of  the  Nazareth  Sisterhood,  and  he  was 
rarely  absent  from  the  community's  business  meetings.  He  heard  con- 
fessions,   attended    sick   calls,    taught   catechism,    and   held    weekly 


35»  REV.   AND    RT.   REV.  JOHN    B.    DAVID. 

rehearsals  for  the  instruction  of  his  choir  sinc;ers.  In  addition  to  all 
this,  more  frequently  than  others,  he  was  to  be  found  instructing  the 
people  from  the  pulpit.  How  he  did  so  much,  and  did  it  so  well,  was 
considered  marvellous  at  the  time,  and  it  will  be  so  considered  by 
many  an  over- worked  priest  of  the  present  day.* 

•The  fear  of  Bishop  Flaget  lest  his  coadjutor's  health  should  succumb  under 
thew  eight  of  so  many  labors,  caused  him,  in  1S20,  to  write  to  the  prefect  of 
the  Propaganda  college,  praying  that  official  to  send  him  a  priest  who  would 
be  capable  of  filling  the  important  chairs  of  theology  and  sacred  history  in  his 
seminary.  In  answer  to  his  petition.  Rev.  Francis  P.  Kenrick,  afterwards  bishop 
of  Philadelphia  and  archbishop  of  Baltimore,  appeared  in  Kentucky  a  half  year 
later.  The  young  propagandist  was  not  slow  to  perceive  that  the  venerable 
prelate  had  more  than  enough  to  do  in  attending  properly  to  the  spiritual 
wants  of  his  congregation ;  and  since  he  could  not  be  wholly  spared  from  the 
seuiinary,  he  determined  to  share  with  him  also  the  duties  of  the  pastorate.  I 
remember  well  the  time  when  these  two,  laboring  in  concert,  not  only  cared 
for  the  then  large  congregation  of  the  cathedral,  but  gave  to  the  seminary 
whatever  was  needed  of  their  remaining  time  and  energies  to  insure  its  effici- 
ency as  well  as  its  prosperity. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  853 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

4 

REV.   AND    RT.   REV.  GUY  IGNATIUS   CHABRAT. 

Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat  was  born  in  the  village  of  Chambre,  France, 
on  the  28th  of  December,  1787.  His  father,  Pierre  Chabrat,  was  a 
merchant  of  good  repute,  and  his  mother,  Louise  Lavialle,  was  con- 
spicuous for  her  piety  and  fjractical  goodness.*  The  boy  was  care- 
fully reared,  and  his  education  was  prosecuted  under  favorable  circum- 
stances, and  in  one  of  the  best  schools  in  that  part  of  France.  When 
of  proper  age,  he  entered  one  of  the  seminaries  conducted  by  the  Sul- 
pician  fathers,  to  study  for  the  holy  ministry,  and  there,  in  the  year 
1809,  he  was  ordained  sub-deacon.  At  this  time,  Bishop  Flaget  was 
in  France,  whither  he  had  gone  to  secure,  if  possible,  through  the  influ- 
ence of  M.  Emery,  the  superior  of  the  Sulpicians  of  France,  release 
from  his  appointment  to  the  episcopacy.  Failing  in  this,  he  set  out 
on  his  return  journey  to  America,  on  the  loth  day  of  April,  1810, 
accompanied  by  the  young  sub-deacon  whom  he  had  influenced  to 
share  with  him  the  labors  of  his  distant  and  arduous  mission.  In 
company  with  his  bishop  and  Father  John  B.  David,  Mr.  Chabrat 
came  to  Kentucky  in  the  summer  of  181 1,  where  the  succeeding 
seven  months  were  devoted  by  him  to  study  under  the  direction  of 
Father  David,  and  where  he  was  raised  to  the  priesthood  by  Bishop 
Flaget  on  the  25th  of  December,  iSii.t 

Father  Chabrat's  first  charge  was  undoubtedly  the  congregations 
of  St.  Michael's,  in  Nelson,  and  St.  Clare's,  in  Hardin  county.  He 
also  attended  the  station  known  as  that  of  Poplar  Neck,  in  the  county 
first  named.  J     He  was  not  unfrequently  called  to  other  parts  of  the 

*The  Lavialle  family  gave  a  second  bishop  to  Kentucky  in  the  person  of 
the  late  Rt.  Rev.  Peter  J.  Lavialle,  whose  death  took  place  May  11,  1867. 

t  The  scene  of  this  ordination,  the  first  that  had  taken  place  in  the  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States  west  of  Baltimore,  was  the  Dominican  church  of  St. 
Rose,  the  only  one  then  in  the  State  that  was  at  all  fitted  for  the  ceremonial. 

X  Thomas  Gwynn  was  a  leading  man  among  the  settlers  on  Poplar  Neck,  of 
whom  was  afterwards  formed  the  congregation  attached  to  the  church  of  St. 
Thomas.  This  Mr.  Gwynn  had  a  daughter  Nellie,  who  was  anything  but 
pleased  when  Father  Chabrat  assumed  charge  of  the  congregation  in  place  of 
Father  Badin.  From  a  letter  in  my  possession,  written  by  Father  Badin  to 
Dr.  Chabrat  in  1813,  it  would  appear  that  Nellie  Gwynn's  temper  had  gotten 
the  better  of  her  prudence,  and  that  she  had,  on  a  certain  occasion,  treated 
with  marked  disrespect  her  new  pastor.  Hearing  of  the  trouble,  as  I  gather 
from  the  letter  referred  to,  Father  Badin  called  on  Nellie,  and  so  forcibly  did 

23 


354  REV.   AND    RT.  REV.   GUY  IGNATIUS    CHABRAT. 

State,  and  especially  to  Louisville,  and  to  St.  John's  church,  in  Bullitt 
county;  but  his  nominal  residence,  up  to  the  year  1824,  when  he  was 
appointed  superior  of  the  community  of  Loretto,  was  Fairfield,  in 
Nelson  county.  For  a  short  while,  in  1823,  he  was  given  charge  of 
the  church  of  St.  Pius,  in  Scott  county.  From  the  date  of  his 
appointment  as  superior  of  the  sisterhood  of  Loretto,  his  entire  time 
was  given  to  the  duties  of  his  office  and  to  the  pastoral  care  of 
Catholic  families  living  in  the  neighborhood. 

In  1834,  not  long  after  his  recovery  from  a  severe  attack  of  ill- 
ness, he  received  from  Rome  the  bulls  for  his  consecration  as  bishop 
of  Bolina  and  coadjutor  to  the  bishop  of  Bardstown.  While  this  was 
not  an  absolute  surprise  to  the  clergy  of  the  diocese,  some  of  the 
members  of  that  body  had  hoped  that  their  mild  protests  made  against 
the  appointment  in  the  hearing  of  Bishop  Flaget,  would  have  induced 
that  prelate  to  recommend  some  other  for  the  office  in  whose  admin- 
istrative abilities  they  had  greater  confidence.  If  any  efi'ort  was 
afterwards  made  to  have  the  appointment  revoked — and  the  writer 
thinks  it  more  than  probable  there  was — it  was  abandoned  as  soon  as 
those  interested  became  assured  of  the  fact  that  their  action  was  giv- 
ing pain  to  Bishop  Flaget,  for  whom  they  all  had  the  most  heartfelt 
love  and  reverence. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  here  that  the  opposition  of  the  clergy  to  Dr. 
Chabrat's  episcopal  appointment  was  not  based  on  anything  that  was 
detrimental  to  his  character  as  a  priest  or  as  a  man.  They  had  known 
him  as  a  fairly  capable  missionary  priest,  somewhat  whimsical,  it  is  true, 
and  of  no  great  intellectual  force.  Some  of  them,  to  be  sure,  had 
observed  in  him  indications  of  irascibility  on  occasions  calling  for  calm 
reflection,  and  this  fact  caused  them  to  fear  more  or  less  of  antagonism 
between  the  ruler  and  the  ruled,  should  he  be  placed  in  a  position  to 
dictate  in  matters  affecting  the  relations  of  the  clergy  with  their  spiritual 
head. 

On  the  other  hand,  while  one  must  now  allow  that  the  recommen- 
dation of  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Chabrat  was  a  blunder,  there  is  this 
to  be  said  in  excuse  of  Bishop  Flaget:  they  were  fellow-country- 
men; he  had  himself  induced  him  to  come  to  America  and  enter  upon 
a  service  that  had  not  in  it  one  single  element  of  natural  predilection ; 
he  was  the  first  fruit  of  his  spiritual  paternity,  and  as  such,  he  had  for 
him  the  love  that  natural  fathers  have  for  their  first-born.  His  corres- 
pondence with  him,  and  the  writer  has  seen  much  of  it,  exhibits  the 
tenderness  that  a  father  has  for  his  child;  to  none  other  did  he  reveal 
as  distinctly  his  secret  thoughts,  and  to  none  other  did  he  appear  so 
anxious  that  his  ministry  should  be  blest  of  God  in  the  interests  of  his 
people.  Then  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the  clergy,  knowing  as  they 
did,  the  intimate  personal  relations  that  existed  between  the  two,  were 

he  remonstrate  with  her  upon  the  impropriety  of  her  conduct,  that  she  author- 
ized him  to  write  to  Father  Chabrat  and  to  express  to  him  her  sorrow  for 
having  wounded  his  feelings. 


CATHOLICITY    IN   KENTUCKY,  355 

little  disposed  to  speak  freely  in  the  hearing  of  the  bishop  whom  they 
loved,  of  the  foibles  of  which  they  were  observant  in  the  mental 
organization  of  his  dearest  friend.  It  is  due,  also,  to  Bishop  Flaget  to 
say  that  Dr.  Chabrat  was  very  generally  liked  by  the  laity  of  the  dio- 
cese among  whom  he  had  served  as  a  priest.  As  a  pastor,  he  was  easy 
of  approach  to  everybody,  and  he  proved  as  accessible  after  he  became 
a  bishop.  There  was  nothing  in  him  that  was  repellent  on  the  score  of 
prerogative.  On  the  contrary,  there  were  those  among  his  people  who 
would  have  liked  to  see  him  a  little  more  exacting  of  popular  defer- 
ence. 

With  his  fellow  priests,  Dr.  Chabrat  would  not  have  been  in  disfa- 
vor but  for  two  defects  that  were  natural  to  his  character.  In  the  first 
place,  he  was  notionate,  and  his  notions  were  rarely  founded  upon 
rightful  hypothesis.  They  regarded  him  as  deficient  in  judgment.  In 
the  second  place,  they  believed  that  his  influence  with  the  bishop  was 
in  excess  of  his  merits  as  an  adviser.  Clothed  with  episcopal  authority, 
he  was  no  less  notionate  than  he  had  been  before ;  but  there  was  now 
added  to  this  characteristic  of  his  mind,  the  one  of  arbitrariness.  It 
were  impossible  that  a  man  so  constituted  should  not  have  fallen  into 
many  mistakes  during  an  episcopal  career  of  ten  years,  whether  in 
Kentucky  or  elsewhere. 

Happily  for  religion  in  the  diocese,  the  clerical  body  of  the  State 
was  composed  at  the  time  of  thoughtful  and  prudent  men.  Among 
them  may  be  especially  named:  Revs.  I.  A.  Reynolds,  George  A.  M. 
Elder,  D.  A.  Deparcq,  Napoleon  Perche,  H.  C.  de  Luynes,  Wm.  E. 
Clark,  F.  Chambige,  Edward  McMahon  and  M.  J.  Spalding.  Without 
compromising  in  the  least  the  allegiance  they  owed  to  constituted 
authority  in  the  Church,  these  used,  and  often  successfully  for  the 
annulment  or  modification  of  policies  introduced  and  sought  to  be 
enforced  by  the  bishop,  which  they  regarded  as  of  doubtful  propriety 
or  dangerous  as  precedents,  the  great  influence  that  attached  to  them 
as  men  of  recognized  wisdom  and  sound  discretion.  Dr.  Chabrat's 
mistakes  were  confined,  for  the  greater  part,  to  the  first  years  of  his 
episcopal  administration.  He  learned  in  time  to  distrust  his  own 
administrative  abilities,  and  to  rely  with  greater  confidence  on  the  wise 
and  disinterested  counsels  of  the  more  experienced  of  his  clergy. 

My  first  recollections  of  Dr.  Chabrat  are  contemporary  with  my 
childhood.  He  was  sometimes  a  visitor  at  my  father's  house,  and  I 
well  remember  how  pleased  I  was  with  the  notice  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
bestowing  on  the  children  of  the  household.  Older  grown,  I  remem- 
ber him  as  an  occasional  occupant  of  the  pulpit  in  the  former  cathe- 
dral church  of  St.  Joseph's,  Bardstown,  where  few  were  in  the  habit  of 
preaching  who  were  greater  favorites  with  the  younger  members  of  the 
congregation.  Much  more  at  that  time  than  since,  unless  it  may  be,  at 
exceptional  intervals,  and  with  exceptional  divines,  religious  contro- 
versy was  greatly  affected  by  the  majority  of  priests.  Though  there  had 
not  been  excuse  for  this  in  the  constant  and  rancorous  abuse  of  the 
Church  that  then  formed  so  great  a  feature  of  Protestant  pulpit  decla- 


356  REV.  AND  RT.   REV.  GUV    IGNATIUS   CHABRAT. 

mation,  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that  the  policy  of  systematic  controver- 
sion of  charges  brought  against  the  religion  of  the  minority,  was  not 
the  best  that  could  possibly  have  been  pursued.  It  had  the  effect  to 
widen  the  area  of  defence,  to  multiply  the  number  of  the  defenders,  and 
to  open  to  these  an  armory  whence  they  could  draw  every  needed 
polemical  weapon.  This  was  something  at  a  time  when  there  were  few 
Cathohc  books  of  any  kind  in  circulation,  and  when  Catholics  were  not 
always  prepared  to  give  the  sincere  inquirer  reasons  for  the  faith  that 
was  in  them.  Dr.  Chabrat  was  by  nature  a  controversialist,  and  he 
was  often  an  aggressive  one.  This  gave  to  him  in  the  earlier  years  of 
his  ministry  his  popularity  as  a  preacher  ;  and  it  reconciled  his  hearers, 
too,  to  the  great  length  of  his  pulpit  discourses,  which  seldom  required 
less  time  for  their  delivery  than  two  hours. 

There  was  little  of  either  grace  or  dignity  in  Bishop  Chabrat's  per- 
sonal appearance.  He  was  of  the  figure  known  as  dumpy ;  and  his 
features  betrayed  his  emotions  indistinctly.  He  was  the  only  one  of 
the  priests  of  the  olden  time  in  Kentucky,  who  earned  for  himself  the 
title  of  a  Nimrod.  Taciturn  everywhere,  except  in  the  -pulpit,  he 
recreated  himself  by  a  pastime  in  which  silence  is  enforced  by  the 
absence  of  human  companionship.  There  was  no  lack  of  delicate 
meats  for  the  ailing  while  he  remained  at  Loretto.* 

*  Up  to  the  year  1833,  there  were  few  men  in  Kentucky  whose  eyesight  was 
more  perfect  than  that  of  Dr.  Chabrat.  It  was  his  boast  that  he  could  see  any 
object  at  a  greater  distance  than  others.  It  is  a  curious  fact  in  the  record  of 
his  life  that  the  weakening  of  this  faculty  should  have  been  the  source  of  his 
greatest  trouble  after  he  became  a  bishop,  and  that  physical  blindness  in  the 
end  should  have  forced  him  to  resign  his  office,  and  finally  to  abandon  the 
exercise  of  the  priestly  function  of  saying  mass.  In  1833,  he  went  to  France, 
and  placed  himself  under  the  treatment  of  the  most  distinguished  oculists  of 
the  country.  These  assured  him  that  his  sight  was  impaired  in  such  a  degree 
as  to  prevent  him  from  even  thinking  of  returning  to  Kentucky  and  reassum- 
ing  the  duties  of  his  episcopate.  Granted  a  comfortable  support  by  the  diocese 
of  Louisville,  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  were  passed  near  his  ancestral 
home,  where  he  died  in  peace,  about  twenty  years  ago. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  iSl 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

REVS.   W.    E.   CLARK    AND    JOHN    B.    HUTCHINS. 

I  cannot  but  regard  it  as  somewhat  singular  that  the  names  here 
presented  should  be  so  closely  associated  in  my  mind  as  to  render 
thought  of  the  one  inseparable  from  remembrance  of  the  other.  No 
two  good  men  and  priests  could  be  more  unlike  in  their  appear- 
ance, and  they  were  little  alike  in  their  manners  and  modes  of  thought 
and  action.  The  first  named,  though  the  younger  of  the  two,  was  the 
first  ordained.  They  were  both  born  and  reared  in  Nelson  county, 
the  last  named  in  the  settlement  on  Pottinger's  creek,  and  the  other  in 
that  on  Cox's  creek.  They  entered  the  diocesan  seminary  about  the 
same  time,  not  later  than  the  year  1824,  and  both  were  engaged  in 
teaching,  and  in  the  performance  of  other  duties,  in  St.  Joseph's  col- 
lege, as  well  before  as  after  ordination. 

Of  Father  William  Elder  Clark  I  have  spoken  elsewhere,  but 
not  with  details  sufficiently  extended  to  give  the  reader  a  competent 
idea  of  the  man  and  his  mind,  the  minister  of  Christ  and  his  priestly 
correspondence  with  every  duty  suggested  by  the  title.  To  be  a 
general  favorite,  is  not  unfrequently  to  be  in  danger  of  contracting  the 
vice  of  self-love.  It  is  only  the  well-balanced  mind,  whether  in 
society,  in  the  Church,  or  in  the  religious  community,  that  is  able  to 
resist  effectually  the  hurtful  emotions  that  ordinarily  spring  from  popu- 
lar regard.  Such  a  general  favorite  was  Father  Clark ;  but  he  was 
never  either  accused  or  suspected  of  entertaining  the  least  motion  of 
self-praise.  With  his  companions  in  childhood  and  at  school ;  in  the 
seminary,  and  with  his  fellow-priests  after  his  ordination;  with  his 
pupils  in  the  class-room,  and  the  congregations  he  served ;  and  especi- 
ally with  the  penitents  he  sought  to  inspire  with  hatred  of  sin  and  love 
of  God  and  virtue — everywhere  and  by  all  to  whom  he  was  known — 
he  was  without  a  rival  among  the  priests  of  Kentucky  in  popular 
affection. 

The  secret  of  all  this  is  readily  to  be  understood.  He  was  so  con- 
stituted as  to  attract  confidence.  Time  was  not  needed  to  measure 
the  man ;  for  his  face  was  as  a  glass  in  which  were  to  be  discerned  the 
interior  virtues  that  clustered  around  his  heart.  Of  himself,  he 
appeared  to  take  no  thought  whatever,  but  much  of  those  with  whom 
he  was  brought  into  contact,  whether  these  were  his  intimates,  his 
pupils  or  his  penitents. 

In  form  and  features,  Father  Clark  might  have  been  called  effemi- 
nate.    In  his  manners,  too,  there  was  something  that  reminded  one  of 


358  REVS.  W.   E.   CLARK    AND   JOHN    B.   HUTCHINS. 

womanly  grace  and  suavity.  He  was  about,  possibly  a  little  under, 
the  common  stature  of  men ;  his  face  was  oval,  and  ordinarily  it  was  as 
placid  as  a  lake  unswept  by  the  winds.  At  times,  however,  and 
especially  in  his  familiar  conversations  with  his  friends,  it  was  to  be 
seen  rippled  with  smiles.  He  had  a  deHcate  wit,  as  pleasant  as  it  was 
harmless,  and  its  exercise  was  almost  wholly  confined  to  his  associates 
of  the  clergy.  His  sermons  were  models  of  perfect  English  diction, 
as  were,  also,  such  of  his  writings  as  were  given  to  the  public  through 
the  columns  of  the  Catholic  Advocate,  of  which  journal  he  was  for 
several  years  an  associate  editor.  Both  were  lacking,  however,  in 
strength  and  conciseness. 

In  classic  learning,  as  well  as  in  his  acquaintance  with  modern 
languages  and  literature,  I  have  often  heard  him  referred  to  as  the 
most  accomplished  scholar  of  his  day  in  all  Kentucky.  While  yet  a 
student  of  theology  in  the  seminary,  he  had  his  classes  in  Latin  and 
Greek  in  the  college  of  St.  Joseph,  and  throughout  his  Ufe  after  his 
ordination,  he  was  of  the  faculty  of  the  institution  named,  or  of  that 
of  St.  Mary's,  in  Marion  county.  The  time  given  by  him  to  minis- 
terial labors,  not  inconsiderable  by  any  means,  was  such  as  he  was 
able  to  render  without  interference  with  his  duties  in  college.  He 
was  for  seven  years  of  his  life  as  a  priest,  spiritual  director  of  the  Sis- 
terhood of  Charity  of  Nazareth;  and  not  less  regular  than  that  of  the 
pastor,  was  his  attendance  at  one  of  the  confessionals  of  the  former 
cathedral  of  St.  Joseph.  Before  and  after  his  ordination,  and  up  to 
the  date  of  the  transfer  of  the  See  to  Louisville  in  1841,  his  office  in 
the  sanctuary,  in  all  the  sublime  functions  of  which  it  was  so  often  the 
scene,  was  that  of  master  of  ceremonies. 

Upon  the  transfer  of  St.  Joseph's  college  to  the  charge  of  the 
Jesuit  fathers  in  1848,  Father  Clark  was  removed  to  St.  Mary's,  at 
which  point  had  been  established  a  class  in  connection  with  the  theo- 
logical seminary  of  the  diocese,  and  where  he  labored  assiduously  to 
impart  knowledge  of  the  divine  science  to  the  young  men  therein 
studying  for  the  priesthood.  It  was  while  in  the  performance  of  the 
duties  incident  to  this  position  that  he  was  called  out  of  life  on  the  5th 
day  of  March,  1850.  His  illness  was  of  such  short  duration,  that  the 
more  intimate  of  his  friends  of  the  clergy  were  not  even  aware  of  the 
fact  until  they  were  shocked  by  the  tidings  of  his  death.  So  unex- 
pected was  his  demise,  indeed,  that  there  was  no  priest  present  to 
administer  to  him  the  last  sacraments.* 

Rev.  John  B.  Hutchins  happened  to  be  in  Bardstown  when  the 
news  reached  him  of  his  friend's  death,  and  almost  even  with  its 
receipt  he  was  confronted  by  a  sight  that  moved  him  to  tears  and 
indignation.     Hastening  along  the  street  about  dusk,  he  saw  a  small 

*  Though  there  was  here  seeming  neglect  on  the  part  of  the  Rev.  gentle- 
men of  the  college,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  they  were  culpably  remiss.  But 
at  the  time  of  the  occurrence,  there  was  much  dissatisfaction  among  Father 
Clark's  friends  in  consequence  of  the  circumstance  related. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY,  359 

road  wagon  approaching,  which  was  accompanied  by  a  single  attend- 
ant on  horseback.  He  knew  the  man,  and  it  flashed  upon  his  mind 
that  the  vehicle  was  bearing  the  body  of  his  friend  to  the  Nazareth 
convent  for  burial.  Such  he  found  to  be  the  case,  and  he  at  once  deter- 
mined upon  a  course  of  action  that  would  give  to  hundreds  of  Father 
Clark's  friends  living  in  the  town  opportunity  to  show  their  reverence 
for  his  memory  in  the  presence  of  his  remains.  Taking  charge  of 
the  body,  and  assuming  all  responsibility  for  its  removal  to  Nazareth 
the  following  morning,  he  had  it  taken  to  the  church,  where  it  was 
borne  by  loving  hands  to  the  sanctuary,  to  rest  for  a  night  at  the  foot 
of  the  altar  upon  which  he  had  been  wont,  morning  after  morning,  for 
almost  the  entire  term  of  his  life  as  a  priest,  to  celebrate  the  holy 
mass. 

The  solemn  toll  of  the  bell  from  the  steeple  soon  brought  hun- 
dreds to  the  church,  and  to  these  Father  Hutchins  announced  a  ser- 
vice of  requiem  for  the  following  morning,  at  which  he  expected,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  entire  congregation  to  be  present.  The  requiem  mass 
was  celebrated  as  announced,  and  never  was  St.  Joseph's  filled  with  a 
more  deeply  affected  auditory  than  the  one  that  was  assembled  on 
that  occasion.  The  eulogy  pronounced  over  the  body  of  the  dead 
priest  was  from  the  lips  of  the  late  Rev.  Francis  B.  Jamison,  then  a 
member  of  the  faculty  of  St.  Joseph's  college.* 

After  the  services  in  the  church,  the  remains  were  conveyed  to 
Nazareth,  where  the  interment  took  place  on  the  following  day.f 

In  presenting  to  my  readers  a  sketch  of  the  late  Rev.  John  B. 
Hutchins,  I  am  not  sure  of  my  ability  to  do  justice  to  the  original. 
In  our  friendships,  we  have  all  predelictions,  and  it  is  not  always  safe 
to  trust  implicitly  what  one  friend  has  to  say  of  another.  I  never  saw 
the  day,  in  the  sixty  years  of  my  acquaintance  with  Father  Hutchins, 
that  I  would  have  had  him  other  than  he  was.     It  was  not  because  I 

*  Father  Jamison  was  a  priest  of  more  than  ordinary  talents  and  a  finished 
rhetorician.  Some  time  previous  to  his  appearance  in  Kentucky,  he  had  filled 
the  office  of  president  of  Mount  St.  Mary's  college,  Maryland.  Some  years 
after  the  event  recorded  in  the  text  he  removed  to  Missouri.  His  death  took 
place  at  Cape  Girardeau,  in  that  State,  on  the  15th  of  October,  1858.  Refer- 
ring to  his  eulogy  of  Father  Clark,  the  late  Rev.  John  B.  Hutchins  once  told 
me  that  he  had  never  listened  to  a  discourse  on  a  similar  occasion  that  affected 
him  so  strongly.  "It  was  a  word-picture,"  said  he,  "  beautifully  conceived 
and  faultlessly  rendered,  of  a  priest  whom  each  one  of  his  hearers  had  knov/n 
and  loved — of  a  life  that  had  been  disfigured  by  no  unseemly  blot  from  its 
beginning  to  its  end." 

t  In  order  to  show  how  deep-seated  was  the  love  that  filled  the  hearts  of 
his  fellow  priests  for  Father  Clark,  I  will  here  relate  an  incident  that  took 
place  in  my  own  office  on  the  day  the  news  of  his  death  reached  Louisville. 
On  the  occasion  referred  to,  I  was  approached  by  the  late  Very  Rev.  Benedict 
J.  Spalding,  in  whose  face  was  to  be  observed  an  expression  of  deep  sadness. 
"  Mr.  Webb,"  said  he,  "  I  have  just  had  news  that  Father  Clark  is  dead."  I 
was  inexpressibly  shocked  ;  but  scarcely  as  much  over  the  sad  intelligence,  as 
at  the  convulsed  features,  the  choked  voice  and  the  swimming  eyes  of  the 
strong  man  standing  beside  me  by  whom  it  had  been  communicated. 


360  REVS.  W.   E.   CLARK    AND    JOHN    B.   HUTCHINS. 

knew  him  better  or  honored  him  more  than  other  priests  of  the  diocese 
with  whom  I  was  equally  famihar,  that  my  affection  tended  to  him  more 
strongly,  possibly,  than  to  these,  but  rather  because  he  filled  for  me  the 
measure  of  my  fancy.  I  had  respect  for  the  man  as  much  as  I  had 
for  the  priest.  I  liked  to  hear  him  talk,  and  to  listen  to  his  blunt 
expositions  of  the  fashionable  follies  of  the  day,  and  his  denunciations 
of  the  shams  that  infest  society.  There  was  fascination  for  me  in  the 
independency  of  his  character ;  in  his  contempt  for  what  is  purely 
conventional;  in  his  husbandman-like  ways  and  modes  of  thought 
and  expression,  and  in  his  stern  condemnation  of  what  is  mean  and 
ungenerous  as  between  man  and  man. 

John  B.  Hutchins  was  born  near  the  present  town  of  New  Hope, 
in  Nelson  county,  on  the  13th  day  of  July,  1803.  His  father,  of  the 
same  name,  was  among  the  earliest  emigrants  to  the  State  from  Mary- 
land, as  was  also  his  mother,  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Brown,  whose 
home,  before  there  was  a  church  in  Kentucky,  was  a  church  station 
for  Father  Whelan.  His  father  dying,  his  mother  afterward  intermar- 
ried with  Thomas  Bowlin,  a  pious  Catholic  widower  of  the  settlement, 
whose  children  by  his  first  marriage,  equally  with  her  own,  were  after- 
ward her  peculiar  care.  How  well  she  understood  her  responsibilities, 
and  how  capable  she  was  of  fulfilling  the  duties  of  her  position,  is  suf- 
ficiently evidenced  by  the  fact  that,  under  God,  she  was  enabled  to 
present  to  the  service  of  the  altar  an  own  son  and  a  step-son.  These 
were  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  the  late  Rev.  Charles  D.  Bowlin, 
O.  P. ,  whose  death  took  place  some  years  ago,  at  St.  Joseph's,  Perry 
county,  Ohio. 

When  of  the  proper  age,  John  Hutchins  was  sent  to  a  private 
school,  not  far  from  the  residence  of  his  parents,  in  what  is  now  Larue 
county,  where  he  had  for  a  fellow-pupil  the  late  president  of  the 
United  States,  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  afterwards  sent  to  the 
seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  with  a  view  to  his  education  for  the  holy 
ministry ;  and  finally  he  was  placed  at  St.  Joseph's  college,  of  which 
institution  he  became  in  time  a  most  useful  ofiftcer.  So  important 
were  deemed  his  services  to  the  college,  and  so  incessant  were  the 
labors  of  his  position,  that  it  was  not  until  many  years  had  elapsed 
after  his  entry  into  the  institution  that  time  was  afforded  him  to  make 
the  necessary  preparations  precedent  to  ordination.  Together  with 
the  late  Rev.  E.  W.  Powell,  he  was  ordained  priest  by  Dr.  Chabrat, 
in  St.  Joseph's  cathedral,  on  the  ist  day  of  July,  1838. 

In  September  of  the  same  year  the  two  new-ordained  priests  left 
Bardstown  for  Breckinridge  county,  where,  with  the  consent  of  the 
ordinary  of  the  diocese,  they  established  the  institution  of  learning 
known  as  Mount  Merino  seminary.  For  several  years  this  was,  pos- 
sibly, the  most  successful  school  in  western  Kentucky.  In  1844,  cir- 
cumstances compelled  his  bishop  to  recall  Father  Hutchins  to  St. 
Joseph's  college,  which  institution  was  at  the  time  involved  in  great 
financial  difficulty,  from  which,  it  was  believed,  no  one  else  could  extri- 
cate it.     He  obeyed  at  once,  and  soon  the  college  was  measurably 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  36 1 

free  from  embarrassment.  Under  precisely  similar  circumstances  he 
was  afterwards  charged  with  the  administration  of  affairs  at  the  sem- 
inary of  St.  Thomas  and  at  St.  Mary's  college,  both  of  which  institu- 
tions he  soon  relieved  from  financial  troubles. 

In  addition  to  his  labors  in  colleges,  Father  Hutchins  was  fre- 
quently engaged  in  missionary  work.  This  was  particularly  the  case  at 
Mount  Merino  and  at  the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas.  For  some  time 
he  was  pastor  of  St.  Augustine's  church,  Lebanon,  and  he  filled  a  like 
position  toward  the  congregation  of  St.  Charles,  in  Marion  county. 
From  1871,  however,  his  home  was  at  the  convent  of  Loretto,  in 
which  institution  eleven  of  his  nieces  are  professed  sisters.  These 
were  not  idle  years  with  him,  however.  In  the  convent  and  beyond 
its  precincts;  in  the  neighboring  churches  and  in  the  branch  houses 
of  the  society ;  wherever  there  was  work  to  be  done  for  God's  glory 
and  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  men,  there  he  was  to  be  found  striving 
to  do  his  duty  as  a  minister  of  Christ. 

It  is  little  to  say  of  Father  Hutchins  that  he  lived  a  blameless  life  ; 
but  it  is  much  to  be  able  to  say  that  his  life  was  a  highly  useful  one. 
He  was  emphatically  a  worker,  first  and  notably  in  the  field  of  Catho- 
lic education,  and  afterwards  in  that  of  the  sacred  ministry.  His 
mind  was  practical,  and  his  judgment  was  accurate  and  just.  He  was 
simple  in  his  own  tastes,  and  he  was  simple  in  his  modes  of  proceed- 
ing with  others,  whether  it  was  in  teaching,  in  giving  advice,  or  in 
transacting  business.  He  was  the  soul  of  candor,  and  his  manner  was 
as  hearty  as  his  disposition  was  cheerful.  He  was  in  the  habit  of 
exacting  justice  in  his  deaHngs  with  others;  but  his  sympathy  was  easily 
won  for  the  unfortunate  and  the  suffering,  and  this  was  shown  more 
by  deeds  than  words. 

Sitting  at  my  table  scarcely  two  months  previous  to  his  death, 
Father  Hutchins  never  appeared  in  better  health  nor  in  better  spirits. 
The  thoughts  of  the  aged  and  the  aging  naturally  turn  to  the  past, 
and  our  conversation  on  that  occasion  was  of  those  whom  we  had 
known  and  venerated  before  the  snows  of  many  winters  had  frosted 
our  own  heads.  Badin,  Nerinckx,  Fenwick,  Flaget,  David,  Kenrick, 
Abell,  Powell,  Reynolds,  Clark,  Walter  Coomes,  McGill,  McMahon, 
Spalding — these  were  the  men  of  whom  he  spoke  with  interest  and 
interestingly,  and  it  was  a  pleasure  to  listen  to  his  reminiscences  in 
connection  with  their  lives  and  labors  in  Kentucky. 

Referring  to  his  own  youth,  he  told  me  that,  in  company  with 
"Vincent  Badin  and  his  step-brother,  Charles  D.  Bowlin,  he  followed 
Bishop  Edward  Fenwick  to  Cincinnati  in  1822,  and  that  he  had  there 
received  tonsure  from  the  hands  of  that  prelate.  "  Father  Vincent 
Badin,"  said  he,  "  was  the  first  priest  ordained  in  Ohio,  and  I  was 
myself  the  first  to  receive  tonsure  in  that  State." 

Another  thing  he  told  me,  that  was  characteristic  of  the  man. 
Two  years  before  the  incident  to  be  related,  he  was  sent  by  the  late 
Dr.  M.  J.  Spalding,  then  bishop  of  Louisville,  to  take  charge  of  affairs 
at  the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas.     Said  he :  "  The  debts  of  the  institution 


362  REVS.  W.  £.  CLARK   AND   JOHN   B.  HUTCHINS. 

had  become  quite  formidable,  and  I  was  told  to  go  to  work  and  try  to 
pay  them  off.  How  I  did  it,  the  Lord  knows,  but  two  years  later 
I  had  every  obligation  of  the  institution  paid  off,  cancelled  and  laid 
away  in  my  desk.  In  addition  to  these  former  evidences  of  debt,  I 
had  a  small  sum  in  money  and  a  few  notes  in  favor  of  the  institution 
in  the  same  receptacle.  One  day  I  got  a  note  from  the  bishop,  who 
was  then  at  Nazareth,  directing  me  to  come  to  him  prepared  to  make 
an  exhibit  of  the  condition  of  the  institution.  I  lost  no  time  in  doing 
so,  and  his  first  question  on  seeing  me  had  reference  to  my  accounts. 
'Where  are  your  books.  Father  Hutchins?'  said  he.  'I  have  no 
books,  bishop,'  was  my  rejoinder;  'the  money  that  came  into  my 
hands,  and  as  fast  as  it  did  so,  was  used  to  pay  off  the  notes  and 
accounts  against  the  seminary,  and  when  these  were  fully  liqui- 
dated, I  placed  the  surplusage  in  my  desk;  and  here  it  is.'  When  he 
was  made  to  understand  that  the  seminary  was  out  of  debt  and  had 
money  on  hand,  he  was  the  most  surprised  man  I  ever  saw.  One 
thing  is  certain,  he  never  afterwards  complained  to  me  that  I  was 
loose  in  my  book-keeping." 

I  know  no  better  example  of  earnest,  simple,  christian  endeavor 
than  is  presented  in  the  life  of  my  late  friend.  He  was  no  ascetic,  to 
be  sure ;  and  neither  was  he  a  very  learned  man.  He  was  simply  a 
cheerful,  God-loving,  God-fearing  and  God-thanking  christian  priest. 
No  suspicions  of  wrong-doing  or  of  ill-living  were  ever  attached  to  his 
name.  What  he  set  his  hands  to  do,  and  what  was  proper  to  be  done, 
that  he  did  with  all  his  strength.     This  is  his  record. 

The  death  of  Father  Hutchins  took  place  at  Loretto  convent  on 
the  morning  of  Friday,  February  9,  1879.  What  he  had  of  estate  at 
the  time  of  death  was  left  by  him  to  the  Loretto  society. 


CATHOLICITY    IV   KENTUCKY.  363 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE   MISSION   OF   UNION   COUNTY. 

The  county  of  Union,  since  become  notable  for  the  numbers  and 
creditable  standing  of  its  Catholic  population,  was  organized  in  the 
year  181 1.  It  was  several  years  later,  however,  before  Catholics,  in 
any  considerable  numbers,  were  led  to  its  fertile  lands  for  the  selection 
of  their  future  homes.  Previous  to  the  year  181 8,  it  is  not  Hkely  that 
there  were  a  dozen  Catholic  famihes  settled  in  the  county.  These 
were  visited,  at  long  intervals,  by  Fathers  Nerinckx  and  SchaefTer 
certainly,  and  possibly,  by  Father  Badin,  also.  In  the  year  named, 
and  up  to  1822,  when  the  Catholic  population  had  very  much  increased, 
the  county  formed  a  mission  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Robert 
A.  Abell,  who  was  then  stationed  at  the  church  of  St.  Anthony  in 
Breckinridge  county.  In  182 1,  the  faithful  of  the  county  were  pro- 
vided with  a  resident  pastor  in  the  person  of  a  priest  who,  shortly 
afterwards,  was  the  occasion  of  the  most  serious  scandal  that  ever 
afflicted  the  Church  of  Kentucky.*  It  was  in  the  same  year  that  the 
Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth  began  an  estabUshment,  five  miles  from 
Morganfield,  that  has  since  acquired  a  very  high  reputation  among 
the  educational  institutions  of  Kentucky. 

The  flourishing  condition  of  the  Church  in  Union  county  is  to  be 
ascribed,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  fact,  that  the  first  Catholic  settlers  in 
the  county  had  their  religious  training  from  parents  and  pastors  who 
were  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  true  Catholic  spirit.  They  were  of 
the  number  of  those  who,  in  childhood  and  youth,  had  been  taught  in 
sacred  things  by  such  admirable  instructors  as  Fathers  Badin  and 
Nerinckx,  Fournier  and  Wilson,  Fenwick  and  David.  The  work 
done  by  these  men  of  God  in  their  regard,  had  been  in  no  wise  super- 
ficial, and  it  was  destined  to  remain  and  to  be  productive  of  fruits  for 
both  themselves  and  their  children.  In  the  second  place,  the  pastor 
sent  to  them  in  1824,  when  they  were  themselves,  so  to  speak,  new  to 
the  country,  was  himself,  and  no  less  than  those  whose  names  have 
been  mentioned,  a  man  who  fully  understood  the  grave  responsibilities 
of  his  position,  whose  zeal  was  unquestionable,  and  to  whom  labor  and 
fatigue  and  discomfort  appeared  as  trifles  when  he  might  by  their  accept- 
ance subserve  in  any  degree  the  spiritual  welfare  of  others. 

Catholicity  in  Union  county,  and  in  all  Southwestern  Kentucky, 
indeed,  is  to  the  present  hour  so  intimately  connected  with  the  name 

♦This  unhappy  man  is  alluded  to  elsewhere. 


364  THE   MISSION    OF    UNION   COUNTY. 

and  personal  labors  of  Rev.  Elisha  J.  Durbin,  that  the  writer  regards 
it  here  necessary,  and  as  a  preliminary  to  his  account  of  that  important 
mission,  to  present  to  his  readers  a  short  sketch  of  the  life  of  this 
venerable  and  most  meritorious  priest : 

Elisha  J.  Durbin  was  born  in  Madison  county,  Kentucky,  about 
sixteen  miles  from  Boonesboro,  on  the  ist  of  February,  1800.  His 
parents  were  John  D.  Durbin  and  Patience  Logsdon.*  When  a  boy, 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  accompanying  his  parents  to  the  church  of  St. 
Francis,  in  Scott  county.  Of  the  then  pastor  of  that  church.  Rev. 
Robert  Angier,  O.  S.  D.,  the  writer  has  heard  him  speak  in  terms  of 
strong  endearment.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  the  home  of  his 
parents,  fortified  by  their  approval  and  that  of  his  own  conscience, 
to  enter  upon  a  course  of  study  in  the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  that 
it  was  his  hope  would  lead  him  to  the  priesthood.  Reared  piously 
from  his  infancy,  he  felt  thus  early  in  life  that  he  had  been  called  to 
something  better  than  a  career  of  worldly  striving  after  things  perisha- 
ble. Six  years  and  more  were  passed  by  him  in  the  seminary,  not 
altogether  in  study,  however.  One  half  to  study,  and  one  half  to 
labor,  was  the  rule  of  the  seminary  at  that  day.  He  was  not  an  ath- 
lete, l3ut  he  had  been  inured  to  toil  from  his  earliest  years,  and  he 
accomplished  by  steadiness  tasks  that  would  have  been  considered 
formidable  to  persons  of  much  greater  physical  strength.  He  was 
ordained  priest  by  Bishop  David  on  the  21st  of  September,  1822,  and 
for  something  over  a  year  his  duties  confined  him  to  the  college  of  St. 
Joseph,  and  to  the  cathedral  church  of  the  same  title  in  Bardstown.f 

*  Neither  were  the  Durbins  nor  the  Logsdons  descended  from  stock  that 
was  known  to  be  Catholic  beyond  a  couple  of  generations  previous  to  the 
appearance  in  Kentucky  of  the  families  spoken  of  in  the  text.  An  ances- 
tor of  one  of  the  families — I  am  uncertain  as  to  which — intermarried  with  one 
Honora  O'Flynn,  an  Irish  girl  of  great  piety,  and  it  was  through  her,  no 
doubt,  that  is  to  be  traced  the  faith  that  has  distinguished  one  or  the  other  of 
the  Kentucky  families  referred  to,  both  of  which  have  for  generations  been 
consistent  exponents  of  its  teachings. 

t  An  anecdote  is  told  of  Father  Durbin's  first  attempt  at  preaching,  which 
I  have  reason  to  believe  is  substantially  true.  In  1823,  and  before  and  after 
that  date,  there  was  a  no  more  generally  known  and  respected  non-Catholic 
citizen  of  Bardstown  than  Gen.  Jos.  Lewis.  He  had  fought  for  independence 
under  Washington,  but  his  patriarchal  years  sat  lightly  upon  him,  and  he  was 
at  all  times  companionable,  and  often  pleasantly  jocular.  Meeting  the  young 
priest  on  the  street  a  half  year  after  his  ordination,  he  thus  addressed  him  : 
"Your  people  tell  me,  Durbin,  that  you  can't  preach.  How  comes  that?" 
"I  don't  know  whether  I  can  or  not,"  answered  the  cleric,  with  blushing 
modesty  ;  and  then  he  added  :  "  I  will  know  more  about  it  on  next  Sunday,  how- 
ever, since  I  find  that  I  have  been  booked  for  a  sermon  on  that  day."  "  If  that 
is  the  case,"  said  the  old  man,  "I  think  I  will  be  there  to  hear  you."  The 
General  had  been  little  in  the  habit  of  going  to  church  anywhere,  and  it  is 
presumable  that  Father  Durbin  had  not  much  expectation  of  having  him  for 
a  listener  on  the  occasion  of  his  initiatory  discourse  from  the  pulpit.  But 
there  he  was,  and  in  such  a  position  that  the  young  man  could  but  see  him  the 
moment  he  turned  his  abashed  eyes  over  the  congregation.  He  got  through 
with  the  reading  of  the  Epistle  and  Gospel  very  creditably;  and  then  he  began 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  365 

In  1824,  Father  Durbin  was  intrusted  with  the  pastoral  care  of  the 
entire  Catholic  population  of  western  and  south-western  Kentucky, 
with  headquarters  near  Morganfield,  in  Union  county.  His  pastoral 
jurisdiction  covered  thousands  of  miles  of  territory,  in  every  portion 
of  which  there  were  living  at  least  isolated  Catholic  families,  every 
one  of  whom  was  dependent  upon  him  for  spiritual  aid  and  comfort, 
and  to  whose  calls,  in  cases  of  sickness,  prompt  response  was  considered 
by  him  as  of  imperative  obligation.  This  immense  field,  it  would 
reasonably  seem,  was  beyond  the  powers  of  any  unit  of  human  capa- 
bility to  cultivate  properly,  and  yet  the  Catholics  living  in  the  tier  of 
counties  that  bordered  the  northern  bank  of  the  Ohio,  in  the  States  of 
Illinois  and  Indiana,  were  equally  with  his  own  people  dependent  upon 
him  in  all  emergencies  affecting  their  spiritual  needs.  Beside  all  this, 
from  and  after  the  year  1832,  the  terms  of  his  pastorate  obliged  him 
once  in  the  year,  at  least,  to  visit  Nashville,  in  the  State  of  Tennessee, 
and  to  bear  thither,  to  the  few  Catholic  famiUes  there  residing,  the 
benefits  of  his  ministry.* 

When  Father  Durbin  reached  the  seat  of  his  mission,  he  found 
there  a  chapel  of  logs  built  upon  the  grounds  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity 
of  Nazareth,  at  their  establishment  known  then  and  still  as  the  acad- 
emy of  St.   Vincent,  t     To  this  chapel  the  Catholic  people  of   the 

to  cast  before  his  hearers  his  own  thoughts,  which  had  been,  most  likely,  pre- 
viously written  out  and  memorized.  For  a  dozen  sentences  or  more  there  was 
no  balk,  but  all  at  once  he  appeared  to  lose  himself  and  the  thread  of  his  dis- 
course together.  The  pauses  became  longer,  and  the  stammering  greater ; 
and  at  length,  in  a  fit  of  desperation,  he  turned  about  and  left  the  pulpit. 
The  next  time  Gen.  Lewis  caught  sight  of  the  priest  he  hailed  him  and  said  : 
*'  Except  in  one  particular,  Durbin,  I  cannot  say  much  for  your  sermon  of  the 
other  Sunday.  You  got  along  pretty  pertly  until  your  canoe  got  tangled  in 
the  bushes,  and  then  you  stuck!  But  there  was  one  capital  thing  about  it, 
nevertheless — it  was  short!"  Father  Durbin  has  never  been  considered  an 
orator,  neither  by  himself  nor  anybody  else;  but  it  would  be  a  happy  thing 
for  the  Church,  here  and  elsewhere,  if  the  preaching  of  those  of  her  clergy 
who  are  acknowledged  eloquent,  were  as  productive  of  good  results  as  has 
been  the  simple,  heart-felt  and  easily  understood  pulpit  utterances  of  Ken- 
tucky's patriarch  priest. 

*  I  have  been  shown  a  letter  addressed  to  the  then  coadjutor-bishop  of  the 
diocese  by  Father  Durbin,  bearing  date  November  4,  1837,  in  which 
occurs  the  following  passage:  "  I  am  glad  to  hear  of  the  nomination  of  Rt.  Rev. 
R.  P.  Miles  to  the  new  See  of  Nashville.  But  I  cannot  consider  myself  released 
from  that  mission  until  I  see  him  installed.  I  have  promised  to  give  two  hun- 
dred dollars  to  help  him  fix  himself  up  there.  I  hope  you  will  urge  others,  both 
the  priests  and  the  people  of  the  different  congregations,  to  assist  him 
liberally." 

t  On  the  last  day  of  December,  1820,  a  colony  of  the  sisters  named  had  estab- 
lished themselves  on  a  small  farm  that  had  been  donated  to  Father  Nerinckx 
for  the  foundation  of  a  school.  This  colony  was  composed  of  Mother  Angela 
Spink,  superior,  and  Sisters  Margaret  Bamberry,  an  English  lady  of  superior 
attainments,  Cecily  O'Brien,  Susan  Hagar  and  Frances  Gardiner.  The  primi- 
tive establishment  of  the  sisterhood,  including  the  chapel,  was  constructed  of 
logs,  and  it  had  about  it  little  that  was  indicative  of  its  after  surprising  growth 
and  extension.     The  St.  Vincent  academy  buildings  are  to-day  the  most  stately 


366  THE   MISSION    OF   UNION   COUNTY. 

county  had  been  wont  to  repair,  whenever  circumstances  so  favored 
them  as  to  send  them  a  priest,  in  order  to  hear  mass  and  to  acquit  them- 
selves of  their  reUgious  obligations.  With  very  few  exceptions,  the 
Catholic  population  of  the  county,  up  to  the  year  1840,  was  composed 
of  former  residents  of  the  counties  of  Washington,  Marion  and  Nel- 
son. The  names  of  the  greater  number  of  the  earlier  settlers  in  the 
county  will  be  found  in  the  following  list : 

John  F.  Alvey,  Samuel  Greenwell, 

Robert  Alvey,  Peter  Huits, 

Augustine  Barnes,  Martin  Huits, 

John  H.  Bright,  Leonard  Hagan, 

Philip  Boone,  Charles  Hardisty, 

John  Bowles,  Benedict  Hardy, 

Dr.  F.  Brady,  Ben.  Luckett, 

Clement  Buckman,  Elisha  McAtee, 

Ignatius  Buckman,  Joseph  Mills, 

John  Cruz,  Lewis  Mills, 

Hansen  Clements,  Richard  Mudd, 

Patrick  Clements.  William  Mudd, 

Raphael  Cambron,  Samuel  Norris, 

Lewis  Clements,  Dennis  O'Nan, 

George  Clements,  John  Payne, 

Elias  Cissel,  Joseph  Payne, 

Wilfred  Cissel,  Clement  Riney, 

James  Drury,  Ignatius  A.  Spalding, 

John  Drury,  William  Spalding, 

Ben.  Davis,  Edward  Smith, 

Alban  Gettings,  Richard  Woodward, 

William  Gettings,  James  Woodward, 

Lewis  Greenwell,  Thomas  Wathen. 

For  several  years  Father  Durbin  served  the  mission  alone.  Its 
extent  was  from  the  Ohio  river  to  Tennessee,  and  from  the  line  of  Jef- 
ferson county  to  the  Mississippi.  The  points  more  frequently  visited 
by  him,  because  of  their  being  central  to  considerable  numbers  of 
Catholic  families,  were  Caseyville,  in  Union  county  ;  Flint  Island,  in 
Meade  county;  Fancy  Farm,  in  Graves  county;  Knottsville  and 
Panther  Creek,  in  Daviess  county;  Paducah,  in  McCracken  county; 
Henderson,  in  Henderson  county;  Bell's  Mines,  Marquettes  and 
Dycusburg,  in  Crittenden  county;  Eddyville,  in  Lyon  county;  and 
Hardinsburg,  in  Breckinridge  county.* 

and  beautiful  of  any  in  the  county,  and  the  establishment  is  one  of  which  the 
Catholic  people  are  justly  proud.  In  the  sixty  years  of  its  existence,  in 
numerous  instances  its  conductors  have  imparted  instruction  in  both  sacred 
and  secular  things,  to  those  who  now  bear  to  each  other  the  relations  of  grand- 
mother, mother  and  daughter. 

*  Minor  stations  served  by  Father  Durbin  were  numerous.  One  of  these 
was  the  house   of  Benedict  Hard^,  below  Morganfield ;  one  at  James  Wood- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  367 

Within  two  years  after  his  nomination  to  the  missions  of  South- 
western Kentucky,  Father  Durbin  was  able  to  point  to  two  churches  he 
had  caused  to  be  erected  in  the  territory  allotted  to  him  for  missionary 
work.  The  first  of  these  was  that  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  built 
near  the  site  of  the  old  log  chapel  on  the  grounds  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity  of  St.  Vincent's,  in  which  he  had  said  his  first  mass  after  his 
arrival,  and  then  the  only  structure  designed  for  Catholic  worship  west 
of  the  line  of  Breckinridge  county,  and  east  of  the  Mississippi  river.* 
Father  Durbin's  first  assistant,  appointed  in  1829  or  1830,  was  Rev. 
Edward  A.  Clark,  about  which  time  he  established  the  congregation 
of  St.  Ambrose,  in  Union  county,  and  a  few  years  later,  built  the 
church  of  the  same  title,  f 

In  time,  the  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  near  Morganfield,  being 
found  inadequate  to  the  accommodation  of  the  congregation,  it  was 
decided  by  both  pastor  and  people  that  it  should  be  replaced  by  a 
larger  and  better  appointed  edifice.  This  was  done  at  the  cost  of 
$20,000,  and  the  new  building  was  dedicated  on  the  20th  of  June, 

18554 

The  third  church  built  by  Father  Durbin  was  that  of  St.  Jerome, 
at  Fancy  Farm,  in  Graves  county,  which  dates  from  the  year  1836, 
and  of  which   the  first  resident  pastor  was    Rev.  Alfred   Hagan, 

ward's,  and  afterwards  at  Mrs.  Henrietta  McAtee's,  still  farther  removed  in  the 
same  direction ;  one  at  Joseph  Moore's,  in  Illinois,  twenty-five  miles  below 
Shawneetown,  and  afterwards  at  John  Lawler's,  near  the  town  named ;  one  at 
Daniel  McLaughlin's,  opposite  Flint  Island,  in  the  State  of  Indiana;  one  at 
Marcus  Wathen's,  below  Uniontown;  one  at  Allen  Anderson's,  in  Webster 
county;  and  others  at  Ben.  Watkin's,  Mrs.  Wimsutt's,  John  Payne's,  John 
Thompson's,  and  Ben.  Luckett's,  in  Union  county.  Sister  Anastasia,  of  the 
Nazareth  community,  was  a  daughter  of  Ben.  Luckett.  After  1832,  Father 
Durbin  was  further  charged  with  the  stations  at  Franklin,  Kentucky,  and 
Nashville,  Tennessee.  The  first  named  of  these  was  at  the  house  of  Lawrence' 
Finn,  and  the  last  at  that  of  Philip  Callaghan,  in  Nashville.  There  was  here  a 
small  unfurnished  brick  church,  said  to  have  been  put  up  by  Father  Robert  A. 
Abell,  about  the  year  1820;  and  when  the  first  bishop  of  the  then  newly-cre- 
ated See  reached  the  chief  city  of  his  diocese,  in  1837,  he  found  that  this  little 
chapel  had  been  fitted  up  for  his  reception  by  the  thoughtful  care  of  Father 
Durbin. 

■•■•The  deed  for  the  property  upon  which  stands  the  church  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  was  made  by  either  John  F.,  or  Robert  Alvey,  in  favor  of  Bishop 
Flaget,  in  1818,  and  it  was  afterwards  released  by  the  heirs  of  the  grantor  in 
consideration  of  the  sum  of  one  dollar.  The  second  church  alluded  to  was 
that  of  St.  Theresa,  at  Flint  Island,  since  removed. 

tThe  church  of  St.  Ambrose  was  built  on  a  grant  of  land  from  Thomas 
Cropper,  of  Virginia,  of  two  hundred  acres,  and  it  was  attended  by  Father 
Durbin  or  his  assistant  of  the  time  being,  up  to  the  year  i860,  when  it  was 
transferred  to  the  charge  of  the  pastorate  of  St.  Agnes'  church,  Uniontown. 
In  1875,  Rev.  Th.  Kellenairs  became  resident  pastor,  and  still  retains  the 
position. 

JUpon  the  retirement  of  Father  Durbin  in  1873,  Rev.  T.  J.  Jenkins  was 
appointed  to  the  pastorship,  in  which  he  continued  for  sixteen  months,  and 
during  which  time  he  re-organized  the  congregation,  established  a  school  for 
boys,  and  built  an  addition  to  the  rectory. 


368  THE    MISSION    OF    UNION    COUNTY. 

appointed  in  1843.  This  church  had  been  attended  previously  from 
Morganfield,  and  after  the  death  of  the  first  resident  pastor  in  1848,  it 
was  served  by  either  Father  Durbin  himself  or  by  his  second  assist- 
ant on  the  mission,  Rev.  Stephen  Ward.* 

The  church  of  St.  Agnes,  Uniontown,  was  built  in  i860  by  a  com- 
mittee of  gentlemen  composed  of  Messrs.  Wathen,  Kibbey,  Hevern, 
and  Riggs,  and  under  the  pastorate  of  Father  Durbin.  Though  used 
from  that  date,  it  was  finished  several  years  later  under  the  direction 
of  the  late  Rev.  James  M.  Martin,  D.  I). ,  then  the  assistant  of  the 
venerable  pastor  of  the  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  f 

The  lot  upon  which  the  church  stands  was  granted  without  consid- 
eration by  Mr.  William  David,  a  non-Catholic.  In  1870,  the  then 
pastor  of  the  church,  the  late  Rev.  B.  E.  Vantroostenberghe,  bought 
the  property  now  used  for  a  pastoral  residence.  X 

*  Among  the  earlier  members  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Jerome  were 
Samuel  and  John  Willett.  and  Mrs.  Polly  Hobbs,  widow  of  Jesse  Hobbs,  who 
was  an  aunt  of  Rev.  George  A.  M.  Elder,  and  the  mother  of  Sister  Julia 
Hobbs,  of  the  Nazareth  community.  The  after  pastors  of  the  church  were 
Revs.  P.  McNicholas,  James  Quinn,  Wm.  Oberhulsmann,  E.  O'Callaghan,  M. 
Bouchet,  J.  F.  Reed,  J.  Boyle,  and  William  Dunn,  all  of  whom  were  assistants 
of  Father  Durbin.  For  a  number  of  years  afterwards  St.  Jerome's  was  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  Carmelite  fathers.  Rev.  Lawrence  Ford  is  pastor  at  the 
date  of  this  publication. 

t  A  more  distinguished  young  priest  the  diocese  has  not  known  than  was 
Dr.  Martin.  He  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  September  29  (Michael- 
mas day),  1841.  In  1850,  his  parents  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled 
in  Louisville.  He  made  his  first  communion  when  twelve  years  of  age,  and 
immediately  afterwards  he  became  a  member  of  the  sodality  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  in  the  cathedral  parish,  then  under  the  direction  of  the  late  Rev.  John 
H.  Bekkers.  At  thirteen  he  entered  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St.  Thomas, 
where  he  remained  four  years.  His  advancement  was  so  rapid,  and  his  talents 
so  evident,  that  Rt.  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding,  then  bishop  of  the  diocese,  deter- 
mined to  send  him  for  the  completion  of  his  studies  to  the  college  of  the  Propa- 
ganda, Rome,  where  he  was  ordained  priest  in  1863,  and  where  was  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  Returning  to  St.  Thomas'  he  taught 
philosophy  and  humanities  for  two  years.  In  1S65,  he  was  named  assistant  to 
Father  Durbin,  and  in  1869,  resident  pastor  at  Uniontown,  where  he"^  ideared 
himself  much  to  the  Catholic  people  of  the  vicinity,  and  where  he  fo'  nd  it  an 
easy  matter  to  finish  the  church  previously  begun.  In  1870  he  was  rciurned  to 
Louisville,  and  attached  to  the  cathedral  parish.  But  there  had  now  developed 
in  him  the  seeds  of  consumption,  and  beyond  the  delivery  by  him  of  a  few  lec- 
tures in  aid  of  charitable  undertakings,  he  was  able  to  do  little  in  the  line  of 
his  priestly  avocation.  His  disease  was  so  virulent  that  Bishop  McCloskey,  with 
the  advice  of  his  physician,  and  with  the  hope  that  a  warmer  climate  would  prove 
beneficial,  dispatched  him  to  Florida.  Reaching  Aiken,  South  Carolina,  he 
found  himself  too  ill  to  proceed  further.  Though  among  strangers,  he  was  not 
friendless.  There  were  there  before  him  two  invalid  priests  beside  the  pastor 
of  the  town,  and  everything  was  done  for  him  that  christian  charity  could  sug- 
gest. A  clerical  friend  and  fellow-student,  Rev.  M.  Flynn,  reached  his  bedside 
before  he  died,  as  did  also  his  broken-hearted  mother.  His  death  took  place 
on  the  8th  of  April,  1871. 

JBy  permissioii  of  his  ordinary,  Father  Vantroostenberghe  went  to  the  assist- 
ance of  the  distressed  Catholic  people  of  Memphis  during  the  epidemic  of 
yellow  fever  of  1878,  that   carried   off,  together  with  hundreds  of  the  popula- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  369 

In  1870  the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Nazareth  secured  an  excellent 
piece  of  property  in  Uniontown,  immediately  opposite  the  church,  in 
\yhich  they  established  a  school  that  has  since  been  greatly  conserva- 
tive of  Catholic  interests  in  the  parish.* 

The  church  of  St.  Ann,  Morganfield,  belongs  properly  to  a  later 
era  than  that  proposed  to  be  touched  by  the  writer;  but  for  rea- 
sons personal  to  himself,  he  trusts  to  be  excused  by  his  readers  for 
introducing  here,  in  admiration  of  the  zeal  of  laics  for  the  greater 
honor  and  glory  of  God,  such  details  as  have  come  to  him  respecting 
an  enterprise  that  was  set  on  foot  and  brought  to  completion  by  one  to 
whose  friendship  he  has  ever  attached  a  value  that  was  beyond  price. 
The  site  upon  which  the  church  of  St.  Ann  stands  was  a  gift  to  the 
congregation  from  Hon.  I.  A.  Spalding,  whose  house,  after  that  of  his 
father,  had  been  the  church  station  of  the  town.  It  was  built  by  a 
committee  of  lay  Catholics,  composed  of  I.  A.  Spalding,  Dr.  T.  J. 
Shoemaker,  Ben.  Thomas,  Charles  Alvey,  and  Louis  Wathen,  and  its 
entire  cost  was  $9,000.  Much  of  the  sum  stated  was  contributed,  no 
doubt,  by  members  of  the  congregation,  and  some,  possibly,  by  the 
non-Catholic  friends  of  the  projectors ;  but  the  greatest  credit  for  the 
successful  issue  of  the  undertaking  is  conceded  by  all  to  the  first- 
named  of  the  committee,  Hon.  I.  A.  Spalding.  The  church  of  St. 
Ann  has  attached  to  it  two  and  a  half  acres  of  elevated  ground, 
and  also  six  acres  set  apart  for  a  cemetery,  f 

It  is  doubtful  if  the  history  of  missionary  enterprise  in  the  United 
States  furnishes  a  parallel  of  continuous  and  long-sustained  labor  such 
as  has  marked  the  career  of  the  present  priest-patriarch  of  Kentucky, 
Rev.  Elisha  J,  Durbin.  Many,  no  doubt,  have  labored  as  strenu- 
ously, and  some  with  equal  or  greater  effect ;  but  in  these  enervated 
nature  demanded  much  sooner  release  from  toil.  After  twenty-six 
years  of  such  service,  Father  Badin  found  himself  no  longer  able  to 
bear  its  fatigues.  The  same  is  to  be  said  of  his  co-laborer,  Father 
Nerinckx.  He  fell  at  his  post  of  duty  after  eighteen  years  of  travail 
that  must  ever  be  regarded  as  marvellous.  But  neither  of  the  mis- 
sionaries named,  nor  any  other  in  this  country  whose  history  is  known 
to  the  writer,  was  favored  with  such  continuity  of  energy  as  has  dis- 
tinguished the  still  living  Kentucky  inheritor  of  their  gifts  of  zeal  and 
fortitude.  The  record,  brought  up  to  this  year  of  grace  1883,  is  as 
instructive  as  it  is  wonderful.  Sixty-one  years  a  priest !  Fifty  of 
these  years  devoted  to  missionary  duty  over  a  district  of  country  that 

tion  of  the  city,  the  greater  number  of  its  home  clergy.  He  had  been  but  a  few 
days  administering  to  the  sick  and  dying,  when  he  was  himself  seized  with 
the  malady,  and  died  a  martyr  to  charity. 

*  Father  Vantroostenberghe  was  succeeded  in  the  pastorship  of  the  church 
of  St.  Agnes  by  Rev.  H,  J.  Daly,  and  he,  by  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  M. 
Dillon. 

t  "  This  church,"  writes  a  correspondent,  "was  dedicated  in  March,  1878, 
and  the  title  of  St.  Ann  was  given  to  it  in  honor  of  Mrs.  Ann  Spalding,  a  noble 
matron,  who,  though  a  non-Catholic,  caused  her  children  to  be  instructed  in 
the  faith,  and  was  herself  blessed  by  baptism  in  her  last  days." 

2X 


27©  THE    MISSION    OF    UNION    COUNTY. 

covers  one-third  of  the  entire  State,  with  its  Catholic  population 
scattered  far  apart,  and  he  the  only  priest  west  of  Louisville  to  break 
to  these  the  Bread  of  Life !  A  single  chapel  of  logs  in  all  that  wide 
expanse  of  country  west  of  Breckinridge  county  that  had  title  to 
the  name  of  house  of  God,  and  one  single  school  conducted  by 
Cathohc  religious !  Horseback  journeyings  that  he  was  himself  in  the 
habit  of  reckoning  at  the  average  of  two  hundred  miles  a  week !  * 
All  manner  of  discomforts  and  privations,  from  stress  of  weather,  from 
hunger  and  thirst,  from  loss  of  sleep,  and  from  the  numberless  acci- 
dents and  delays  that  are  inseparable  from  nomadism  in  a  sparsely 
settled  country. 

But  a  better  day  dawns  for  the  lonely  missionary;  not  that  it  brings 
him  longer  intervals  of  rest,  but  that  he  is  able  to  discover  by  its  light 
that  his  labor  has  not  been  vainly  expended.  He  has  imbued  his  peo- 
ple with  something  of  his  own  spirit.  His  admonitions  are  not  only 
listened  to,  but  they  are  having  the  effect  to  draw  men's  minds  to  a 
more  careful  consideration  of  their  spiritual  needs.  There  is  to  be 
seen  among  them  more  of  charity  and  piety  and  practical  religion, 
and  it  requires  less  of  persuasion  to  induce  them  to  spend  their  money 
for  objects  that  are  promotive  of  religious  sentiment.  Here  and  there 
an  unpretensious  church  or  chapel  appears  in  the  perspective  with  the 
christian's  emblem  lifted  above  its  modest  belfry. 

And  now  the  eyes  of  the  missionary  are  gladdened  by  the  sight  of 
a  priestly  co-worker,  and  his  thoughts  are  with  his  distant  missions, 
hitherto  visited  so  rarely  because  of  his  inability  to  be  in  two  places  at 
one  time.  In  the  meantime,  with  the  revolving  years  and  cycles, 
where  there  was  at  first  but  a  single  Catholic  family,  there  are  now 
clusters  of  them,  and  where  the  congregations  were  small,  they  are 
now  large.  His  hands  and  those  of  his  co-worker  are  kept  busy  in  a 
narrowed  circle,  and  he  might  be  in  despair  because  of  the  impend- 
ing spiritual  desolation  of  hundreds  now  cut  off  from  his  ministrations, 
were  he  not  sustained  by  the  unfaihng  influence  of  the  Church,  work- 
ing from  the  outside  of  his  central  field  of  labor,  now  relieving  him  of 
the  care  of  one,  and  now  of  another,  of  his  farther  removed  outlying 
missions.  He  has  still  enough  to  do,  all  of  which  mortal  hands  are 
capable.  His  rides  are  not  so  extended,  to  be  sure,  but  his  lank  fig- 
ure and  bronzed  face  are  as  frequently  seen  on  the  road.  He  organ- 
izes congregations  and  builds  churches.  He  takes  thought  of  the  rising 
generation,  and  multiplies  his  resources  for  its  more  perfect  christian 
culture  and  training.  He  follows  the  straying  sheep  and  brings  them 
back  to  the  fold.     In  a  word,  he  strives  to  render  his  ministry  accept- 

*  A  reverend  friend  who  was  his  assistant  in  1856,  tells  me  that  this  is  no 
exagp-eration,  and  that  he  has  himself  little  doubt  that  Father  Durbin's  com- 
binevT  journeyings  on  horseback  during  the  sixty-two  years  of  his  priesthood 
would  be  under-reckoned  at  500,000  miles.  When  he  was  so  favored  by  cir- 
cum«tance  as  to  be  enabled  to  say  his  office  outside  of  his  saddle,  he  would 
jestingly  remark,  that  he  was  entitled  to  a  dispensation  from  that  special  duty 
on  the  plea  of  infrequency. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  37 1 

able  in  God's  sight  and  in  that  of  his  people.  And  thus  ran  the 
stream  of  his  ministry  for  half  a  century,  interrupted  only  at  its  close 
by  the  conviction,  on  the  part  of  his  bishop,  that  the  limit  of  his 
strength  had  been  reached,  and  that  it  would  be  a  cruel  exaction  to 
require  at  his  hands  further  exhibitions  of  his  indomitable  zeal. 

The  patriarch  priest  of  Kentucky  comes  of  ancestry  that  has  long 
been  noted  for  robust  physical  development  and  hardiness.  His  sur- 
prising energy,  his  powers  of  resistance  against  fatigue,  and  his  singu- 
lar freedom  from  sickness  through  so  many  years  of  toilsome  construc- 
tion, are  to  be  referred,  in  a  great  measure  at  least,  to  ancestral  strain. 
But  it  is  to  be  said  of  him  that,  from  boyhood  to  old  age,  he  has  so 
lived  as  to  counteract  any  tendency  to  nervous  enervation,  had  there 
been  such  lying  dormant  in  his  system.  He  has  sustained  and  pro- 
longed his  life  by  a  strict  observance  of  those  sanitary  laws  of  nature 
that,  recognized  as  they  are  by  all,  are  set  at  naught  by  nine-tenths  of 
the  people  of  this  country.  His  food  was  simple,  his  drink  that  which 
nature  provides,  and  he  escaped  debility  by  shunning  its  most  common 
provocative,  the  deprivation  of  exercise  in  the  open  air. 

Father  Durbin  cannot  be  said  to  have  inherited  one  peculiarity  of 
his  mother's  people.  The  Logsdons  of  Kentucky  have  ordinarily  been 
of  large  stature.  Though  by  no  means  below  the  common  standard  of 
men,  whether  in  regard  to  height  or  weight,  Father  Durbin  ran  cer- 
tainly be  called  no  stalwart  in  bodily  conformation.  His  height  is  pos- 
sibly five  feet  ten  inches,  and  his  weight  not  over  one  hundred  and 
sixty  pounds.  In  his  younger  days  he  had  the  appearance  of  a  man 
of  much  nervous  force  and  power  of  endurance  ratTier  than  of  an  ath- 
lete. Even  at  that  time  his  face  was  in  some  degree  tawny,  but  it  had 
not  yet  assumed  the  erysipelous  hue,  contracted  from  constant  expos- 
ure, that  has  marked  his  features  for  more  than  forty  years.*    Though 

*  Father  Durbin's  florid  complexion  was  once  the  occasion  of  a  humorous 
incident.  Jogging  along  the  open  highway  one  day,  he  raised  his  eyes  from  the 
page  of  his  breviary  from  which  he  was  reciting  the  canonical  office,  and  per- 
ceived a  stranger,  also  on  horseback,  approaching  him  from  the  opposite  direc- 
tion. When  the  two  met,  the  priest  bowed  his  head  and  was  about  to  pass  on ; 
but  he  had  not  got  two  lengths  of  his  horse  away  from  the  second  rider  when  he 
was  halted  by  the  exclamation:  "Halloo,  stranger !  You  are  just  the  man  I 
have  been  looking  for!  Get  off  your  horse  for  a  minute  and  let  me  take  a  pull 
at  your  jug!  "  "  My  friend,"  said  Father  Durbin,  who  saw  at  once  what  the 
man  was  after,  "I  have  no  jug!  I  have  no  use  for  one,  for  I  never  drink 
spirits  of  any  kind!"  "No  jug!"  exclaimed  the  man  incredulously;  "do 
you  mean  to  tell  me  that  I  don't  know  what  sort  of  a  bulge  a  jug  makes  at  the 
bottom  of  a  pair  of  saddle  bags!"  Laughing  at  the  oddity  of  the  situation, 
the  man  having  mistaken  for  a  jug  a  bundle  made  up  of  a  part  of  his  priestly 
vestments — the  priest  replied  :  "  You  are  altogether  mistaken,  sir  !  I  have  not 
about  my  person  nor  in  my  saddle  bags  as  much  as  a  drop  of  liquor  of  any  kind ; 
and  furthermore,  I  spoke  truthfully  when  I  told  you  a  bit  ago  that  I  am  not  in 
the  habit  of  using  spirits  at  any  time  or  in  any  form."  Looking  at  the  priest 
intently  for  a  full  half  minute,  the  man  said  at  length:  "Stranger,  I  hope  you 
will  not  take  offense  at  the  remark,  but  if  I  were  in  your  place,  I  would  take  in 
my  sign  !  "  In  this  case  the  physiognomist's  science,  if  it  may  be  so  called,  was 
more  at  fault  than  was  its  matter-of-fact  interpreter. 


372 


THE    MISSION    OF    UNION    COUNTY. 


never  demonstratively  so,  Father  Durbin  has  always  been  quietly  com- 
panionable, and  at  times  has  been  known  to  jest  and  to  give  evident 
signs  of  pleased  interest  in  exhibitions  of  wit  and  humor. 

In  1873  Father  Durbin  was  relieved  of  his  pastoral  responsibility  in 
Union  county,  and  his  bishop  would  have  then  gladly  provided  him 
with  a  place  in  which  he  would  no  longer  be  subjected  to  calls  of 
onerous  duty;  but  the  aged  missionary  was  not  to  be  persuaded  that  he 
was  yet  entitled  to  release  from  labor.  His  fifty  years  of  service  in  the 
ministry  had  neither  broken  his  spirit  nor  quenched  in  the  least  the  fire 
of  his  zeal.  He  was  given  charge  of  the  CathoUc  people  living  along 
the  Elizabethtown  and  Paducah  railroad,  with  headquarters  at  the  town 
of  Princeton,  in  Caldwell  county.  Here  he  remained,  laboring  with 
much  zeal  and  efficiency,  until,  a  few  years  ago,  he  was  prevailed  upon 
by  his  bishop  to  retire  from  the  active  duties  of  the  ministry  and  spend 
the  remaining  years  of  his  life  at  the  college  of  St.  Joseph,  in  Bardstown. 
Of  all  his  faculties,  his  memory  appears  to  be  the  only  one  that  age  has 
seriously  affected.  He  is  still  able  to  say  his  daily  mass,  and  at  no  for- 
mer period  of  his  life  was  his  heart  more  readily  assailable  than  now  on 
occasions  that  call  for  sympathy  and  personal  service.  He  is  sur- 
rounded in  his  retirement  by  those  who  consider  it  an  honor  to  be  per- 
mitted to  minister  to  his  wants,  and  thither  followed  him  the  love  and 
veneration  of  all  Western  Kentucky,  so  far  as  it  is  Catholic* 

*  Since  the  above  was  written  I  learn  that  this  venerable  priest,  now  in  the 
eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age  and  the  sixty-second  of  his  ministry,  has  successfully 
sought  from  his  ordinary  leave  to  return  to  active  duty  in  a  section  of 
country  that  once  formed  a  part  of  the  immense  field  upon  which  he  had 
expended  the  energies  of  his  prime.  A  more  wonderful  exhibition  than  this, 
whether  of  zeal  or  vital  force,  has  not  been  witnessed  in  the  territory  of  the 
United  States. 


Catholicity  in  Kentucky.  ^-^ 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE   BISHOPRIC    OF    BARDSTOWN    FROM    1819   TO    184O. 

In  this  chapter,  the  writer  follows  the  record,  with  little  deviation, 
left  by  the  author  of  the  "Life  of  Bishop  Flaget."  It  is  necessary  to 
state,  however,  that,  as  early  as  the  year  1813,  Bishop  Flaget  had 
visited  Baltimore  in  company  with  Father  Badin,  the  proto-priest  of 
the  country,  and  that  the  latter  had  made  his  visit  to  the  East  in  some 
degree  profitable  to  the  material  interests  of  the  diocese  of  Bardstown. 
He  had  also  visited  Vincennes,  St.  Louis,  Cahokias,  Kaskaskias  and 
Detroit  —  some  of  these  missions  more  than  once.  At  the  point 
last  named  he  had  succeeded  in  healing  a  formidable  dissension  that 
was  threatening  the  Hfe  of  the  mission.  An  incident  of  the  bishop's 
stay  in  Detroit  is  thus  related  by  Dr.  Spalding : 

"On  the  day  of  the  reconciliation,  the  bishop  had  dined  with 
Governor  Cass,  and  on  the  day  following  with  General  Macomb. 
Returning  from  the  house  of  the  latter,  the  horses  took  fright  on  the 
brink  of  the  river,  and  he  was  thrown  from  the  carriage  down  a 
precipice  into  the  water.  He  was  not  dangerously  wounded,  but  he 
received  a  severe  contusion  of  the  right  shoulder,  from  the  effects  of 
which  he  never  recovered.  The  first  symptom  of  his  approaching 
dissolution,  a  few  months  before  his  death,  was  this  shoulder  turning 
black." 

He  visited  Niagara,  and  his  description  of  the  falls  will  be  read 
with  interest :  ' '  These  falls,"  he  afterwards  wrote,  ' '  present  the  most 
grand  and  sublime  spectacle  which  a  mortal  can  contemplate  on  earth. 
No  words  can  express  the  sensations  produced  on  the  soul  by  those 
torrents  of  water,  forming  a  sheet  nearly  a  mile  wide,  and  falling  per- 
pendicularly one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  The  rising  vapors,  while 
hiding  from  your  view  a  portion  of  the  cataract,  cause  to  arise  in  the 
imagination  ideas  of  a  gulf,  of  an  abyss,  which  fill  you  with  a  reli- 
gious fear,  and  seize  you  with  a  feeling  of  solemn  awe,  never  before 
felt.  Until  our  arrival,  the  sun  had  been  hidden  by  clouds,  and  it 
continued  so  for  a  time  while  we  were  devouring  with  our  eyes  a 
spectacle  so  astonishing;  when  lo  !  on  a  sudden,  the  solar  rays  pierced 
the  clouds,  causing  us  to  enjoy  the  sight  of  numerous  rainbows  formed 
amidst  the  vapo'-s  ascending  from  the  abyss.  The  masses  of  water, 
falling  into  the  depths  below,  rebound,  boiling  from  the  gulf; 
and  you  would  believe  that  you  saw,  through  the  vapor,  a  river  of 
milk  flowing  on  to  a  great  distance.  It  is  impossible  for  the  coldest 
soul  not  to  become  warmed  at  this  sight  of  the  wonder.     *  God  is 


374  "fHE    BISHOPRIC   OF    BARDSTOWN    FROM    1819   TO    184O. 

wonderful  in  the  highest  — great  is  the  Lord,  and  exceedingly  to  be 
praised!  Alas  !  (said  I,  to  myself,)  the  torrents  of  grace,  much  more 
extended,  and  much  more  voluminous  than  this  cataract  of  waters 
falling  with  so  much  force  before  my  eyes,  are  flowing  each  instant 
into  the  hearts  of  men,  and  most  of  those  hearts  are  not  more  pene- 
trated by  them  than  are  the  hard  rocks  upon  which  these  waters  fall ! 
Is  not  this  the  case  with  my  own  heart?  O  God!  do  not  permit  this !  " 

He  was  present  at  the  treaty  with  the  Indians  held  at  Detroit  in 
August,  1 81 8,  and  the  annexed  extract  of  a  letter  written  on  the  occa- 
sion of  his  death,  in  1850,  by  the  then  principal  Indian  agent  of  the 
government,  Col.  John  Johnson,  is  not  a  little  affecting: 

"The  death  of  this  venerable  prelate  of  the  Catholic  Church," 
writes  Col.  Johnson,  "which  lately  happened  at  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
at  an  advanced  age,  reminds  me  of  times  and  seasons  during  my  long 
intercourse  with  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  Northwest — a  race  which  dire 
necessity  has  compelled  to  seek  homes  in  the  far  West.     The  largest 
and  most  important  treaty  held  with  the  natives,  since  that  of  Green- 
ville, in   179s,   by  General  Wayne,  was  the   one   concluded  at  St. 
Mary's,  in  1818 — thirty-two  years  ago.     Bishop  Flaget  was  in  attend- 
ance at  this  treaty  during  the  whole  time  of  its  continuance,  a  period 
of  about  seven  weeks.     The  Indians  present  on  that  occasion  num- 
bered about  ten  thousand,   consisting    of   Miamies,    Potowattomies, 
Chippewas,    Ottawas,   Delawares,  Shawaneese,  Wyandotts,   Senecas, 
and  Kickapoos.     It  fell  to  my  lot,  as  the  oldest  agent  in  the  service 
acting  under  the  authority  of  the  commissioners  of  the  United  States, 
to  make  all  necessary  arrangements  for  the  treaty.     This  included,  of 
course,  the  comfortable  accommodation  of  the  good  bishop.     I  pro- 
cured him  a  horseman's  tent,  a  sufficiency  of  blankets,  a  man  to  attend 
to  his  wants,  sent  him  breakfast  and  supper  from  the  officers'  mess,  he 
dining  regularly  with  us  at  the  public  table.     By  invitation,  the  bishop 
performed  divine  service  and  preached  every  Sabbath.     Many  of  the 
sub-agents,  interpreters,  and  Indians  were  of  the  Catholic  persuasion, 
and  occupied  much  of  his  time  in  attending  to  their  spiritual  wants. 
His  conduct  throughout  his  sojourn  with  us  was  so  marked  by  the 
affability,  courtesy,  and  kindness  of  his  manners,  with  the  dignity  of  the 
christian  and  gentleman,  that  he  won  all  hearts.     Added  to  this,  he 
possessed  a  fine  proportioned  and  commanding  person;  few  persons 
excelled  him  here,  when  in  the  prime  of  his  years.     Previous  to  the 
departure  of  the  bishop,  it  was  proposed  to  raise  a.'  collection  for  him. 
One  hundred  dollars  were  speedily  made  up,  and  the  undersigned  was 
charged  with  the  delivery  of  the  money.     The  bishop  peremptorily 
refused  to  receive  any  of  it,  stating  that  we  had  treated  him  so  kindly 
he  was  largely  our  debtor.     When  departing  on  horseback,  he  stopped 
at  my  tent,  which  was  some  distance  from  his  own,  and,  dismounting 
to  bid  farewell,  he  took  me  in  his  arms.     After  many  thanks  for  my 
attentions  to  him,  he  said :   *  I  have  nothing  better  to  bestow  than  the 
blessing  of  a  christian  bishop  ; '  and,  after  imparting  that  in  the  most 
affectionate  manner,  he  bade  me  adieu.     I  have  never  seen  him  since." 


CATHOLlCItV    IN    KENTUCKY.  ^75 

In  1820,  as  has  been  seen  elsewhere,  Bishop  Flaget  assumed  the 
pastoral  duties  previously  discharged  by  Father  Nerinckx.  In  1822, 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  consecrating  the  first  bishop  of  the  then 
newly  established  See  of  Cincinnati. 

"On  the  2ist  of  September,  1819,"  says  Dr.  Spalding,  "the 
seminary  was  removed  from  St.  Thomas'  to  Bardstown,  now  the  resi- 
dence of  the  two  bishops.  These  occupied  apartments  in  the  same 
building  with  the  seminarians;  and  for  many  years  they  ate  at  the 
same  table,  and  as  far  as  possible,  performed  all  the  spiritual  exercises 
with  them.  It  was  a  well  organized  family,  in  which  the  fathers  lived 
in  the  midst  of  their  children.  '  This  day,'  says  the  bishop,  '  should 
form  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  Church  of  Kentucky ;  for  I  dare 
hope  that  from  this  house  will  go  forth  priests  who  will  sustain  and 
propagate  the  faith.  What  embarrassment,  however,  in  providing  for 
temporal  wants,  under  such  circumstances!  Everything  consists  in 
acting  with  great  liberty  of  spirit,  and  in  reposing  confidence  without 
bounds  in  God.'" 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1821,  a  young  priest  reached  the 
diocese  who  was  destined  in  time  to  a  position  in  the  Church  of 
North  America  which  has  familiarized  his  name  with  Catholics  the 
world  over.  This  priest  became  afterwards  coadjutor-bishop  and  bis- 
hop of  Philadelphia  and  archbishop  of  Baltimore.  Dr.  Francis  P. 
Kenrick,  and  the  services  rendered  by  him  to  the  diocese,  will  be 
referred  to,  more  fully  than  has  yet  been  done,  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

Illustrating  Bishop  Flaget's  tenderness  toward  his  clergy  when  ill 
and  suffering,  of  which  trait  in  his  character  the  reader  has  already 
noted  an  example  in  the  personal  care  given  by  him  to  Father  Robert 
A.  Abell  when  disease  had  brought  him  to  the  brink  of  the  grave,  his 
biographer  instances  two  other  examples  of  like  character : 

In  August,  1822,  the  bishop  dispatched  to  Louisville,  where  there 
was  then  raging  an  epidemic  of  fever,  a  priest  whom  he  had  ordained 
in  September,  1820.  Father  Philip  Horstman  was  a  young  man  of 
fine  attainments,  and  it  had  been  the  bishop's  hope  and  expectation 
that  he  would  be  spared  to  the  diocese  and  his  people  long  after  his 
own  life  should  have  reached  its  limit.  "  But  the  ways  of  God,"  says 
the  bishop's  biographer,  "are  inscrutable.  This  zealous  clergyman 
had  scarcely  entered  upon  his  missionary  duties,  when  he  was  sud- 
denly called  away  from  this  world.  Having  left  all  to  follow  Christ, 
he  was  probably  already  ripe  for  heaven.  While  devoting  himself  day 
and  night  to  the  visitation  of  those  sick  with  the  prevailing  typhoid 
fever,  he  caught  the  disease  himself,  and  died  of  it,  on  the  30th  of 
October  following.  The  bishop  was  with  him  for  several  days  before 
his  death,  attending  to  all  his  wants,  and  solacing  his  soul  with  the  last 
sacraments,  as  a  preparation  for  eternity.* 

*The  late  Rev.  John  B.  Hutchins,  who  was  present  on  the  occasion, 
described  to  me  a  short  time  before  his  own  decease,  a  scene  he  witnessed  in 
the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph  during  the  mortuary  service  therein  held  for  the 
repose  of  the  soul  of  the  young  priest.     There  was  general  grief  because  of  the 


376  THE   BISHOPRIC   OF    BARDSTOWN    FROM    1819   TO    184O. 

"Several  years  later,"  says  Dr.  Spalding,  "He  fulfilled  the  same 
office  of  parental  nurse  towards  the  Rev.  M.  Derigaud.  This  worthy 
priest  had  come  to  America  with  the  bishop  in  1810;  and  on  their 
arrival  in  Kentucky  the  following  >ear,  he  had  entered  the  seminary. 
Though  then  thirty  years  of  age,  he  completed  his  studies,  and  was 
ordained  January  i,  1817.  He  was  employed  on  the  missions,  and 
in  the  college  of  St.  Joseph ;  was,  for  a  time,  superior  of  the  prepara- 
tory seminary  of  St.  Thomas ;  and  finally  presided  over  a  new  broth- 
erhood, established  by  the  bishop  in  1826.  In  the  spring  of  the  ensu- 
ing year,  he  removed  with  these  brothers,  about  eight  in  number,  to 
St.  Bernard's,  in  Casey  county.  His  health  having  been  long  delicate, 
he  did  not  survive  many  months. 

"The  bishop,  who  loved  him  tenderly,  was  inconsolable  at  his 
dangerous  illness.  Earnestly  did  he  pray  for  his  recovery,  should  such 
be  the  holy  will  of  God.  He  went  to  see  him,  and  remained  with 
him  till  he  breathed  his  last.  He  then  had  his  remains  removed  to  St. 
Thomas',  where  they  were  solemnly  interred. 

"  In  his  Journal,  the  bishop  has  written  a  high  eulogy  of  this  good 
priest,  saying  that  he  had  never  in  his  whole  life  given  him  a  moment's 
trouble  or  uneasiness." 

In  his  report  made  to  the  Holy  See  in  1836,  Bishop  Flaget  thus 
refers  to  his  priests : 

' '  I  come  now  to  speak  of  my  clergy.  Oh !  may  God  bless  them  ! 
May  he  bless  their  continual  sacrifices  and  generous  devotedness,  with- 
out which  there  would  be  nothing  remaining  of  all  that  now  exists  in 
my  diocese!  But,  alas!  these  young  priests,  whom  I  love  as  myself; 
these  priests  so  zealous  and  so  charitable,  become  soon  exhausted;  on 
them  old  age  and  infirmities  come  prematurely — the  evident  results  of 
their  long  journeys  and  painful  missions — already  many  are  enfeebled, 
and  are  left  almost  without  resource.  Whither  will  they  go,  after 
labors  so  glorious  ?  Alas !  I  know  not;  and  this  it  is  which  causes  my 
desolation." 

Though  Tennessee  had  been  visited  a  number  of  times  by  Father 
Badin,  Bishop  Flaget  had  hitherto  been  unable  to  introduce  himself 
personally  to  his  children  of  that  State.  Determining,  at  length,  to 
make  the  visitation,  he  set  out  on  horseback,  in  company  with  Father 
Abell,  for  Nashville.  This  was  in  the  beginning  of  May,  182 1. 
Following  Dr.  Spalding's  account  of  the  journey,  we  find  that 
"they  reached  Leitchfield  on  the  7th  and  Bowling  Green  on  the 
8th,  where  there  were  then  but  five  Catholics.  They  arrived  at  Nash- 
ville on  the  loth,  and  put  up  with  M.  Mont  Brun,  a  Frenchman, 
who  received  them  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  On  the  following  day,  the 
first  mass  that  was  ever  offered  up  by  a  bishop  in  Tennessee,  was  cele- 

death  of  one  who  was  known  by  the  entire  congregation;  but  this  grief  was 
most  apparent  in  the  sanctuary  and  among  the  seminarians.  Bishop  Flaget 
attempted  the  delivery  of  an  eulogy  ;  but  he  had  scarcely  begun  before  he  was 
overcome  by  his  feelings  and  obliged  to  desist. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  377 

brated  by  our  prelate,  in  the  house  of  his  entertainer.  The  Blood  of 
the  Lamb,  now  mystically  shed  on  the  holy  altar,  made  a  potent  appeal 
in  behalf  of  that  infant  mission. 

"  The  total  number  of  Catholics  in  Nashville  and  vicinity  did  not 
exceed  sixty;  and  there  were  not,  perhaps,  half  as  many  more  in  all 
the  rest  of  the  State.  The  prospects  for  soon  establishing  a  congrega- 
tion here,  were  certainly  not  very  flattering.  The  Catholics  were  both 
few  and  poor.  Yet  the  bishop  was  not  disheartened,  and  he  resolved 
to  make  the  experiment. 

"What  was  his  joy,  when  he  found  that  his  proposal  was  most 
favorably  entertained,  even  by  the  first  Protestant  citizens  of  the  place. 
A  liberal  subscription  was  taken  up,  signed  by  Protestants  as  well  as 
CathoHcs.  A  lot  for  a  church,  70  by  100  feet,  was  offered  by  a  Mr. 
Foster,  grand  master  of  the  Masons.  The  Protestants  of  the  city  vied 
with  one  another  in  showing  every  polite  attention  to  the  bishop  and 
his  companion.  The  late  Hon.  Felix  Grundy,  and  his  amiable  family, 
are  gratefully  mentioned  by  the  prelate  in  his  Journal.  He  was  even 
invited  to  take  tea  with  a  Presbyterian  preacher  named  Campbell. 

"Many  of  the  first  families  attended  mass;  and  a  large  and  intelli- 
gent concourse  were  assembled  every  evening  at  the  court  house,  to 
hear  the  sermons  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Abell.  They  listened  with  profound 
attention  to  his  eloquent  e.xposition  and  defence  of  the  Catholic  doc- 
trine on  confession,  on  baptism,  and  on  several  other  points  little 
understood  among  Protestants. 

"The  first  care  of  Bishop  Flaget's  administration,"  says  Dr.  Spald- 
ing, "regarded  his  clergy.  The  wish  nearest  to  his  heart  was,  that  they 
might  be  'models  of  the  flock,'  and  imbued  with  all  the  virtues  of  the 
apostles.  The  good  work  which  was  to  extend  to  the  farthest  extremi- 
ties of  his  diocese,  bringing  'the  peace  of  Christ'  to  the  hearts  of 
men,  was  to  begin  in  the  sanctuary  itself.  The  people  would  be  like 
their  priests;  and  the  latter  should  be  holy,  in  order  that  the  former 
might  become  good  christians. 

"To  secure  this  desirable  result,  he  enacted  a  decree  in  September, 
1822,  that  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  should  meet  annually  in  spiritual 
retreat;  at  the  close  of  which,  conferences  would  be  held  on  various 
subjects  connected  with  the  exercise  of  the  holy  ministry.  These 
retreats  were  often  conducted  by  Bishop  David;  and  the  bishop  gave 
great  edification,  by  performing  all  the  exercises  at  the  head  of  his 
clergy.  They  produced  the  most  salutary  results;  and  the  clergy  went 
out  from  them,  filled  with  renewed  zeal,  courage  and  energy. 

"The  first  synod,  or  conference,  held  in  compliance  with  this 
decree,  began  at  Bardstown,  August  5,  1823.  Several  important  sub- 
jects were  discussed,  and  some  regulations  adopted  for  the  uniform 
administration  of  the  sacraments.  Though  promulgated  to  the  clergy, 
these  statutes  were  never,  however,  published. 

"In  December,  1823,  the  bishop  received  the  joyful  intelligence, 
that  Dr.  Joseph  Rosati  had  been  named  coadjutor  of  the  bishop  of 
New  Orleans;  and  that  after  the  lapse  of  three  years,  the  bishop-elect 


378  THE    BISHOPRIC    OF    BARDSTOWN    FROM    1819    TO    1840. 

would  be  transferred  to  St.  Louis,  as  the  first  bishop  of  that  city. 
The  intelligence  was  subsequently  confirmed.  Dr.  Rosati  was  conse- 
crated bishop  of  Tenagria  and  coadjutor  of  Bishop  Dubourg  at  New 
Orleans,  March  25,  1824;  and  he  became  bishop  of  St.  Louis  in  1827. 

"The  bishops  of  Bardstown  and  New  Orleans,  the  only  prelates 
in  the  West  and  South  until  1822,  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  arrang- 
ing the  preliminaries  for  the  erection  of  new  Sees  and  the  appointment 
or  new  bishops,  not  only  for  this  part  of  the  Union,  but  also  for  the 
Eastern  States.  Though  the  latter  prelate  was,  it  would  appear,  a  man 
of  superior  talents  to,  and  equal  address  with,  the  former,  yet  he 
always  greatly  deferred  to  his  judgment,  illumined  as  he  knew  it  to  be, 
by  his  great  sanctity  of  life  and  confirmed  spirit  of  prayer." 

Referring  to  the  jubilee  of  1825-27,  which  was  preached  in  Ken- 
tucky by  the  Rev.  F.  P.  Kenrick  and  Rev.  L  A.  Reynolds,  accom- 
panied by  Bishop  Flaget,  Dr.  Spalding  remarks : 

"  Besides  being  proclaimed  at  the  stated  time — it  was  the  close  of 
the  first  quarter  of  this  century — it  was  commemorative  of  the  acces- 
sion of  Leo  XIL  to  the  pontifical  throne ;  and  it  had,  for  this  dio- 
cese, the  additional  attraction  of  novelty.  It  was  the  first  occasion 
on  which  the  Catholics  of  the  West  were  ever  called  upon  to  unite 
with  their  brethren  throughout  Christendom  in  solemn  thanksgiving  and 
prayer,  and  in  offering  a  holy  violence  to  the  throne  of  grace ;  while, 
by  the  keys  of  St.  Peter,  in  the  hands  of  his  successor,  the  treasures 
of  the  Church  were  freely  opened  to  all,  and  the  fountains  of  grace 
were  flowing  abundantly  into  the  hearts  of  the  fervent  and  the  repent- 
ant. This  season  of  benediction  marked  an  epoch  in  the  history  of 
the  flock  committed  to  the  charge  of  Bishop  Flaget ;  and  its  happy 
results  filled  the  heart  of  the  holy  prelate  with  joy  and  consolation, 

"The  Holy  See  allowed  the  bishop  two  years  for  promulgating 
the  jubilee  in  the  various  portions  of  his  extensive  diocese;  while  six 
months  were  allotted  to  each  congregation  for  gaining  the  indulgence. 

' '  The  good  work  began  in  the  sanctuary.  The  priests  who  were  to 
announce  the  blessings  of  the  jubilee  were  themselves  first  to  receive 
its  fruits  in  their  own  hearts;  that  being  themselves  inflamed  with 
divine  charity,  they  might  enkindle  every  where  that '  fire  which  Christ 
came  to  cast  on  earth.'  The  exercises  for  the  clergy  began  at  Bards- 
town on  the  ist  of  September,  1826;  and  they  closed  on  the  8th,  the 
feast  of  the  nativity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

"On  the  following  Sunday,  September  10,  the  jubilee  was  promul- 
gated in  the  cathedral.  During  the  week  the  attendance  was  very 
large,  embracing  Protestants  as  well  as  Catholics.  Besides  the  usual 
devotional  exercises  and  sermons,  a  method  of  instruction  was  adopted 
— new  in  Kentucky — which  awakened  great  attention,  and  produced 
the  most  happy  results.  This  was  the  conference  between  two  clergy- 
men on  doctrinal  and  moral  subjects;  one  asking  questions  or  making 
objections,  and  the  other  answering  them.  In  these  conferences,  at 
Bardstown  and  throughout  the  diocese,  the  Rev.  F,  P.  Kenrick  was 
generally  the  respondent. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCK.Y.  379 

"  Almost  all  the  Catholics  of  Kentucky  approached  the  sacraments 
during  this  season  of  grace.  The  oldest  sinners  were  converted. 
Great  numbers  of  children  were  prepared  for  their  first  communion 
and  for  confirmation.  The  number  confirmed  was  one  thousand 
two  hundred  and  sixteen  ;  while  more  than  six  thousand  approached 
the  holy  table.  The  heart  of  the  good  bishop  was  rejoiced.  He 
says : 

"'With  what  pleasure  I  have  entered  on  this  apostolic  career! 
And  if  the  consolations  I  at  present  feel  go  on  increasing,  they  will 
afford  me  happiness  enough  for  this  world.  I  will  say,  with  the 
greatest  pleasure,  '  Now  wilt  Thou,  O  Lord,  dismiss  Thy  servant  in 
peace! '  at  the  end  of  the  jubilee— provided  my  debts  will  have  been 
liquidated  at  that  time." 

In  January,  1828,  Bishop  Flaget  went  to  Baltimore,  whither  he  had 
been  invited  to  consecrate  Most  Rev.  James  Whitfield,  the  fourth 
occupant  of  the  archiepiscopal  See  of  that  city.  Having  fulfilled  this 
duty,  he  returned  home  to  make  a  visitation  of  the  churches  and 
stations  in  Hardin  and  Grayson  counties. 

In  June,  1829,  he  made  his  fifth  visitation  to  Vincennes  and  the 
scattered  congregations  of  Indiana.  In  September,  of  the  same  year, 
he  attended  the  first  provincial  council  of  Baltimore,  traveUing  to  the 
East  in  the  company  of  Bishop  Rosati.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that 
he  was  introduced  to  Dr.  England.  "Permit  me,"  said  he,  "to  kiss 
the  hand  that  has  written  so  many  fine  things."  "And  permit  me, " 
returned  the  renowned  writer  and  orator,  "to  kiss  the  hands  that  have 
done  so  much  good." 

"At  the  close  of  the  council,"  says  Dr.  Spaldi-ng,  "the  bishops 
visited  in  a  body  the  venerable  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrolton,  then 
ninety-two  years  of  age.  The  estimable  survivor  of  that  intrepid  band 
of  patriots,  who  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  was  much 
affected  at  this  delicate  and  well-deserved  compHment.  He  received 
the  prelates  with  his  accustomed  courtesy  and  grace;  and  he  was  much 
rejoiced,  when  now  so  near  the  close  of  his  mortal  career,  to  see  that 
the  Church  which  he  loved  was  visibly  keeping  pace  with  the  rapid 
improvement  of  the  country." 

"On  the  I  St  of  May,  1830,"  says  the  same  authority,  "Bishop 
Flaget  received  a  package  containing  the  bulls  of  Rt.  Rev.  F.  P.  Ken- 
rick.  Knowing  that  this  clergyman  had  been  proposed  by  the  late 
Council  to  the  Holy  See  for  the  coadjutorship  of  Philadelphia,  he  still 
cherished  hopes  that  the  documents  contained  in  the  unopened  parcel 
might  nominate  him  to  the  See  of  Bardstown.  '  With  his  heart  bleed- 
ing,' he  knelt  down  and  breathed  a  fervent  prayer,  committing  the 
affair  to  God,  and  resigning  himself  to  His  holy  will. 

"  His  worst  fears  were  realized;  the  nominatioH  was  for  Philadel- 
phia. A  deep  gloom  now  came  over  him  ;  he  tried  to  sleep,  but  repose 
fled  from  his  pillow.  It  was  only  on  the  next  evening  after  Vespers — 
the  vigil  of  the  feast  celebrating  the  Finding  of  the  Holy  Cross — 
that  he  could  find  courage  to  deliver  the  documents  to  the  bishop-elect. 


380  THE   BISHOPRIC   OF   BARDSTOWN    FROM    1819   TO    184O. 

This  he  did,  with  the  significant  remark :  '  Behold  here  the  certificate 
of  the  cross  you  will  have  to  carry! ' 

' '  Bishop  Kenrick  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Flaget  on  the  6th  of 
June,  in  the  cathedral  of  Bardstown.  There  were  four  other  prelates 
present:  Bishops  Conwell,  David,  England  and  Fen  wick.  The  bishop 
of  Charleston  preached  the  consecration  sermon,  with  his  usual  ability 
and  eloquence.  Bishop  Flaget  was  much  cheered  by  the  presence  of 
this  eminent  prelate,  who  remained  with  him  some  weeks,  and  visited 
most -of  his  institutions.      He  preached  everywhere  with  great  success. 

"Naturally  of  a  very  tender  heart  and  of  an  exquisite  nervous 
sensibility,  Dr.  Flaget  suffered  much  from  disappointments  and  afflict- 
ions; and  notwithstanding  his  habitual  faith  and  conformity  to  the  divine 
will,  he  occasionally  was  plunged  into  profound  melancholy.  God 
thus  tries  his  favored  servants;  and  in  this  light  the  holy  bishop 
accepted  all  his  sufferings. 

"Shortly  after  the  departure  of  the  bishops,  he  was  visited  by  one 
of  these  fits  of  sadness.  He  felt  that  his  strength  was  fast  failing  him, 
and  that  he  was  no  longer  able  to  bear  the  awful  burden  which  had  so 
long  rested  on  his  shoulders.  '  Everybody  proclaims  me  the  most 
happy  bishop  of  the  United  States,'  he  says,  'on  account  of  the 
number  of  my  churches  and  institutions ;  but  God  visits  me  with  cross 
after  cross. ' 

' '  He  now  wrote  again  to  Rome,  imploring  the  Holy  Father  to 
accept  his  resignation,  and  appoint  some  one  more  worthy  and  younger 
to  the  See  of  Bardstown. 

"In  1832,  while  awaiting  the  time  set  for  his  journey  to  Vincennes, 
he  visited  the  upper  portion  of  his  diocese.  In  the  midst  of  his  labors, 
he  understood  that  the  cholera  had  broken  out  with  great  fury  at  Lou- 
isville. This  dreadful  scourge,  then  making  its  appearance  for  the  first 
time  in  the  West,  was  much  more  formidable  than  it  became  afterwards, 
when  the  minds  of  men  grew  accustomed  to  its  ravages.  The  bishop 
immediately  left  everything,  and  hastened  to  Louisville  to  aid  in  assist- 
ing the  sick  and  dying.  Instead  of  yielding  to  fear,  he  rejoiced  at  the 
occasion  thus  presented  by  Providence  for  laying  down  his  life  in  the 
holy  cause  of  religion  and  charity.  He  even  persuaded  himself  that 
his  death  at  this  time  would  result  in  benefit  to  the  Church,  by  inaugu- 
rating a  better  administration  for  his  diocese.  But  God  did  not  demand 
the  sacrifice  he  would  so  willingly  have  offered  up. 

"On  his  arrival  in  Louisville,  he  found  the  Reverend  pastor — Mr. 
Abell — busily  engaged  in  his  sacred  functions  in  behalf  of  those  seized 
with  the  disease.  Three  Sisters  of  Charity  had  also  come  from  Naza- 
reth, and  volunteered  their  services  towardsthe  afflicted;  ready  cheer- 
fully to  lay  down  their  lives  for  the  love  of  their  neighbor,  prompted  by 
the  love  of  God.  In  a  few  days  the  malady  abated,  and  the  bishop 
returned  to  Bardstown."  » 

Late  in  the  fall  of  this  year  he  went  to  Vincennes,  where  he  was 
met  by  Dr.  Rosati.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  two  prelates  agreed 
upon  the  name  of  Rev.  Gabriel  Brute  for  the  See  of  Vincennes.     The 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY  38 1 

bishop  afterwards  accompanied  Dr.  Rosati  to  St.  Louis,  .where  he  was 
rejoiced  at  the  change  in  everything  connected  with  the  Catholic  inter- 
ests of  the  people  since  his  visit  of  fifteen  years  before.  While  here 
he  received  a  letter  from  Bishop  David  containing  the  intelligence  that 
the  Holy  See  had  accepted  his 'resignation;  that  Bishop  David  had 
become  bishop  of  Bardstown,  with  Rt.  Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat  as 
his  coadjutor. 

"But  these  changes,"  says  Dr.  Spalding,  "had  caused  general 
dissatisfaction  among  both  the  clergy  and  laity  of  Kentucky.  The 
former  coadjutor  loudly  protested  against  his  unexpected  promotion  ; 
and  the  whole  diocese  was  seized  with  grief  at  the  apprehended  loss  of 
a  bishop  so  universally  esteemed  and  loved. 

"In  this  emergency,  the  holy  prelate  persuaded  Bishop  Rosati  to 
accompany  him  to  Kentucky,  in  order  to  assist,  with  his  counsel 
and  influence,  in  allaying  the  storm  which  had  arisen.  On  their 
arrival,  in  December,  1832,  they  found  that  the  excitement  had  not 
been  exaggerated.  Bishop  Flaget  was  overwhelmed  with  sorrow. 
After  suitable  deliberation,  it  was  decided,  in  accordance  with  the 
advice  of  Dr.  Rosati,  that  the  two  bishops  should  unite  in  a  petition  to 
the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  begging  him  to  accept  the  resignation  of  Dr. 
David,  and  to  dispose  at  will  of  Bishop  Flaget  and  Dr.  Chabrat. 

"  Towards  the  end  of  May,  in  the  following  year,  the  answer  was 
received  from  Rome  ;  Bishop  David's  resignation  was  accepted,  and 
Bishop  Flaget  was  reinstated.  Nothing  definite  was  said  about  Dr. 
Chabrat.  Our  prelate  was  now  in  a  worse  condition  than  before,  hav- 
ing no  coadjutor.  This  condition  of  affairs  continued  for  more  than  a 
year. 

"In  the  spring  of  1833,  the  cholera  broke  out,  in  a  very  malignant 
form,  at  Bardstown  and  in  the  neighboring  counties.  The  first  persons 
attacked  by  the  disease  were  in  the  family  of  Mr.  John  Roberts,  a 
Protestant  gentleman  residing  about  eight  miles  from  Bardstown.  The 
cholera  suddenly  appeared  here  on  Easter  Monday.  Three  servant 
men  and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Roberts  soon  fell  victims  to  the  fatal  mal- 
ady. The  whole  neighborhood  was  seized  with  consternation;  and  no 
one  would  go  near  the  house.  At  the  very  first  intelligence  of  the 
distress  in  which  this  unfortunate  family  was  involved,  two  Sisters  of 
Loretto  flew  to  the  succor  of  the  afflicted;  and  they  were  soon  after 
joined  by  two  Sisters  of  Charity  from  Nazareth,  accompanied  by  Rev. 
Dr.  Reynolds. 

"Bishop  Flaget  himself  lost  no  time  in  hastening  to  the  house  of 
pestilence.  He  remained  there  for  several  hours,  and  baptized  a  sick 
daughter  of  Mr.  Roberts.  He  also  administered  the  last  sacraments  to 
a  dying  servant,  who  was  lying  on  the  floor  between  two  already  dead 
of  the  disease.  To  hear  his  confession,  he  knelt  down,  the  body  of  one 
of  the  deceased  having  been  first  removed  to  afford  him  sufficient 
space.  He  even  wished  to  remain,  in  order  to  assist  in  burying  the 
dead,  whom  the  neighbors  could  not  be  induced  to  touch.  It  was  only 
after  the  most  urgent  entreaties,  and  after  he  had  received  sufficient 


382  THE   BISHOPRIC    OF    BARDSTOWN    FROM    1819    TO    184O, 

asstjrance  that  the  deceased  would  be  decently  interred,  that  he  could 
be  induced  to  leave  the  spot.  Dr.  Reynolds  had  already  persuaded 
the  family  to  leave  their  house,  and  take  refuge  nearer  Bardstown. 

"The  malady  soon  after  appeared  in  and  about  Bardstown,  where 
many  fell  victims  to  its  virulence.  Several  of  the  members  of  the 
family  of  the  Hon.  John  Rowan  died.  The  sisters  of  charity  and  the 
clergy,  with  the  bishop  at  their  head,  were  always  found  by  the  bed-side 
of  the  dying. 

"The  bishop  had  hitherto  moved  unterrified  and  unhurt  amidst  the 
ruins  which  the  pestilence  had  strewn  in  its  path.  The  scourge  had 
almost  disappeared,  and  all  were  thanking  God  that  he  had  escaped — 
when  he  too  was  suddenly  seized  with  the  malady  in  a  virulent  form. 
For  three  days  there  was  a  violent  struggle  between  life  and  death;  his 
physicians  considered  his  case  almost  hopeless — on  the  fourth,  the  cri- 
sis had  passed,  and  his  robust  constitution,  with  the  divine  blessing, 
brought  him  safely  through  the  ordeal.  Convalescent,  he  almost  regret- 
ted that  the  physicians  had  erred  in  their  judgment. 

"'Alas!'  he  wrote.  'I  regret  that  their  conjectures  were  not  veri- 
fied; for  death  would  have  delivered  me  from  a  burden,  become  now 
almost  insupportable,  in  consequence  of  my  advanced  age  and  its 
attendant  infirmities;  and  I  have  every  reason  to  fear  that  it  will  be 
next  to  impossible  for  me  ever  to  be  better  prepared  than  I  was  then 
for  a  passage  so  formidable  in  itself,  and  which  will  become  a  hundred 
times  more  so,  when  I  shall  have  to  render  an  account  of  an  adminis- 
tration so  long  and  so  extensive  as  that  with  which  I  have  been 
intrusted.     But  let  the  holy  will  of  God  be  done,  and  not  mine! ' 

"  On  the  bishop's  recovery,  he  continued  to  feel  no  little  solicitude 
in  regard  to  his  future  coadjutor.  The  negotiations  on  the  subject  were 
long  pending ;  Rome  moved  slowly  and  cautiously  in  a  matter  of  so  much 
importance.  At  length,  on  the  feast  of  the  Apostles  SS.  Peter  and 
Paul — June  29th,  1834 — the  bulls  arrived,  appointing  Dr.  Chabrat 
bishop  of  Bolina,  and  coadjutor  of  Bishop  Flaget.  The  consecration 
took  place  on  the  20th  of  July,  in  the  cathedral  of  Bardstown  ;  our 
venerable  prelate  being  consecrator,  and  Bishop  David  and  Vy.  Rev. 
R.  P.  Miles,  O.  P. ,  being  the  assistants.  Many  of  the  clergy  of  the 
diocese  were  present  on  this  solemn  occasion. 

"From  this  date  to  the  time  of  his  death,  the  mind  of  Bishop 
Flaget  was  less  solicitous  concerning  matters  of  administration,  the 
details  of  which  he  generally  committed  to  his  coadjutor.  He  now 
breathed  more  freely,  and  became  daily  more  and  more  intimately 
united  with  God  in  prayer." 

In  the  spring  of  1835  Bishop  Flaget  visited  his  native  land,  and  it 
is  doubtful  if  ever  returning  missionary,  anywhere,  was  received  with 
such  demonstrations  of  popular  regard.  He  remained  in  France  over 
a  year  before  proceeding  to  Rome.  Thus,  according  to  his  bio- 
grapher's quotations  from  his  letters,  does  he  speak  of  the  considera- 
tion he  received  from  bishops,  priests  and  people,  and  from  the  Holy 
Father  himself: 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  383 

"'  It  is  in  vain  that  they  feast  me  wherever  I  go;  Billom  and  Con- 
tournat  present  themselves  to  my  mind,  and  their  image  furnishes  me 
an  inexpressible  satisfaction.  .  .  In  vain  do  I  find  myself  associa- 
ting with  archbishops  and  bishops,  with  mayors  and  prefects,  with 
marquises  and  counts ;  the  remembrance  of  the  humble  roof,  under 
which  I  had  the  happiness  to  be  born,  of  poor,  but  very  pious  parents, 
puts  me  back  entirely  into  my  proper  place.  In  vain  do  they  over- 
whelm me  with  polite  attentions  and  compliments,  in  prose  and  in 
verse,  treating  me  as  an  apostolic  man,  as  the  foreign  missionary,  etc., 
etc.  .  .  If  I  think  but  one  moment  of  Billom,  and  the  good 
aunt  who  nursed  me  as  a  mother,  all  these  beautiful  eulogies  pass 
over  my  head  like  a  light  breeze,  without  affecting  it  with  the  least 
attaint.'" 

And  here  is  his  description  of  his  interview  with  the  Holy  Father : 
"  •  On  the  29th  of  September,  having  gone  to  the  palace  towards 
eleven  o'clock,  a.  m.,  I  was  without  delay  introduced  into  the  pre- 
sence of  the  father  of  all  the  faithful.  Following  the  usual  cere- 
monial, I  made  the  three  prostrations,  and  at  the  third  I  kissed  with 
affection  the  cross  embroidered  on  his  sandal.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I 
was  kissing  the  feet  of  St.  Peter  himself  At  this  thought,  my  heart 
felt  a  sensation  which  I  cannot  describe;  sighs  and  sobs  choked  my 
utterance.  According  to  the  ceremonial,  I  should  have  remained 
kneeling  until  the  Pope  would  give  me  a  sign  to  rise;  but  in  this 
audience,  altogether  friendly  and  paternal,  there  was  no  ceremony  to 
be  observed.  The  excellent  Pontiff  bowed  down,  seized  me  in  both 
arms,  and  as  I  was  preparing  to  kiss  his  ring,  he  pressed  me  to  his 
bosom,  and  embraced  me  tenderly,  saluting  me  affectionately  on  both 
cheeks.' 

"  '  Such  was  the  impression  which  these  marks  of  friendship  made 
on  my  heart,  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  articulate  a  single  word, 
and  I  thought  I  was  going  to  be  ill.  At  this  sight  the  Pope  was 
moved,  he  pressed  me  again  on  his  breast,  and,  with  a  tender  embrace, 
encouraged  me  to  be  calm,  bade  me  sit  down  by  his  side,  and  taking 
both  my  hands  into  his,  waited  until  I  would  open  my  heart  to  him. 
Throughout  this  whole  scene,  my  heart  was  in  violent  agitation. 
Happily  for  me,  tears  succeeded  my  sobs ;  they  flowed  in  abundance. 
At  this  juncture,  the  Pope  again  embraced  me  for  the  third  time.' 

"  *  Having  recovered  my  senses,  and  feeUng  now  perfectly  at  my 
ease,  I  entered  into  conversation  with  this  good  and  excellent  father  of 
the  faithful.  Our  interview,  which  lasted  more  than  half  an  hour, 
was  conducted  in  Latin ;  and  he  assured  me  that  he  understood  me 
perfectly  well.' 

"  '  As  I  was  speaking  to  him  of  my  journey  to  Europe,  of  the 
sickness  I  had  suffered  at  Angers,  and  the  confirmation  I  had  given  a-t 
Nantes,  he  stopped  me,  saying,  that  he  had  followed  all  my  footsteps 
from  Havre  till  my  arrival  in  Rome,  that  he  was  satisfied  with  my  con- 
duct, that  I  was  a  worthy  successor  of  the  apostles,  etc.  Oh  !  how 
agreeable  and  delicious  are  such  conversations  !     All  the  torments  one 


384  THE    BISHOPRIC    OF    BARDSTOWN    FROM    1819    TO    1 840. 

has  endured  appear  now  as  nothing.  No,  I  will  never  forget  this 
interview,  so  paternal  and  so  delightful.  Throughout  the  day,  and  at 
every  moment,  it  was  pictured  in  my  thoughts.'" 

He  remained  in  Rome  till  after  Easter,  1837,  and  now,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-five  years  he  began  a  labor  that  had  been  suggested  to  him 
by  the  Pope.  He  travelled  all  over  France  in  the  interest  of  the  Asso- 
ciation for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith.  "Thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands,"  says  his  biographer,  joined  this  pious  association;  and 
what  was  even  far  more  consoling,  piety  revived,  and  fervor  was 
aroused  wherever  he  went. 

Having  remained  in  Europe  for  four  years  Bishop  Flaget  returned 
to  his  diocese  in  1839;  and  almost  immediately  afterwards  he  began 
his  visitation  of  its  churches.  Though  he  appeared  at  times,  after  the 
date  given,  in  the  public  functions  of  the  sanctuary,  this  was  the  last 
continued  effort  of  his  ministerial  and  episcopal  career. 


CATHOLICITY    IM    KENTUCKY.  3^5 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THE  JESUITS    IN    KENTUCKY — ST.   MARY'S   COLLEGE. 

The  subject  of  this  chapter  takes  the  writer  back  to  a  bright  wintery 
morning  toward  the  close  of  the  year  1835.  After  a  residence  of  four 
years  in  Louisville,  he  was  going  back  to  his  native  town,  the  county 
seat  of  Nelson,  where  he  had  engaged  to  establish  and  publish  a  Cath- 
olic newspaper.  The  journey  was  made  by  coach,  hired  on  the  streets 
of  the  city;  and  the  proposed  journalist,  young  and  healthful  and  hope- 
ful, had  for  his  companions  en  route  three  Jesuits,  two  priests  and  a  lay 
brother.  One  of  the  priests  was  the  late  Rev.  William  Stack  Murphy, 
and  all  three  were  on  their  way  to  St.  Mary's  college,  Marion  county, 
which  institution  had  been  transferred  a  year  or  two  before  to  the  care 
and  management  of  the  fathers  of  the  society.  With  this  journey 
began  such  knowledge  as  he  has  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  and  his 
acqaintance,  since  much  extended,  with  individual  members  of  an 
organization  that  had  saints  for  its  founders;  that  has  stood  firmly  to 
its  work  in  the  face  of  suspicion  and  distrust;  that  has  sent  its  mission- 
aries into  heathen  lands,  where  it  has  planted  the  seed  of  christian 
faith  and  watered  it  with  the  blood  of  its  martyrs;  that  has  taught  the 
teachers  of  the  world,  and  given  impulse  to  scientific  research;  that 
has  stemmed  the  tide  of  infidelity  and  irreligion  in  the  past,  and  is 
breasting  their  greater  floods  in  the  present ;  that  has  regarded  neither 
suspicion,  nor  aspersion,  nor  persecution,  but  has  kept  its  course,  here 
smooth,  and  there  obstructed  by  stones  of  derision  ;  has  been  driven 
out  of  one  country  but  to  set  up  its  tabernacles  in  another,  and, 
wherever  permitted,  has  always  heaped  benefits  on  humanity. 

Twice  in  the  history  of  the  church  in  Kentucky  have  thtf  Jesuit 
fathers  been  welcomed  to  the  State,  and  twice  have  they  removed 
hence  and  given  to  others  the  benefits  of  their  labors.* 

*  Why  it  was  that  the  work  of  the  Jesuits  in  Kentucky  was  interrupted  and 
finally  abandoned,  is  a  question  that  I  can  scarcely  be  considered  competent 
to  answer.  Bishop  Flaget,  by  whom  they  were  first  invited  to  the  diocese,  as 
I  have  strong  motives  for  believing,  was  sincerely  grieved  when,  in  1846,  he  was 
told  that  they  had  been  ordered  elsewhere.  The  sentiments  of  his  coadjutor, 
Rt.  Rev.  G.  I.  Chabrat,  were  at  least  supposed  to  be  just  the  reverse.  As  before 
and  afterwards,  there  were  then  clergymen  in  the  diocese  whose  convictions, 
honestly  entertained,  no  doubt,  were  opposed  to  any  transfer  of  its  educational 
establishments  to  the  control  of  ecclesiastics  who  were  subject  to  other  author- 
ity than  that  of  the  ordinary.  Neither  is  it  unlikely  that  there  were  those 
amongst  them  who  had  inherited  prejudices  against  a  body  of  religious  that 

2; 


386  THE    JESUITS    AT   ST.   MARY'S. 

It  was  most  likely  in  the  year  1827,  and  by  the  agency  of  Rev. 
Robert  A.  Abell,  who  was  then  in  France,  that  Bishop  Flaget  made  the 
proffer  of  St.  Joseph's  college,  Bardstown,  to  the  French  fathers  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus.  At  that  precise  time,  however,  the  provincial  of  the 
society  found  himself  unable  to  accept  the  charge.  It  might  be,  he 
said,  that  he  would  be  able  to  comply  with  the  bishop's  wishes  at  a 
later  day.  Soon  afterwards  the  society  was  deprived  of  its  colleges  by 
the  action  of  the  French  government,  which  left  many  of  its  members 
free  to  accept  positions  in  other  countries  than  France.  Without  wait- 
ing for  advice  from  Dr.  Flaget,  the  provincial  of  the  society  dispatched 
four  members  of  the  order  to  America,  with  directions  to  present  them- 
selves for  duty  before  the  bishop  of  Bardstown.  These  were,  Revs. 
Peter  Chazelle,  P.  Ladaviere  and  Nicholas  Petit,  and  Philip  Corne,  a 
lay-brother.  The  expenses  of  the  journey  were  defrayed  by  the  Society 
of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  at  Lyons.  They  reached  New  Orleans 
by  way  of  Guadaloupe,  in  the  last  week  of  February,  1831,  where  they 
were  induced  by  Dr.  de  Neckere  to  remain  until  the  close  of  the  lenten 
season  of  that  year.  From  this  point,  Father  Chazelle,  the  superior  of 
the  detachment,  wrote  to  Bishop  Flaget  to  announce  their  coming,  and 
to  explain  why  they  had  been  delayed. 

In  the  meantime,  an  organization  of  officers  and  professors  taken 
from  the  ranks  of  the  secular  clergy  of  the  diocese  had  been  effected 
for  St.  Joseph's  college,  with  Rev.  I.  A.  Reynolds'at  their  head,  and  as 
the  institution  was  fairly  prosperous,  the  complications  that  would  arise 
from  its  immediate  transfer  to  the  Jesuit  fathers  were  regarded  by 
Bishop  Flaget  as  too  formidable  to  admit  of  any  serious  thought  in 
that  direction.  In  his  letter  of  reply  to  Father  Chazelle,  however,  the 
bishop  urged  him  and  his  companions  to  come  on.  He  told  them 
that,  though  he  was  unable  to  renew  in  effect  the  proffer  he  had  made 
four  years  before,  he  was  most  anxious  to  secure  their  services  for  his 
diocese.  After  the  Easter  holidays.  Fathers  Chazelle  and  Petit  contin- 
ued their  journey  and  reached  Bardstown  in  due  season.  Kindness, 
under  all  circumstances,  was  natural  to  Bishop  Flaget,  but  his  welcome 
to  those  French  Jesuits  was  something  to  fill  them  with  wonder.  He 
explained  to  them  how  hampered  he  was  in  his  ability  to  serve  his 
people,  and  how  opportune  would  be  their  assistance,  if  they  might, 
temporarily  at  least,  give  themselves  up  to  missionary  duty  under  his 
direction.  It  pleased  them  to  feel  that  compliance  with  the  bishop's 
wishes  was  possible  to  them  until  they  could  learn  the  will  of  their 

had  been  systematically  misrepresented  in  the  life-time  of  their  fathers,  and 
by  men  who  had  some  reputation  for  fairness.  Again  invited  to  the  diocese, 
in  1847,  they  took  charge  of  St.  Joseph's  college  and  church,  Bardstown,  in 
September  of  the  following  year  ;  but  they  again  abandoned  the  State  in  1868, 
this  time,  as  is  said,  because  erf  a  misunderstanding  between  themselves  and 
the  then  administrator  of  the  diocese,  the  late  Very  Rev.  B.  J.  Spalding,  who 
was  unwilling,  during  the  vacancy  of  the  See,  to  modify  certain  stipulations 
of  their  original  contract  with  Bishop  Flaget,  about  which  negotiations  had 
been  long  previously  pending, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY  387 

superior.  Father  Petit,  who  had  a  fair  knowledge  of  EngUsh,  was 
made  assistant  pastor  of  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  under  his  after 
associate  of  the  society,  then  a  secular  priest.  Rev.  H.  C.  de  Luynes ; 
and  Father  Chazelle  was  placed  in  a  position  to  become  famiUar  with 
the  spoken  language  of  the  country. 

This  arrangement  lasted  till  the  close  of  the  college  session,  July 
20th,  1 83 1.  Doubtful  of  their  line  of  duty,  the  fathers  sought  the 
advice  of  Bishop  Flaget,  and  he,  equally  doubtful  of  the  points  sub- 
mitted to  his  decision  and  of  his  own  competency  as  an  adviser,  pro- 
posed that  he  should  himself  ^ unite  with  the  two  fathers  in  a  novena  to 
St.  Ignatius,  to  close  on  the  feast  of  the  founder  of  their  society,  to 
the  end  that,  through  the  intercession  of  that  glorious  saint,  God 
might  dispose  of  them  and  their  affairs  to  His  greater  glory.  Before 
the  novena  was  finished,  the  bishop  had  received  a  most  unexpected 
letter  from  Rev.  William  Byrne  of  St.  Mary's  college,  proposing  the 
transfer  of  that  flourishing  institution  to  the  Jesuit  fathers.  His  prop- 
osition looked  to  no  pecuniary  consideration  whatever;  but  he 
stipulated  that  he  was  himself  to  remain  president  of  the  college  for  one 
year  after  its  transfer,  in  order  that  the  new  officers  might  have  time  to 
learn  the  country  and  the  character  of  the  students.  This  proffer 
solved  the  difficulty  for  the  bishop  ;  but  before  the  fathers  could  finally 
accept,  they  had  to  await  the  approval  of  Father  Roothan,  then  general 
of  the  society,  whose  letter  of  assent  only  reached  the  hands  of 
Father  Chazelle,  on  the  7th  of  July,  1832.  The  latter  entered  upon 
his  duties  in  the  college  at  once,  however,  and  there  awaited  the 
decision  of  Father  P«.oothan. 

REV.    PETER    CHAZELLE. 

Father  Peter  Chazelle,  a  native  of  France,  was  born  January  12th, 
1789.  He  was  educated  and  ordained  for  the  secular  ministry,  and 
his  first  appointment  was  to  the  chaplaincy  of  the  celebrated  military 
school  of  Lafleche,  in  France.  He  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  in 
March,  1822,  and  he  was  president  of  the  college  of  Montmorillon, 
when  a  decree  of  the  government  closed  the  colleges  to  the  Jesuits 
throughout  the  country.  He  was  a  man  of  wonderful  energy,  and 
his  whole  life  was  but  an  exhibition  of  uprightness  and  faithfulness  to 
duty.  In  Father  Byrne,  he  found  a  man  after  his  own  heart.  Both 
held  in  like  estimation  the  attractions  of  the  world  and  the  pleasures  of 
sense.  With  both,  "Christ  and  Him  crucified"  was  at  once  the 
supreme  source  and  the  supreme  object  of  all  their  earthly  strivings. 
For  a  brief  while,  they  lived  together,  labored  together  and  practiced 
together  the  virtues  of  self-denial  and  love  of  God  and  men,  and  when  the 
one,  his  labors  wrought  and  his  race  run,  was  laid  at  rest  in  his  honored 
grave,  the  other  appeared  to  take  upon  himself,  together  with  his  own, 
his  dead  friend's  duties.  If  ever  a  man  was  fitted  to  continue  and 
perfect  a  work  well  begun,  Father  Chazelle  was  so  fitted  by  nature  and 
grace  to  become  the  promoter  and  guardian  of  the  work  so  begun  by 
Father  Byrne,  at  St.  Mary's. 


388  THE   JESUITS    AT    ST.    MARY's. 

Upon  the  death  of  its  founder,  Father  Chazelle  tooK  charge  of  the 
college,  of  which  he  was  president  until  the  close  of  the  session  of  1839. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  he  went  to  Montreal,  Canada,  to  con- 
duct a  spiritual  retreat  for  the  clergy  of  that  diocese.  He  remained  in 
Canada  for  several  years,  and  there,  in  1842,  successfully  arranged  for 
the  estabUshment  of  a  house  of  the  order  in  Montreal.  It  was  not 
until  the  following  year,  however,  that  this  house  was  occupied  by 
members  of  the  society.  Father  Chazelle's  last  days  were  spent 
among  the  Indians  who  had  their  homes  along  the  borders  of  Lakes 
Superior  and  Michigan — spots  made  famous  by  Marquette  and  his  com- 
panions two  centuries  ago.  This  saintly  and  devoted  priest  closed  his 
noble  life  of  toil  and  self-sacrifice  for  the  good  of  souls  at  Green  Bay, 
on  September  4th,  1845.  He  was  a  most  edifying  priest  and  religious, 
and  by  all  to  whom  he  was  known  he  was  esteemed  for  his  sanctity,  his 
zeal  and  his  remarkable  charity  to  the  poor  and  the  afflicted.  He  was 
known  to  take  his  shoes  from  his  feet  and  give  them  to  the  needy. 
Many  an  orphan  and  many  a  widow,  both  in  Kentucky  and  Canada, 
still  lives  to  remember  and  love  this  holy  missionary  for  his  great  heart, 
with  its  untiring  goodness.  He  gave  up  his  comforts,  and  even  the 
pleasures  of  a  home  and  companionship  with  loved  ones,  in  order  to 
dedicate  the  best  energies  of  his  noble  nature,  still  more  exalted  by 
gifts  of  grace,to  a  life  of  privation  and  hardships,  to  the  end  that  he 
might  contribute  to  the  advancement  of  his  brethren  in  virtue  and 
religion. 

Upon  the  resumption  of  classes  in  September,  1833,  Father  Cha- 
zelle became  president,  and  the  title  of  the  institution  was  changed  to 
St.  Mary^s  college.  Such  had  been  its  popular  title,  indeed,  for  years 
preceding  the  death  of  its  founder.  The  faculty  now  comprised :  Revs. 
Peter  Chazelle,  Nicholas  Petit,  Thomas  Legouais,  Vital  Gilles,  Simon 
Fouche  and  Evremond  Harrissart.  The  two  latter.  Frenchmen  by 
birth,  were  recruits  to  the  order  from  the  secular  clergy  of  the  diocese. 
The  three  last  named  were  all  personally  known  to  the  writer,  and  hap- 
pily, he  is  enabled,  principally  through  information  conveyed  to  him  by 
those  who  knew  them  still  better,  to  give  to  his  readers  the  annexed 
short  biographical  sketches  of  their  lives : 

Rev.  Nicholas  Petit  was  born  on  the  island  of  Hayti  on  the  8th  of 
July,  1789.  His  father  was  a  rich  Creole  planter,  originally  from 
Lyons,  France,  and  he  lost  his  life  in  the  general  massacre  of  the 
French  by  the  negroes  of  the  island,  in  1793.  ^l^s  mother  fled  the 
country  with  her  children  and  went  to  Baltimore,  where,  having  lost 
everything  in  the  catastrophe  that  had  deprived  her  of  a  husband,  she 
was  content,  in  order  to  gain  a  livelihood,  to  open  and  conduct  a  board- 
ing-school for  young  ladies.  Nicholas  attended  the  schools  of  the  Sul- 
pician  fathers,  and  as  the  family  remained  in  Baltimore  for  nine 
years,  the  lad  became  in  time  just  as  proficient  in  the  use  of  the  Eng- 
lish language  as  any  of  his  playmates  or  school  companions.  He  was 
twelve  years  of  age  when  his  mother  determined  to  return  to  France; 
and,  his  after  education  being  prosecuted  in  the  mother  country,  in  a 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  389 

very  short  time  he  had  forgotten  all  that  he  had  previously  learned  of 
the  spoken  language  of  the  United  States.  He  was  educated  for  the 
holy  ministry  in  France,  and  was  there  ordained  priest.  He  became  a 
member  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  on  the  15th  of  January,  181 6,  about  six 
months  after  the  re-establishment  of  the  order  by  Pius  VH;  and  he 
labored  for  many  years  in  the  fruitful  missions  by  which  piety  and  faith 
in  France  were  so  greatly  advanced  after  the  restoration  of  the  Bour- 
bons. 

When,  in  company  with  Father  Chazelle  in  1830,  he  reached  the 
United  States,  he  supposed  it  would  be  necessary  for  him  to  begin 
again  the  study  of  the  English  language,  but  he  found,  even  before  he 
had  reached  Bardstown,  that  his  knowledge  of  the  idiom  was  not 
dead,  but  had  only  slept.  For  the  reason,  possibly,  that  he  had  much 
experience  as  a  missionary  priest,  Father  Petit  was  given  charge  of  the 
church  of  St.  Charles,  near  the  college,  a  position  which  he  retained 
while  the  Jesuits  remained  in  Kentucky.  He  also  paid  periodical  visits 
to  the  Catholics  residing  in  and  around  the  town  of  Raywick,  in 
Marion  county,  for  whom,  in  1839,  he  succeeded  in  building  the  present 
church  of  St.  Francis  Xavier.  He  was  among  the  last  of  his  brethren 
to  leave  Kentucky.  He  afterwards  labored  in  the  houses  of  the  order 
in  New  York  with  much  zeal  and  fidelity,  and  his  death  took  place  in 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  on  the  ist  day  of  February,  1855.* 

Rev.  Simon  Fouche  was  born  on  the  9th  of  May,  1789,  supposably 
in  Paris.  Having  lost  both  parents  when  he  was  quite  young,  he  was 
taken  in  charge  by  M.  Maignan,  who  was  his  uncle,  and  a  Catholic 
priest.  The  revolution  coming  on,  M.  Maignan  had  the  courage  to 
remain  in  Paris,  where  he  continued  to  live  in  the  midst  of  those  who, 
had  they  known  his  character,  would  have  been  well  pleased  to  com- 
pass his  death.  Knowing  the  horrible  penalties  to  which  he  would  be 
subjected  if  his  passive  recusancy  were  discovered,  he  kept  himself 
concealed.  He  labored  assiduously  for  the  good  of  souls ;  but  in 
order  to  be  less  liable  to  discovery  by  the  officials  of  the  revolutionary 
government,  he  changed  his  name,  adopted  a  trade,  took  with  him  his 
sister,  who  passed  for  his  wife,  and  little  Simon,  then  four  or  five  years 
old,  who  was  supposed  to  be  their  child. 

Father  Fouche  sometimes  told  strange  stories  of  that  period  to  his 
more  intimate  friends :  How  he  remembered  all  the  civic  dinners, 
spread  in  the  streets  and  public  squares  of  the  city,  of  which  every 
body  had  to  partake;  how  his  supposed  father  belonged  to  the  national 
guard,  and  had  often  to  go  on  duty  with  his  accoutrements  and  mus- 
ket ;  how  meanwhile  he  said  his  mass,  heard  confessions,  and  admin- 
istered the  sacraments  to  many  who  remained  good  christians  in  the 

*My  remembrance  of  Father  Petit  extends  to  the  time  when  he  was  assistant 
pastor  of  the  cathedral  parish,  Bardstown,  in  1831.  In  the  discharge  of  his 
pastoral  duties  he  was  as  zealous  as  he  was  efficient.  Though  not  above  the 
average  height  of  men,  he  was  of  a  full  habit.  In  Kentucky  he  was  called 
Louis;  in  New  York,  Nicholas.  I  naturally  suppose  that  both  names  belonged 
to  him. 


30O  THE  JESUITS   AT   ST.  MARY*S. 

midst  of  the  most  appalling  scenes.  This  courageous  pnest  had  the 
honor,  even,  of  giving  the  last  sacraments  to  poor  Marie  Antoinette 
the  very  night  previous  to  her  execution.  This  circumstance  has  been 
well  ascertained,  and  it  is  now  admitted  as  a  historical  fact.  It  was 
managed  by  his  sister,  his  supposed  wife,  who,  in  order  to  do  good, 
was  so  inflamed  with  christian  courage  as  to  dare  mix  with  the  worst 
characters  of  the  revolution.  How  she  did  it  may  never  be  known, 
but  it  is  certain  that  she  obtained  from  the  keeper  of  the  Conciergerie, 
where  the  Queen  was  imprisoned,  permission  to  introduce  her  own 
brother  into  Marie  Antoinette's  cell  at  night.  M.  Maignan  did  not 
content  himself  with  bringing  to  his  wretched  Queen  the  Holy  Eucha- 
rist concealed  on  his  person,  but  he  actually  said  mass  in  her  cell 
directly  after  midnight,  and  the  two  municipal  officers  charged  with 
the  care  of  the  prisoner  profited  by  the  occasion  to  confess  to  him  their 
sins,  and  they,  too,  received  the  Holy  Communion  from  his  hands. 
M.  Maignan  died  Cure  de  St.  Germain  I  Auxerrois,  Paris.  "  It  is  well," 
remarks  the  venerable  ecclesiastic  to  whom  the  writer  is  indebted  for 
the  above  facts,  "that  your  readers  should  know  something  of  the  race 
to  which  Father  Fouche  belonged."  In  his  new  life  as  a  Jesuit,  Father 
Fouche  was  almost  continuously  employed  as  procurator  and  professor. 
While  at  St.  Mary's,  he  was  for  a  long  time  the  spiritual  director  of 
the  Sisterhood  of  Loretto  at  the  mother-house  of  the  society,  only  a 
few  miles  distant  from  the  college.  He  removed  to  Fordham  with  his 
brethren  of  the  Society  in  1846,  where  his  death  took  place  as  late  as 
the  year  1878. 

Rev.  Evremond  Harrissart  was  bom  in  Paris  about  the  year  1792. 
He  had  no  remembrance  of  the  times  of  the  revolution  in  his  native 
country.  When  Bishop  Flaget  induced  him  to  come  to  Kentucky,  he 
was  attached  to  the  pastorate  of  one  of  the  churches  in  Paris.  For  a 
protracted  period  after  he  came  to  the  diocese  he  was  one  of  the 
professors  of  St.  Joseph's  college.  After  his  entry  into  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  he  was  chiefly  employed  on  missions,  and  many  of  these  were 
given  by  him  in  different  parts  of  the  State.  He  was  also  assistant 
pastor  of  the  church  of  St.  Charles  and  of  the  congregation  at  Ray- 
wick.  From  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  as  a  member  of  the  society 
he  strove  with  much  earnestness  to  promote  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
families  entrusted  to  his  charge,  and,  as  a  consequence.,  he  became 
with  these  the  object  of  the  rarest  love  and  reverence.  During  the 
fatal  cholera  epidemic  of  1833  ^^  the  neighborhood  of  the  college,  his 
time  was  wholly  given  to  visitations  of  the  sick.  Untouched  himself 
by  any  symptom  of  the  malady,  he  moved  rapidly  through  the  district 
while  the  epidemic  was  at  its  worst,  and,  as  the  writer  has  been 
assured,  not  a  single  one  of  its  victims  was  permitted  to  die  without  the 
grace  of  the  sacraments.  Father  Evremond  returned  to  France  about 
the  year  1844,  where  he  died  some  years  later.* 

*0f  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  of  Bardstown  who  were  familiar  to  my  sight 
in  boyhood,  my  memory  retains  not  impressions  of  other  two  more  distinctly 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  391 

It  should  have  been  stated  in  the  proper  place  that  Fathers 
Legouais  and  Gilles,  together  with  a  Father  Maguire,  who  died  of 
cholera  only  a  few  days  after  the  death  of  Father  Byrne,  had  reached 
the  country  from  France  on  the  ist,  and  the  college  on  the  13th,  of 
May,  1832.  About  the  same  time  Brother  Corne,  who  had  remained 
in  Louisiana  subject  to  the  direction  of  his  superior,  arrived  at  the  col- 
lege and  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  farm  and  supply  department  of 
the  institution.* 

Under  the  joint  management  of  Fathers  Chazelle  and  Byrne  the 
college  had  been  fairly  successful,  and  now  a  brilliant  future  appeared 
to  be  opening  before  it.  Pupils  flocked  to  the  school  from  all  quarters ; 
but  before  the  session  of  1833-34,  was  fairly  begun  an  untoward  event 
necessitated  the  return  of  all  of  them  to  their  homes.  The  main  col- 
lege building  took  fire  and  was  burned  to  the  ground.  The  fathers 
were  not  discouraged  by  the  calamity,  and  inside  of  a  single  month  the 
disaster  was  repaired.  Shortly  afterwards,  indeed — so  healthy  was  the 
patronage  the  college  was  receiving  from  Kentucky  and  the  adjoining 
States — another  wing  was  added  by  them  to  their  establishment,  f 

than  of  Fathers  Fouche  and  Evremond.  I  have  vainly  tried  to  fix  a  date  when 
they  were  unknown  to  me.  It  must  have  been  after  1822  and  before  1825  that 
they  appeared  together  as  officials  of  St.  Joseph's  college,  Bardstown,  in  which 
institution  I  was  a  pupil  at  the  time.  I  know  that  they  were  both  attached  to 
the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  served  at  its  altars,  attended  its  confessionals  and 
instructed  the  people  from  its  pulpit.  They  were  both  men  of  learning  and 
piety,  and  both  exemplified  in  their  manner  of  life  the  sacerdotal  virtues  that 
became  them  as  administrators  of  divine  things.  They  came  to  the  country 
and  the  diocese  together;  they  labored  together  for  the  welfare  of  souls;  they 
walked  the  seminary  _  lawn  and  recited  the  canonical  office  together,  and 
together  they  were  associated  in  the  minds  of  all  who  had  the  happiness  of 
knowing  tliem.  There  was  nothing,  however,  alike  in  their  personal  appear- 
ance. Father  Evremond  was  tall  and  spare,  of  an  ascetic  cast  of  features,  and 
grave  in  both  speech  and  manner.  His  addresses  from  the  pulpit  were  distin- 
guished by  a  deliberativeness  of  delivery  that  would  have  been  painful  but  for 
the  unction  and  earnestness  by  which  they  were  also  characterized.  Father 
Fouch6,  on  the  contrary,  was  almost  diminutive  in  stature.  He  was  vivacious 
in  both  action  and  speech,  and  he  was  altogether  what  is  understood  by  the 
term  companionable.  Both  spoke  with  a  strong  French  accent,  but  so  as  to  be 
well  understood  by  their  English-speaking  hearers. 

*  Brother  Corne,  judging  by  what  I  have  heard  concerning  him  from  sur- 
viving members  of  the  society  to  whom  he  was  known,  and  from  pupils  of  the 
institution  of  a  half  century  ago,  must  have  been  a  man  of  rare  virtues  and  of 
still  rarer  capabilities  as  a  servitor.  Venerable  fathers  of  the  society  still 
living,  and  many  others  who  were  familiar  with  his  humble  life  and  saintly 
habits,  are  to  this  day  eloquent  in  their  praises  of  the  christian  excellencies  of 
his  character. 

tThe  college  exhibitions  of  1834-35  were  specially  interesting  occasions  for 
the  people  of  Marion  county  and  for  non-resident  visitors.  The  particular 
reason  for  this,  in  each  case,  was  a  dramatic  representation  gotten  up  for  the 
students  by  the  president,  the  text  of  which  is  said  to  have  exhibited  points  of 
merit  far  beyond  those  by  which  men  have  before  now  earned  the  guerdon  of 
celebrity.  Father  Chazelle's  dramas  of  "Red  Hawk"  and  "The  Treason  of 
Arnold,"  if  the  half  be  true  I  have  heard  concerning  them,  should  have  been 
preserved  and  published.     It  is  more  than  likely,  however,  that  having  served 


392  THE   JESUITS    AT   ST.   MARY's. 

From  this  time  forth,  till  the  Jesuit  Fathers  first  left  Kentucky,  in 
1846,  the  prosperity  and  influence  of  St.  Mary's  college  continued  to 
advance.  Before  following  further  the  history  of  the  institution  while 
controlled  by  the  Jesuit  fathers,  the  writer  would  here  refer  to  the  Hves 
and  personal  characteristics  of  two  members  of  the  faculty  of  the 
college  whom  he  has  as  yet  only  mentioned. 

Father  Vital  Gilles  was  born  near  Mendes,  in  the  south  of  France, 
on  the  2ist  of  December,  1787,  and  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus 
October  2d,  1823.  He  was  too  old  when  he  arrived  in  Kentucky  to 
acquire  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  English  language,  and  this  fact  in 
some  degree  restricted  his  usefulness  as  a  tutor  of  English-speaking 
boys.  In  the  higher  caUing  of  his  sacred  ministry  his  labors  were 
asincessankas  they  were  profitable  to  the  many  who,  in  the  congrega- 
tion of  St.  Charles,  and  in  that  of  St.  Augustin,  Lebanon,  confided  to 
him  the  direction  of  their  consciences.  He  never  left  the  college 
except  on  errands  of  duty  or  mercy,  sometimes  as  far  as  Lebanon,  but 
generally  among  the  families  living  in  St.  Charles'  congregation.  "It 
can  be  said  of  him,"  writes  an  esteemed  friend  and  correspondent, 
"  that  he  embalmed  the  country  around  the  college  with  the  fragrance 
of  his  holiness."  In  preaching,  he  was  certainly  not  always  well  under- 
stood; but  no  one  was  ever  heard  to  complain  on  that  account.  His 
countenance  was  as  a  glass  in  which  men  could  see  reflected  beckoning 
lights  to  lead  them  to  the  elevated  plane  of  virtue  upon  which  his  own 
feet  were  securely  resting.  Father  Gilles  belonged  to  the  province  of 
Lyons,  and  shortly  after  leaving  Kentucky  with  his  associates  of  St. 
Mary's,  he  was  ordered  to  Louisiana  by  his  superiors,  where  he  was 
for  several  years  chaplain  of  the  convent  of  the  Sacred  Heart  in  the 
parish  of  St.  James.  His  last  years  were  spent  at  the  Jesuit  college  in 
Baton  Rouge,  where  he  died  of  yellow  fever  about  the  last  of  August, 
1855.  One  who  was  with  him  at  the  time  writes  me  thus  concerning 
his  death:  "  I  had  heard  him  say,  two  weeks  before  his  summons,  that 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  praying  for  a  hard  agony.  He  had  his  desire, 
his  agony  lasting  from  3  till  9  o'clock  a.  m.  Without  a  change  of  position, 
with  a  crucifix  clasped  to  his  heart,  and  only  supported  by  the  con- 
templation of  His  agony  who  had  by  His  death  opened  to  him  and  to 
all  His  faithful  disciples  a  passage-way  to  heaven,  he  awaited  patiently 
the  moment  of  his  dissolution." 

Rev.  Thomas  Eugene  Legouais  was  born  in  Nantes,  France, 
April  26th,  1793,  and  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus,  October  21st, 
1 82 1.  He  was  even  smaller  of  stature  than  his  associate.  Father 
Fouche,  but  not  a  giant  could  have  owned  a  more  expansive  heart. 
So  holy  was  his  life  that  he  was  revered  as  a  saint  by  the  Catholic  peo- 
ple of  the  vicinity  and  by  the  pupils  of  the  college.  His  time  was 
given  to  teaching  and  to  the  direction  of  the  consciences  of  the 
younger  pupils  of  the  house.     For  this  kind  of  ministry,  so  import- 

the  purpose  for  which  they  were  written,  the  humble  and  diffident  author  com- 
mitted the  sheets  to  the  flames. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  393 

ant  in  all  Catholic  institutions  of  learning,  he  was  especiaMy  fitted  by 
nature,  experience  and  grace.*  For  many  years  Father  Legouais  was 
connected  with  the  faculty  of  St.  John's  college,  Fordham,  New  York, 
where  after  a  long  life  of  self-sacrifice  and  earnest  christian  work,  he 
passed  away  peacefully  on  the  i6th  of  May,  1875. 

On  the  1 2th  of  January,  1836,  the  faculty  of  St.  Mary's  college 
was  greatly  strengthened  by  the  accession  to  its  ranks  of  Fathers 
William  Stack  Murphy  and  Nicholas  Point.  Since  the  death  of 
Father  Maguire,  immediately  following  that  of  Father  Byrne,  there 
had  not  been  a  single  professor  in  the  college  who  was  able  to  claim 
the  English  as  his  mother  tongue.  They  were  all  men  of  learning,  to 
be  sure,  but  all  of  them,  with  the  exception,  possibly,  of  Father  Petit, 
spoke  the  language  with  a  decided  French  accent ;  and  it  is  not  likely 
that  any  of  them  had  much  knowledge  of  English  literature.  The 
prime  want  of  the  establishment  was  supplied  when  his  superiors  sent 
Father  Murphy  to  the  assistance  of  his  brethren  of  St.  Mary's.  In 
the  matters  of  literary  taste  and  classic  scholarship  he  had  few  equals. 
He  had  much  distinguished  himself  in  France  as  an  adept  in  the 
ancient  classics,  especially  in  the  Latin  authors.  But,  what  was  even 
more  important  in  his  present  position,  he  was  a  complete  master  of 
English  Hterature.  It  is  doubtful,  indeed,  if  there  was  another  in  the 
country  at  the  time  who  knew  better  the  capabiHties  of  his  vernacular. f 

Father  Nicholas  Point  was  also  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  col- 
lege. He  instructed  classes  in  drawing  and  painting,  in  which  arts  he 
was  singularly  proficient.  He  remained  but  a  short  time  in  the  insti- 
tution, however,  being  drawn  by  inclination  to  ministerial  work.     He 

*It  is  related  of  Father  Legouais  that  he  once  mistook  an  innocent  boy 
among  the  members  of  his  class  for  one  who  had  been  guilty  of  some  infringe- 
ment of  the  rules,  and  it  was  only  after  the  youth  had  been  punished  that 
he  was  made  aware  of  the  error  he  had  committed.  Asking  the  boy  to  accom- 
pany him  to  the  adjacent  woods,  he  there  fell  upon  his  knees  before  him  and 
implored  his  forgiveness. 

t  "William  Stack  Murphy  was  born  in  Cork,  Ireland,  where  his  family 
occupied  a  commanding  position.  His  father,  if  I  mistake  not,  was  at  one 
time  a  member  of  the  British  Parliament,  and  he  had  an  uncle  who  was  bishop 
of  Cork.  His  elder  brother,  Frank,  better  known  as  Sergeant  Murphy,  was  an 
eminent  lawyer,  and  a  man  whose  wit  and  genial  disposition  won  for  him  an 
enviable  notoriety  both  in  England  and  Ireland.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  educated  at  the  Jesuit  college  near  Amiens,  France,  and  joined  the 
society  at  the  close  of  his  college  course.  Like  other  members  of  his  family  he 
was  possessed  of  a  ready  wit,  conjoined  to  an  amiable  disposition.  I  have  met 
with  few  men  who  could  render  themselves  more  charming  in  conversation. 
He  had  a  great  store  of  anecdotes,  and  these  he  was  in  the  habit  of  repeating 
at  proper  times,  much  to  the  interest  and  amusement  of  his  more  intimate 
friends.  He  was  an  effective  preacher,  and  a  pleasing  one.  To  his  many 
acquirements  and  amiable  characteristics,  there  was  added  in  Father  Murphy 
the  still  nobler  gift  of  true  virtue,  and  also  zeal  for  the  good  of  his  neighbor. 
His  office  in  the  college  after  September  1st,  1836,  was  that  of  supervisor  of 
studies.  He  also  took  charge  of  the  rhetoric  class.  In  1839  he  became 
president  of  the  school,  a  position  which  he  retained  until  the  removal  of  the 
fathers  to  New  York. 


394  THE   JESUITS   AT   ST.   MARY*S. 

was  sent  at  his  own  request  to  the  Indian  missions  of  the  North-west, 
where  he  labored  assiduously  and  died  holily. 

In  1837,  at  the  instance  of  the  late  John  Finn,  Esq.,  of  Franklin, 
Kentucky,  whose  son  was  a  pupil  of  St.  Mary's,  application  was 
made  to  the  legislature  of  the  State  for  a  charter  of  incorporation  for 
the  college,  including  the  power  to  confer  academic  degrees.  Accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Finn,  who  was  himself  a  member  of  the  legislature,  and 
also  by  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell,  Father  Murphy  proceeded  to  Frank- 
fort, and,  in  a  few  days  thereafter,  the  bill  of  incorporation  was  passed 
and  signed  by  Gov.  Clark.* 

In  1838  the  corporation  bought  an  adjoining  farm  and  erected  upon 
it  a  noviciate  building.  The  same  year  this  was  opened  under  the 
mastership  of  Father  Gilles.  The  first  novice  of  the  order  in  Ken- 
tucky was  Michael  DriscoU,  who  became  in  time  a  most  useful  priest  of 
the  society,  t 

On  the  15th  of  January,  1839,  the  college  faculty  was  further 
strengthened  by  the  arrival  from  France  of  Rev.  Augustus  Thebaud, 
and,  shortly  afterwards,  of  Rev.  Peter  Lebreton,  both  of  whom 
remained  at  St.  Mary's  until  the  establishment  passed  from  the  control 
of  the  Jesuits  in  1846.  J 

*On  this  occasion  Father  Abell  was  invited  to  preach  in  the  hall  of  the 
house  of  representatives.  He  accepted  the  invitation  promptly,  and,  being 
in  a  happy  mood,  the  sermon  preached  by  him  was  one  of  the  most  memorable 

of  his  life. 

t  The  circumstances  connected  with  the  application  of  Father  Driscoll  for 
admission  into  the  Society  of  Jesus  should  be  of  more  than  ordinary  interest. 
In  1834  the  young  man  found  employment  as  a  stone-cutter  at  the  convent  and 
academy  of  Nazareth,  near  Bardsiown.  The  late  Rev.  H.  C.  de  Luynes,  himself 
afterwards  a  prominent  member  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  who  was  at  the  time 
confessor  of  the  sisterhood,  happened  to  make  his  acquaintance  and  be  drawn 
into  conversation  with  him.  The  more  he  learned  of  the  man,  the  more 
impressed  he  became  with  the  idea  that  his  true  vocation  was  the  priesthood. 
Of  his  piety  he  was  well  convinced,  and  he  made  experiments  of  his  mental 
capacity  by  asking  him  to  read  and  explain  certain  abstruse  passages  in  a  book 
of  theology  he  proffered  for  his  inspection.  The  answers  he  made  were  so 
conclusive  of  his  talents,  that  the  priest  at  once  sought  admission  for  him  into 
St.  Mary's  collei^e.  Thence,  as  stated  in  the  text,  he  went  into  the  noviciate 
and  was  finally  ordained  priest.  To  an  inquiry  concerning  him  made  five  years 
ago,  a  fellow-priest  of  the  society  thus  answered:  "Father  Driscoll,  aged  and 
infirm,  and  deeply  reverenced  by  his  associates,  is  now  awaiting  in  hope  and 
patience  the  time  when  he  will  be  called  to  the  companionship  of  his  early 
friends  and  patrons  who  have  already  found  rest  from  their  labors."  I  miss  his 
name  from  the  later  issues  of  the  Catholic  directory  of  the  United  States,  and 
hence  infer  that  he  is  no  longer  of  the  living. 

X  Rev.  A.  J.  Thebaud,  referred  to  above,  is  to-day  too  well  known  to  the 
Catholic  public  of  the  United  States,  and  especially  to  the  clergy  of  the  country, 
to  make  it  necessary  for  me  to  say  one  word  in  his  praise.  He  has  used  his  great 
talents  to  the  advantage  of  others,  and  his  admirable  writings  testify  both  to 
his  merits  as  a  scholar  and  to  his  never  tiring  zeal  as  a  minister  of  Christ.  But  he 
has  claims  upon  my  personal  gratitude  which  it  is  meet  I  should  here  acknow- 
ledge. Through  the  interest  he  has  manifested  in  my  labors,  he  has  enabled  me 
to  secure  much  valuable  information  that  I  would  have  vainly  sought  elsewhere. 


CXTHOLICiTY    IN    KENTUCKY.  395 

Possibly,  the  most  important  of  all  the  additions  to  the  ranks  of 
the  Jesuit  fathers  during  their  residence  of  nearly  fourteen  years  in 
Kentucky,  was  the  late  Rev.  John  Larkin.  He  was  a  man  of  not  only 
great  natural  gifts,  but  of  profound  and  varied  learning.  His  applica- 
tion for  admission  into  the  society  was  made  to  Father  Chazelle  while 
the  latter  was  occupied  in  missionary  duty  in  Montreal,  in  1839. 
Father  Larkin  was  at  that  time  a  member  of  the  Sulpician  order,  and 
a  professor  in  the  college  of  Montreal.  He  entered  the  noviciate  of 
the  society  at  St.  Mary's  on  the  23d  of  October,  1839,  and  from  that 
date  till  the  day  of  his  death,  he  was  prominently  identified  with  the 
operations  of  the  society  in  New  York  and  Kentucky.  A  short  sketch 
of  his  life  is  here  appended : 

John  Larkin  was  born  in  the  county  of  Durham,  England,  in  the 
year  1800.  His  classical  studies  were  pursued  at  Ushaw  college,  of 
which  Dr.  Lingard  was  president,  and  he  had  for  a  fellow-pupil  the 
late  Cardinal  Wiseman.  Soon  after  leaving  college  he  undertook  a 
journey  to  Hindostan,  whence  he  returned  a  little  later  and  entered  the 
seminary  of  St.  Sulpice,  Paris.  He  was  ordained  priest  most  likely  in 
1827,  and  three  years  later  was  sent  to  Montreal,  where  he  filled  for 
a  number  of  years  the  chair  of  philosophy  in  the  faculty  of  the  college 
of  the  order  in  that  city.  His  presence  in  the  institution,  known  as 
he  was  for  his  ripe  scholarship  and  his  great  amiabiUty,  marked  an  era 
in  that  renowned  seat  of  learning,  and  gave  to  the  studies  therein  pros- 
ecuted a  fresh  impetus,  especially  to  that  of  the  dead  languages. 

The  regular  term  of  his  noviciate  at  St.  Mary's  was  not  yet  finished, 
when,  together  with  Father  Evremond  Harrissart,  he  was  sent  to  Lou- 
isville to  found  and  take  charge  of  a  day-school  in  that  city,  at  the 
head  of  which  he  remained  until  the  removal  of  the  fathers  to  New 
York.  The  writer's  acquaintance  with  Father  Larkin  during  his  stay 
of  four  years  in  Louisville  was  somewhat  intimate,  and  he  is  not  certain 
that  he  ever  had  knowledge  of  another  in  whose  labors  and  triumphs  he 
took  greater  interest.  Of  his  learning,  he  was  not  then,  nor  is  he  now, 
competent  to  judge.  He  only  knows  that  he  was  esteemed  a  profound 
scholar  by  the  entire  clerical  body  of  the  diocese.  Of  certain  of  his 
accomplishments  and  capabilities,  however,  he  will  at  least  claim  the 
right  to  speak.  As  a  lecturer  before  English-speaking  people  he  was 
captivating.  Twice  during  his  residence  in  Louisville  he  accepted  invi- 
tations to  lecture  before  promiscuous  assemblages,  and  on  both  occa- 

I  only  regret  that  I  have  been  able  to  gather  from  his  correspondence  so  little 
concerning  himself.  I  know,  however,  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  all  to 
whom  he  is  known,  and  that,  though  now  in  the  77th  year  of  his  age,  his  later 
writings  are  no  less  full  of  the  fire  of  intellect  than  they  are  pervaded  by  the 
spirit  of  religion. 

Of  Rev.  Pierre  Marie  Lebreton,  his  associate,  we  learn  that  he  was  born  in 
the  diocese  of  Vannes,  France,  January  26,  1809,  and  entered  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  February  7,  1830.  Before  leaving  Kentucky  he  was  attacked  with  pul- 
monary disease,  and,  shortly  after  his  arrival  in  New  York  he  was  sent  to  Louis- 
iana with  the  hope  that  the  warmer  climate  would  prove  beneficial  to  his  health. 
His  death  took  place  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans  on  the  lOth  of  October,  1848. 


396  THE   JESUITS    AT    ST.   MARY*S. 

sions  he  more  than  fulfilled  the  sanguine  expectations  of  his  friends. 
He  spoke  on  "True  Liberty"  before  a  number  of  companies  of  citizen 
soldiery  encamped  near  the  city,  and  thousands  of  the  populace  who 
had  gathered  there  to  hear  him;  and  again  he  was  called  upon  to 
supply  the  place  of  ex-President  John  Quincy  Adams,  who,  for  some 
sufficient  reason,  was  unable  to  keep  an  appointment  made  by  him  to 
address  the  citizens  of  Louisville.  The  subject  of  his  lecture  on  this 
latter  occasion  was  "  Genius,"  and  it  was  delivered  before  a  large  and 
most  intelligent  audience.  An  incident  that  happened  towards  the 
close  of  the  lecture  will  be  considered  peculiar  by  those  who  are 
ordinarily  rendered  somnolent  by  over-lengthened  discourses.  He  had 
already  spoken  for  two  hours,  and  there  was  no  evidence  of  weariness 
on  the  part  of  his  hearers.  Pausing  suddenly,  he  looked  at  his  watch, 
and  turning  to  his  auditors,  begged  them  to  pardon  him  for  having 
so  long  detained  them.  From  all  parts  of  the  hall  came  the  cry,  "  Go 
on !  go  on  !  "  The  compliment  was  as  deserved  as  it  was  significant 
of  his  extraordinary  oratorical  powers. 

During  the  years  referred  to.  Father  Larkin  often  occupied  the 
pulpit  of  the  church  of  St  Louis,  and  no  one  ever  filled  it  to  better 
effect.  If  one  were  called  upon  to  define  wherein  was  his  greatest 
strength  as  a  preacher,  he  would  have  to  say  that  it  was  in  his  mastery 
over  the  pathetic  in  oratory.  In  a  greater  degree  even  than  either 
Bishop  Flaget  or  Rev.  Geo.  A.  M.  Elder,  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell  or 
Dr.  I.  A.  Reynolds,  all  of  whom  could  at  times  excite  their  listeners 
to  tears,  was  he  recognized  as  a  sympathetic  expounder  of  the  Divine 
Word.  In  depicting  the  scenes  of  the  passion  of  our  Lord,  for  instance, 
he  appeared  to  lose  sight  of  himself  and  his  surroundings  in  the  con- 
templation of  his  Savior's  sufferings.  Nor  was  this  mere  acting.  The 
tears  he  evoked  by  his  pathetic  deUneations  and  pleadings  had  their 
primary  fount  in  his  own  eyes. 

In  Louisville  he  commanded  the  respect  of  everybody,  Protestants 
and  Catholics,  and  the  patrons  of  his  school  of  St.  Ignatius  were 
among  the  most  prominent  residents  of  the  city.  In  New  York  he  was 
employed  principally  in  pastoral  service  and  in  giving  missions.  A 
few  years  preceding  his  death  he  was  intrusted  with  the  delicate  office 
of  visitor  to  the  houses  of  the  society  in  Ireland. 

His  death  was  worthy  of  his  life.  He  fell  at  the  post  of  duty.  On 
the  evening  of  Saturday,  December  nth,  1858,  having  heard  confes- 
sions for  several  hours  in  St.  Francis  Xavier's,  New  York,  he  left  his 
confessional  about  7  o'clock,  in  order  to  take  some  refreshment.  He 
made  no  complaint,  and  seemed  cheerful;  but  the  father  who  was  with 
him  observing  something  unusual  in  his  movements,  asked  him  if  he 
felt  unwell?  Stretching  out  his  hand  toward  his  friend,  he  exclaimed: 
"It  is  all  over  now!"  and  at  that  moment  he  fell  heavily  into  the  arms 
of  his  companion.  He  never  regained  consciousness,  and  in  three 
hours  after,  his  soul  was  at  rest. 

Of  all  the  accessions  to  the  society  in  Kentucky  from  the  body  of 
the  secular  clergy  of  the  diocese,  that  of  Rev.  Hippolyte  Charles  de 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  397 

Luynes  was  undoubtedly  the  most  noteworthy.  He  entered  the  novic- 
iate of  the  society  on  the  15th  of  September,  1841.  He  was  a  man 
of  expansive  intellect,  large  heart  and  great  industry.  He  was  admir- 
able as  a  pastor,  and  for  the  greater  part  of  his  after-life  of  thirty-seven 
years,  he  was  engaged  principally  in  pastoral  work.  Loving  all  in  God, 
he  left  nothing  undone  whereby  he  could  possibly  render  his  ministry 
profitable  to  the  people.  In  Bardstown,  he  was  especially  known  and 
honored  for  his  benevolence.  Having  wherewith  to  relieve  distress,  no 
worthy  person  was  ever  known  to  apply  to  him  in  vain.  His  advice, 
always  judicious,  was  at  the  command  of  all  who  sought  it,  and  the 
very  tones  of  his  voice,  so  indicative  of  the  heart's  sympathy,  were  full 
of  encouragement.  He  was  an  interesting  speaker  always,  and  at 
times  an  eloquent  one.  As  a  writer,  he  was  at  once  graceful  and 
forcible.  He  appeared  to  have  an  intuitive  knowledge  of  what  was 
best  to  be  said,  and  his  judgment  was  never  at  fault  in  respect  to  the 
most  suitable  manner  of  expressing  it. 

Father  de  Luynes  was  born  of  Irish  parents,  in  Paris,  France, 
July  29,  1805.  His  father  had  been  the  agent  in  France  of  the 
United  Irishmen  of  1798,  and  for  that  reason  he  was  unable  to  return 
to  his  own  country.  Having  obtained  his  degrees  in  classical  learn- 
ing, he  studied  for  the  Church  in  the  seminary  of  St.  Sulpice,  and  was 
ordained  priest  in  1830.  The  renowned  Lacordaire  was  a  member  of 
his  class  at  St.  Sulpice,  and  the  two  afterwards  became  intimate 
friends.  They  had  almost  determined,  indeed,  to  unite  for  life  their 
efforts  in  behalf  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Father  de  Luynes,  how- 
ever, was  induced  by  Bishop  Flaget  to  come  to  America.  Reaching 
Bardstown  early  in  1833,  he  was  immediately  given  a  professorship  in 
the  college  of  St.  Joseph.  A  year  or  two  later  he  became  assistant 
pastor,  and  finally  pastor  of  the  cathedral,  which  was  his  position 
immediately  preceding  his  aggregation  to  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

The  writer's  acquaintance  with  Father  de  Luynes  began  in  1836, 
when  the  latter  was  associated  with  other  clergymen  of  the  diocese 
in  the  editorial  conduct  of  the  Catholic  Advocate,  begun  that  year,  of 
which  the  former  was  the  publisher.  In  1838,  Father  du  Luynes 
became  sole  editor,  in  which  position  he  remained  until  the  office  of 
publication  was  removed  from  Bardstown  to  Louisville.  The  relations 
so  begun,  assumed  in  time  the  character  of  intimacy.* 

*  His  friendship,  on  several  occasions,  exhibited  when  I  was  being  soreiy 
tried  by  circumstances  over  which  I  had  no  control,  was  very  dear  to  me.  For 
many  years  after  his  removal  to  New  York,  a  friendly  correspondence  was  kept 
up  between  us.  I  have  looked  over  his  letters,  preserved  to  this  day  as  things 
sacred  to  friendship,  with  the  hope  of  finding  something  in  them  referring  to 
himself  and  his  ministerial  labors  which  would  be  interesting  to  the  readers  of 
this  history.  Nothing  of  the  kind  appears  in  any  of  them.  All  the  references 
are  to  myself,  my  family  and  my  affairs,  and  to  others  of  his  friends  in  Ken- 
tucky. In  New  York,  Father  de  Luynes'  labors  were  confined  to  the  exercise 
of  the  holy  ministry,  first  in  the  little  church  of  the  society  on  Elizabeth 
street,  and  afterwards  at  that  of  St.  Francis  Xavier.  At  times,  however,  he 
labored  in  Brooklyn,  Utica  and  Troy.     He  traveled  extensively,  too,  in  the 


398  THE   JESUITS    AT    ST.   MARY's. 

In  the  year  1842  the  faculty  of  St.  Mary's  college  was  altogether  an 
able  one.  It  was  composed  of  Revs.  W.  S.  Murphy,  John  Larkin,  H. 
C.  de  Luynes,  Augustus  Thebaud,  Simon  Fouche  and  Michael  Dris- 
coll.  Under  the  direction  of  these  able  and  careful  men,  the  insti- 
tute continued  its  flourishing  career,  and  even  grew  in  prosperity. 
Its  patronage  was  only  restricted  by  the  limited  capacity  of  its  already 
greatly  extended  buildings.  Year  by  year  the  fame  of  the  college  had 
brought  to  it  pupils  from  remote  and  still  more  remote  latitudes,  until 
at  length,  there  was  not  a  state  in  the  South  or  West  that  was  not  rep- 
resented in  the  catalogue  of  its  patrons.  Not  only  had  its  branch 
establishment  in  Louisville  become  self-supporting,  but  there  was 
thought  of  purchasing  suitable  grounds  and  erecting  a  college  that 
would  be  an  ornament  to  that  city.* 

The  announcement  made  early  in  1846,  that  the  Jesuits  would  soon 
abandon  the  college  and  the  diocese  together,  was  the  occasion  of  a 
sentiment  of  popular  regret  in  Marion  county  which  was  shared  by  Cath- 
olics generally  all  over  the  State ;  and  when  it  became  definitely  known 
that  the  exodus  had  not  only  been  resolved  upon,  but  that  the  fathers 
had  engaged  themselves  irrevocably  to  accept  the  proffer  of  St.  John's 
college,  Fordham,  made  them  by  Archbishop  Hughes,  there  was  a 
common  belief  among  the  people,  which  was  shared  in  by  at  least  a 
number  of  the  secular  clergy  of  the  diocese,  that  the  result  was  due  to 
some  hostile  action  taken  against  the  fathers  by  Dr.  G.  I.  Chabrat, 
coadjutor-bishop  of  Bardstown. 

The  fathers  of  the  society,  however,  when  questioned  as  to  their 
reasons  for  giving  up  their  establishments  in  Kentucky,  contented 
themselves  by  saying  that  the  proposition  made  to  them  by  the  Arch- 
bishop of  New  York,  insuring  to  them,  as  it  did,  a  much  wider  field  of 
usefulness,  was  one  which  they  were  not  in  conscience  at  liberty  to 
decline. 

While  St.  Mary's  was  controlled  by  the  Jesuit  fathers,  its  alumni 
included  a  number  of  young  men  who  were  afterwards  distinguished 
in  the  various  walks  of  life.  Among  these  were:  Pierce  Grace,  a 
brother  of  the  present  bishop  of  St.  Paul,  a  writer  of  decided  merit; 
Hon.  John  E.  Newman,  afterwards  Judge  of  the  Nelson  circuit  court; 
Governor  J.  Proctor  Knott,  of  Kentucky;  James  Clarke,  a  son  of  Gov- 
ernor Clarke,  of  Kentucky;  Robert  Farrelly,  afterwards  a  lawyer  of 
distinction;  Samuel  Gill,  Esq.,  of  Harrodsburg;  William  Garrard,  Esq., 
of  Garrard  county;  Lombard  Roman,  Esq.,  of  Louisiana;  Hon.  Zach. 

interests  of  the  New  York  establishment  of  the  society,  in  both  Mexico  and 
Chili.  For  years  preceding  his  death  he  had  suffered  from  a  chronic  com- 
plaint, to  the  inroads  of  which  he  finally  succumbed  on  the  20th  of  Tanuarv. 
1878.  J  /. 

*This  idea  was  carried  out  to  the  extent  of  the  purchase  of  an  acre  of 
ground  on  First  street,  and  the  laying  of  the  foundations  of  the  proposed 
academy  building  in  1843.  Father  John  Larkin  was  assisted  in  the  school  at 
the  time  by  the  after  capable  president  of  St.  John's  college,  Fordham  (not 
then  in  holy  orders).  Rev,  F,  W.  Gockeln.      This  property  was  resold  in  1844. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY,  399 

Montgomery,  of  California.  Among  the  graduates  of  the  college  who 
afterwards  became  priests  may  be  named  Rev.  Walter  H.  Hill,  S.  J.; 
Rev.  John  Ryan,  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville;  Rev.  James  Graves,  S. 
J.  ;  Rev.  Michael  Driscoll,  S.  J.,  and  Rev.  J.  A.  Kelly,  O.  P. 

The  year  succeeding  the  departure  of  the  Jesuit  fathers  saw  St. 
Mary's  college  transferred  again  to  the  charge  of  the  seculars  of  the 
diocese.  The  succession  of  its  several  presidents  thence-forward,  and 
until  1869,  when  the  institution  again  closed  its  career  under  secular 
control,  is  as  follows:  Rev.  Julian  Delaune,  Rev.  John  McGuire,  Rev. 
J.  B.  Hutchins,  Rev.  Francis  Lawler,  Rev.  P.  J.  Lavialle,  Rev.  A. 
Viala.  Finally,  in  September,  1871,  an  order  new  to  the  diocese,  the 
Fathers  of  the  Resurrection,  under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  L.  Elena,  C. 
R. ,  reopened  the  time-honored  college.  Under  the  careful  financier- 
ing of  Rev.  D.  Fennessy,  C.  R.,  aided  by  a  select  corps  of  officers, 
lay,  secular  and  religious,  since  1873,  St.  Mary's  has  equalled  if  not 
surpassed  its  former  usefulness;  and  at  this  date,  a  grand  additional 
college  structure  is  rising  rapidly  to  completion. 


400  THE  DIOCESE   OF    LOUISVILLE. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

THE   DIOCESE   OF   LOUISVILLE — LAST    YEARS   OF    BISHOP    FLAGET. 

It  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  the  translation  of  the  See  from 
Bardstown  to  Louisville  had  been  a  matter  of  speculation  with  Bishop 
Flaget  and  his  clergy  for  years  before  that  transfer  was  made.  At 
the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  See,  Bardstown  was  in  fact  the  only 
suitable  point  for  its  location  in  the  entire  West.  It  is  not  unlikely 
that  the  number  of  Catholic  families  then  living  within  a  radius  of  thirty 
miles  of  the  town  was  in  excess  of  all  others  having  their  habitations 
in  the  whole  of  the  immense  territory  that  had  been  placed  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  its  first  bishop.  In  1837,  when  application  was  first 
made  to  Rome  for  authority  to  make  the  transfer,  it  was  evident  that 
the  conditions  were  changed  that  had  led  to  the  foundation  of  the  See 
at  Bardstown.  Louisville  had  long  before  surpassed  it  in  the  number 
of  its  Catholic  inhabitants.  It  was  becoming  inconvenient  to  the  clergy 
stationed  in  other  parts  of  the  State,  as  a  centre  to  which  they  could 
repair  for  direction  and  advice.  It  was  reasonably  certain  now  that 
Louisville  would  become  in  time  a  large  city,  to  which  would  tend, 
and  was  already  tending,  much  of  the  tide  of  Catholic  emigration  from 
foreign  lands ;  and  that,  for  many  reasons,  it  was  a  more  suitable  point 
for  the  location  of  the  See.  Only  in  respect  to  the  personal  comfort 
of  the  bishop  and  his  coadjutor  was  the  change  to  be  deprecated,  and 
no  such  consideration  was  to  be  thought  of  by  either  in  the  face  of 
circumstances  that  pointed  to  so  many  advantages. 

Early  in  1841,  the  Pontifical  rescript  authorizing  the  change  was 
received  by  Bishop  Flaget,  and  toward  the  end  of  the  year  it  was 
effected  by  the  removal  of  the  bishops  to  Louisville,  and  the  transfer  of 
the  archives  of  the  diocese  to  that  city.  Referring  to  this  change,  Dr. 
Spalding  observes:  "While  Catholicity  in  the  interior  was  not  materi- 
ally affected  by  it,  it  gave  a  new  impulse  to  religion  in  Louisville,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  city,  without  distinction  of  creed,  exhibiting  a  com- 
mendable liberality  in  co-operating  with  the  bishops  in  every  good 
work." 

In  the  meantime,  there  was  a  healthy  progression  observable  in 
religious  affairs  all  over  the  State.  The  river  towns,  Covington,  New- 
port, Cloverport,  Owensboro,  Henderson,  and  Paducah,  were  being  fast 
filled  up  with  a  worthy  and  useful  class  of  Catholic  citizens,  and  the 
increase  in  Louisville  of  the  Catholic  population  was  regarded  as  some- 
thing wonderful.    There  were  at  the  time,  to  be  sure,  in  the  city,  only 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  40I 

three  Catholic  churches ;  but  the  construction  of  others  was  in  contem- 
plation, and  these  were  soon  afterwards  built.*  For  the  first  two  years 
after  the  removal  of  the  See  to  Louisville,  the  duty  of  episcopal  visita- 
tion of  the  churches  of  the  diocese  was  performed  by  Dr.  Chabrat, 
with  occasional  assistance  from  Bishop  Flaget.  But  now  the  bishop 
coadjutor  was  threatened  with  the  dire  affliction  of  the  loss  of  sight 
by  disease.  By  advice  of  his  physician,  the  late  eminent  Dr.  S.  D. 
Gross,  he  went  to  France  with  the  hope  of  finding  relief.  Disappointed 
in  his  expectations,  he  returned  home.  At  length,  assured  that  he 
would  no  longer  be  able  to  fulfill  the  duties  of  his  office,  he  wrote  to 
Rome  and  suggested  the  propriety  of  his  resignation.  The  matter  was 
referred  to  the  action  of  the  coming  Provincial  Council  that  was  to 
assemble  in  Baltimore  in  1846.  The  Council  did  not  advise  the  resig- 
nation; but  on  the  proffer  of  assistance  to  Bishop  Flaget  in  the  visita- 
tions of  his  diocese  by  Bishops  Purcell,  of  Cincinnati,  and  Miles  of 
Nashville,  further  action  in  the  matter  was  deferred. 

Dr.  Chabrat  went  again  to  France  toward  the  end  of  the  year  1846, 
whence  he  never  returned ;  and  his  resignation  having  been  again  prof- 
fered, it  was  accepted.  The  last  pubhc  official  act  of  the  career  of 
the  venerable  Dr.  Flaget  was  the  consecration  of  his  third  coadjutor, 
Rt.  Rev.  Martin  John  Spalding,  on  the  loth  day  of  September,  1848. 
Exhausted  by  the  labor  involved  in  the  ritualistic  observance  of  the  cere- 
mony, the  aged  prelate  is  said  to  have  exclaimed  with  holy  Simeon  at 
its  conclusion:  "Now  dost  Thou  dismiss  Thy  servant,  O  Lord,  in 
peace." 

From  the  date  of  Dr.  Spalding's  consecration  to  that  of  his  own 
death.  Bishop  Flaget  appeared  to  have  but  a  single  thought,  and  that 
related  to  his  eternity  and  the  proper  disposition  of  his  mind  for  the 
change  he  awaited.  What  had  he  to  fear  whose  whole  life  had  been 
but  a  preparation  for  death  ?  "Nothing,"  will  say  the  reader  who  has 
followed  the  record  of  his  life's  labors  for  the  honor  of  God  and  the 
good  of  souls.  But  not  so  did  the  saintly  bishop  reason.  It  was  of 
his  nature  to  be  exacting  toward  himself,  just  as  it  was  to  be  lenient 
in  his  thoughts  of  others.  As  long  as  he  was  physically  able  to  appear 
at  the  altar,  there  he  was  found  for  his  daily  mass.  At  length  the  frail 
body  became  too  much  prostrated  to  admit  of  even  so  much  labor  as 
this  act  imposed.  By  and  by  as  severe  a  trial  came  to  him  in  his 
inability  to  see  and  follow  the  lessons  set  down  in  his  breviary. 
Prayer  was  now  his  only  resource,  his  only  comfort;  and  he  gave  him- 
self up  to  it  without  intermission.  For  hours  he  was  to  be  seen,  with 
rosary  in  hand,  repeating  the  blessed  formulary  that  has  given  strength 
to  so  many  souls  to  meet  death  with  holy  exultation.  A  passage  from 
a  letter  written  by  him  about  this  time,  apparently  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  gift  of  a  picture  of  the  crucifixion  of  our  Lord,  is  thus 
quoted  by  his  biographer : 

*    In   the  sequel    will  Ee    found    detailed   accounts   of    the    churches    in 
Louisville. 

26 


402  THE   DIOCESE   OF    LOUISVILLE. 

"  I  will  tell  you,  that  for  many  years  the  passion  of  this  divine 
Master  has  furnished  the  subject  of  all  my  meditations.  .  .  .  As, 
for  a  long  time,  I  have  been  incapable  of  all  serious  application,  my 
old  head  being  so  weak  and  disorganized,  I  did  nothing  but  annoy  my 
friends  with  my  continual  piteous  complaints,  rubbing  without  ceasing 
my  head,  which  is  the  seat  of  my  sufferings ;  but  when  this  head  of  my 
divine  Savior,  all  crowned  with  thorns,  was  placed  in  my  hands,  the 
very  sight  appalled  me ;  my  lamentations  ceased,  and  I  took  strongly 
the  resolution  to  suffer  thenceforth  without  complaint  and  without 
sighs,  even  should  my  headaches  become  ten  times  more  painful.  And 
it  is  to  your  precious  gift,  or  rather  to  your  tender  devotion  for  Jesus 
Crucified,  that  I  am  indebted  for  this  resignation,  in  the  midst  of  my 
cruel  sufferings." 

At  length  there  came  a  time  when  he  was  unable  to  leave  his  room 
without  assistance;  and  now  he  caused  himself  to  be  borne  each  day, 
when  the  weather  was  pleasant,  to  a  balcony  looking  toward  the  sanc- 
tuary. Here  it  was  his  habit  to  spend  hours  together  in  prayer  to 
Jesus,  reposing  on  the  altar  to  which  he  was  unable  to  make  a  nearer 
approach.  When  the  benediction  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  was 
given,  he  caused  himself  to  be  warned  of  the  solemn  moment  by  the 
sacristan,  and  he  bowed  down  reverently  to  participate  in  the  blessing. 

The  account  given  by  his  biographer  of  his  last  days,  his  death  and 
interment,  is  here  appended: 

"So  gradually  did  he  sink,  and  so  gently  did  death  approach  its  vic- 
tim, that  his  attendants,  and  even  himself,  did  not  seem  aware  of  the 
change  daily  wrought  in  his  health.  The  night  of  February  loth, 
1850,  was  a  very  restless  one  for  him;  a  good  portion  of  it  was  passed 
in  a  sleep  troubled  with  delirium;  but  even  while  delirious,  the  holy 
man  seemed  constantly  engaged  in  prayer.  His  children  now  knew 
that  they  were  very  soon  to  lose  a  father  on  earth ;  to  gain,  as  they  had 
every  reason  to  hope,  an  intercessor  in  heaven.  He  had  often  assured 
them,  raising  his  eyes  to  heaven,  that  'if  he  could  once  enter  into  that 
celestial  abode,  he  would  be  of  much  more  service  to  them  and  to  his 
diocese  than  he  could  possibly  be  on  earth. ' 

"It  was  riot  thought  prudent  to  defer  any  longer  the  administration 
of  the  last  rites  of  the  Church;  and  accordingly,  at  noon  on  the  nth, 
the  bishop  coadjutor,  assisted  by  all  the  clergy  of  the  city,  eleven  in 
number,  brought  him  solemnly  the  Holy  Viaticum.  He  was  in  the  full 
possession  of  consciousness,  and  received  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ,  and  subsequently  extreme  unction  and  the  last  benediction  for 
plenary  indulgence,  with  a  fervor  and  concentrated  devotion  which 
deeply  affected  all  who  were  present.  Unable  himself  to  read  the  pro- 
fession of  faith,  his  secretary  read  it  for  him,  slowly  and  distinctly;  and 
he  followed  it,  article  by  article,  with  absorbed  attention,  and  indica- 
tions of  assent,  causing  certain  passages  to  be  read  twice,  that  he  might 
understand  them  better,  or  relish  them  longer. 

"He  then  said  some  words  expressive  of  his  ardent  attachment  to 
his  clergy,  religious,  and  people;  and  at  a  request  from  his  coadjutor, 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  403 

he  gave,  so  far  as  his  failing  strength  would  permit,  in  the  regular  form, 
his  last  solemn  episcopal  benediction.  All  in  the  room  were  kneeling, 
with  heads  reverently  bowed  down,  and  tears  started  to  many  an  eye, 
at  the  touching  scene  of  the  patriarch  blessing  his  children  for  the  last 
time. 

"He  rallied  somewhat  after  the  reception  of  the  sacraments;  his 
lips  still  moved  in  prayer;  he  caused  his  favorite  book,  the  sufferings  of 
Christ,  to  be  read  to  him.  A  crucifix  lay  before  him,  and  he  often 
pressed  his  lips  to  it  with  tender  affection.  At  half  after  five  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  he  calmly  expired  without  a  struggle. 

"He  died,  as  he  had  lived — a  saint;  and  the  last  day  was  perhaps 
the  most  interesting  and  impressive  of  his  whole  life.  Tranquilly,  and 
without  a  groan,  did  he  'fall  asleep  in  the  Lord' — like  an  infant  gently 
sinking  to  its  rest. 

"His  remains  were  laid  out  in  state  in  the  church  of  St.  Louis;  and 
during  the  interval  between  his  decease  and  interment,  they  were  visited 
by  great  multitudes,  both  Catholics  and  Protestants.  A  gentle  smile  of 
peace  sat  upon  his  countenance;  and  it  was  edifying  to  look  upon  those 
pale  but  placid  features,  thus  bearing  the  visible  impress  of  sanctity  in 
death.  The  Catholic  congregations  of  the  city  vied  with  one  another 
in  zeal  for  the  privilege  of  watching  in  the  church  during  the  night. 

"On  the  third  day,  his  burial  took  place,  in  accordance  with  the 
prescriptions  of  the  ceremonial  for  the  interment  of  a  bishop.  His 
successor  sang  a  solemn  high  mass  de  requiem,  and  the  bishop  of  Cin- 
cinnati pronounced  the  panegyric  with  his  usual  eloquence.  His  old 
friend  and  fellow-laborer  in  the  early  missions  of  Kentucky — the  last 
survivor  of  that  apostolic  band — the  venerable  Father  Badin,  was  also 
present,  and  followed  his  remains  to  the  grave. 

"The  deceased  had  always  expressed  a  paternal  interest  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  establishment  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  and,  in  accordance 
with  what  was  believed  to  be  his  own  wish,  his  relics  were  placed  tem- 
porarily in  a  vault  within  the  enclosure  of  that  monastery.  Though 
the  weather  was  very  inclement,  thousands  walked  in  the  funeral  pro- 
cession. The  clergy,  the  orphans,  and  the  children  of  the  free  schools 
followed  immediately  after  the  remains,  which  were  borne  by  members 
of  the  different  Catholic  congregations,  in  a  coffin  which  had  been 
richly  ornamented  by  the  sisters  of  the  Good  Shepherd  with  the  epis- 
copal insignia  and  the  emblems  of  death.  "* 

The  grand  cathedral  of  the  metropolis  of  Kentucky  was  thought 
the  only  fitting  and  durable  memorial  to  be  raised  by  Bishop  Flaget's 
devoted  son  and  successor  in  the  oldest  See  of  the  West,  and  happily, 
he  had  little  difficulty  in  the  effort  he  made  to  thus  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  apostolic  men  who  were 
heaven-directed  to  plant  the  Church  in  the  United  States.     A  kindly 

*  The  continuation  of  the  history  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville,  except  in  the 
cases  of  local  churches  and  pastorates,  so  far  as  the  writer  proposes  to  pursue 
it,  will  be  found  in  the  sketches,  given  a  little  further  on,  of  Rt.  Rev.  Martin  J. 
Spalding  and  Rt.  Rev.  Peter  J.  Lavialle. 


404  THE   DIOCESE   OF    LOUISVILLE 

and  willing  populace  filled  his  hands  to  overflowing,  and  soon  the 
cathedral  of  the  Assumption  arose,  in  its  beauty,  an  enduring  monu- 
ment to  his  christian  fame. 

A  beautiful  marble  tablet,  erected  by  Bishop  Spalding  in  memory 
of  his  saintly  predecessor,  adorns  the  sanctuary  wall  of  the  cathedral 
of  the  Assumption,  Louisville.     It  reads  in  the  original : 

HEIC.  JACENT. 

EXPECTANTES.    GLORIOSAM.    RESURRECTIONEM.    RELIQUIAE. 

REVMI.  BENEDICTI.  JOSEPH.  FLAGET. 

EPISCOPI.    PRIMI.    LUDOVICOPOLITANI. 

QUI.    IN.    GALLIA.    NATUS.    VII.    ID.    NOV.     1 763. 

ET.    SACRIS.    INITIATUS.    HUC.     EXUL.    PRO.    FIDE.    VENIT.    A.    D.     1 792. 

EPISCOPUS.    CONSECRATUS.    PRID.    NON.    NOV.    181O. 
SICUT,    VIXIT.    ITA.     SANCTE.    IN.    DOMINO.     OBDORMIVIT.    Ill    ID.    FEB. 

1850. 

PLENUS.    DIERUM.    ET.    LABORUM.    PRO.    DOMINO.    EXANTLATORUM. 

AETATIS.    SUAE.    ANNO.    LXXXVII. 

EPISCOPATUS.    VERO.    XL. 

HANC.      ECCLESIAM.     CATHEDRALEM.     SUCCESSOR.     EJUS.     AEJUVANTE. 

FIDELI    POPULO. 
CEU.    MONUMENTUM.    SUPER.    EJUS.    CINERES.    EREXIT. 

IN.    PACE.    DORMIAT.* 

*  A  literal  translation  of  this,  kindly  furnished  by  the  Very  Rev.  M.  Bou- 
chet,  V.  G.,  is  here  given:  "Here  lie,  expecting  a  glorious  resurrection,  the 
remains  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  first  bishop  of  Louisville,  who 
was  born  in  France  on  the  7th  of  November,  1763  ;  and  having  been  ordained 
came  here,  exiled  for  the  faith,  A.  D.  1792;  was  consecrated  bishop  on 
the  4th  of  November,  1810.  As  he  lived,  so  he  died,  holily  in  the  Lord,  the 
nth  of  February,  1850,  full  of  days  and  labors  undergone  for  Christ,  at  the  age 
of  87,  and  of  his  episcopate  the  40th.  His  successor,  with  the  help  of  the  faith- 
ful people,  erected  this  cathedral  as  a  monument  over  his  ashes.  May  he  sleep 
in  peace ! " 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  405 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  CONVENT  OF  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 

The  conventual  establishments  for  women  already  noticed  had 
their  origin  in  Kentucky.  One  of  them,  to  be  sure,  was  affiliated 
from  the  first  with  an  organization  centuries  old,  and  as  long  known  to 
Catholic  Christendom.  But  neither  for  it  nor  the  others  were  there 
brought  to  the  country  nuclei  of  conventual  life  from  established 
societies  in  Europe  or  elsewhere.  In  the  case  of  each,  the  plant,  so 
to  speak,  was  indigenous.  The  fourth  organization  of  the  character 
named,  of  which  mention  is  to  be  made,  was  introduced  into  the  dio- 
cese from  France,  and  is  an  offshoot  from  a  society  established  in  that 
country  as  earl>  as  the  year  1651.  The  annexed  article,  written  by  the 
author  on  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  Mother  Marie  des  Anges,  first 
superior  of  the  Louisville  institution,  contains  in  brief  all  that  is  neces- 
sary to  be  said  of  an  order  of  religious  whose  work  has  been  blessed 
by  the  Church,  and  is  commended  by  good  men  and  women  wherever 
it  has  been  localized. 

MOTHER    MARIE    DES    ANGES    PORCHER, 

The  recent  death  of  Mother  Marie  des  Anges  Porcher,  of  the  con- 
vent of  the  Good  Shepherd,  Louisville,  is  an  event  that  is  naturally 
suggestive  of  comment  and  retrospection.  Catholics  are  never  sur- 
prised when  they  hear  or  read  of  men  and  women  who  have  exhibited 
in  their  lives  a  high  depree  of  sanctity.  They  know  that  the  grace  of 
God  is  exhaustless,  and  tnat  it  is  the  mission  of  his  Church  on  earth  to 
build  up  such  lives  to  His  honor  and  glory.  Just  eulogy  of  the  dead 
cannot  affect  those  who  have  run  their  course ;  but  it  can,  and  often 
does,  affect  beneficially  the  living.  It  is  for  this  precise  reason  that 
the  Church  presents  for  the  veneration  of  her  children  those  whose 
names  she  has  been  led  by  the  Divine  Spirit  to  place  upon  her  calender 
of  saints.  These  are  her  trophies  gathered  out  of  all  nations,  and  she 
never  tires  of  pointing  out  to  her  faithful  children  the  means  whereby, 
under  her  guidance  and  blessing,  they  not  only  conquered  heaven,  but 
have  had  given  them  power  to  help,  through  their  intercession,  their 
struggling  brethren  of  earth. 

Mother  Marie  des  Anges  was  little  known  outside  the  sphere  in 
which  lay  her  tasks  of  daily  duty.  That  sphere  was  her  world,  and  in 
it  she  found  exercise  for  all  her  faculties  of  mind  and  all  the  strength  of 


4o6  THE  CONVENT  OF  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 

her  hands.  She  found  in  it,  too,  room  for  her  affections  and  all  her 
heart's  aspirations  after  that  love  which  is  above  the  stars  of  heaven, 
and  which  has  only  God  for  its  subject.  She  brought  with  her  into  con- 
vent life,  and  to  the  service  of  the  most  contemned  and  hapless  of  her 
sex,  no  divided  heart.  What  was  it  to  her  that  she  was  daily  and  hourly 
brought  into  contact  with  those  who  had  made  of  depravity  a  trade ; 
that  she  found  at  times  her  efforts  to  raise  these  unfortunates  from  their 
degradation  were  met  by  stubborn  resistance ;  that  the  path  she  had 
chosen  was  a  thorny  one,  and  that  it  led  to  no  earthly  haven  of  rest  ? 
Had  she  not  given  herself  to  God  and  vowed  herself  to  His  service  ? 
And  did  she  not  know  that  she  was  circled  by  His  charity  who  came 
into  the  world  to  call,  not  the  just,  but  sinners  to  repentance ;  that  His 
sacred  feet  had  preceded  her  own  in  the  rough  ways  she  was  walkings 
and  to  ends  that  were  identical?  Should  she  close  her  ears  to  the 
voice  that  had  called  her  to  her  work  and  to  the  import  of  His  blessed 
words  that  had  from  that  day  been  ringing  in  her  heart — "Wherefore  I 
say  to  thee,  many  sins  are  forgiven  her  because  she  hath  loved  much  ! " 
And  again,  "neither  will  I  condemn  thee;  go  now,  and  sin  no  more!  " 

The  entire  scheme  of  redemption  as  it  was  present  in  the  divine 
mind  from  all  eternity  had  and  has  for  its  object  the  lifting  up  of  the 
fallen  and  the  resuscitation  of  the  dead  in  sin.  It  was  for  this  that  the 
cross  was  raised  on  Calvary  and  the  life-blood  of  the  God-man  stained 
its  sacred  wood.  It  was  for  this  that  Christ  established  His  Church  and 
appointed  representatives  of  His  authority  to  forgive  in  His  name  all 
repentant  sinners.  But,  from  the  whole  context  of  God's  revelations 
to  men,  it  is  plain  that  there  is  no  exemption  from  labor  in  this  precise 
direction  tor  those  who  call  themselves  christians.  Each  one  in  his 
sphere  and  according  to  his  lights  and  opportunities,  is  appointed  of 
God  his  "brother's  keeper."  Whatever  he  may  do  for  the  relief  of  his 
corporeal  wants,  or  for  the  assuagement  or  cure  of  the  more  dreadful 
maladies  that  afflict  his  soul,  he  is  to  regard  as  of  absolute  obligation. 

But  it  is  so  little,  under  either  circumstance  alluded  to,  that  is  pos- 
sible to  individual  lay  Catholics,  that  the  Church  of  God,  pitiful  of 
human  misery  as  was  her  Divine  Head  when  He  walked  the  earth  in 
the  flesh,  has  estabhshed  associations  of  men  and  women,  bound  to  her 
service  and  to  the  relief  of  human  misery  in  each  and  every  one  of  its 
distressful  forms.  Notably  among  these  associations  that  are  blessed 
by  the  approval  of  the  Church,  is  that  of  the  sisters  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd, first  established  in  France  in  1651.  Up  to  the  year  1829  the 
establishments  of  the  order  were  few  in  number,  and  they  were  con- 
fined to  the  kingdom  of  France.  From  and  after  that  year  their  mul- 
tiplication was  rapid,  and  it  is  now  years  ago  since  their  benign  influence 
has  been  felt  in  most  of  the  continental  governments  of  Europe. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1835  the  saindy  first  bishop  of  Kentucky, 
Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  was  privileged  to  see  his  native  land 
for  the  first  time  in  a  quarter  of  a  century.  During  this  visit,  which 
was  extended  to  the  term  of  four  years,  he  traveled  over  many  parts  of 
France,  preaching  and  lecturing  in  the  interests  of  the  society  then  and 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  467 

Still  known  as  that  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith.  His  way  led  him 
to  Angers,  where  was  established  the  mother-house  of  the  sisters  of  the 
Good  Shepherd,  then  under  the  immediate  direction  of  that  venerable 
servant  of  God,  Mother  Marie  of  St.  Euphrosia  Pelletier.  He  was  filled 
with  admiration  of  this  self-sacrificing  body  of  religious,  and  of  the 
efforts  they  were  making  to  lift  from  the  very  mire  of  degradrtion  the 
most  unfortunate,  because  the  least  regarded,  of  their  sex.  What  a 
blessing,  thought  he,  would  the  foundation  of  the  order  be  in  his  own 
country,  where  there  were  so  many  of  the  class  sought  to  be  reformed 
by  it;  women  so  shunned  and  feared  by  society  that,  even  where  there 
was  no  lack  of  will  to  do  better,  they  were  held  in  their  low  estate  by 
circumstances  over  which  they  had  but  little  control.  He  was  himself 
ill  prepared  to  defray  the  expenses  that  would  be  necessary  to  realize 
the  accomphshment  of  his  desire  to  secure  a  colony  of  the  sisters  for 
his  own  diocese;  but  leaving  the  question  of  means  to  the  end  he  had 
in  view  to  that  Divine  Providence  in  whom  he  had  at  no  time  vainly 
trusted,  he  asked  for  and  was  accorded  by  the  superiors  of  the  order,  a 
colony  of  sisters  for  Louisville. 

This  colony  comprised  representatives  from  France,  Germany, 
Italy,  Belgium  and  Ireland.  The  names  of  those  selected  were :  Sister 
Marie  des  Anges  (Rosalie  Porcher),  superior,  who  died  April  20,  1883 ; 

Sister   Marie   of   St.  Aloysius   Gonzaga  ( Baligaud),  at   present 

superior  of  the  house  of  the  order  in  the  island  of  Ceylon;  Sister  Marie 

of  St.  Joseph  ( Looney),  now  of  the  house  of  the  order  at  York- 

ville,  N.  Y. ;  Sister  Marie  of  St.  Raparata  (Deleuse  de  Blausazeopris) 
now  of  the  house  of  the  order  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Sister  Marie  of  St. 
Marcella,  now  attached  to  the  mother-house  of  the  order  in  Angers, 
France. 

It  was  not  until  October  16,  1842,  that  the  sisters  embarked  at  Havre 
for  New  York.  On  the  first  of  December  following  they  reached  Lou- 
isville, where  they  were  met  and  provided  with  temporary  accommo- 
dations by  the  then  Vicar-General,  Rev.  I.  A.  Reynolds.  There  was 
much  delay  in  providing  for  them  a  house  in  which  to  commence  their 
work  of  charity ;  and  for  several  months  the  five  sisters  named  were 
the  guests  of  the  Lorettine  sisterhood  at  their  convent  of  Cedar  Grove, 
near  the  city.  Eventually  a  lot  was  secured  and  buildings  erected  on 
it  that  are  still  occupied  by  a  section  of  the  community  as  now  estab- 
lished in  Louisville.  It  would  be  interesting  to  refer  to  the  early 
experiences  of  the  sisters  in  their  new  home,  the  first  in  America  to 
open  its  doors  to  the  fallen  daughters  of  Eve.  Their  trials  were  many 
and  long  continued.  They  suffered,  and  they  complained  not ;  they 
were  tabooed  by  their  neighbors,  all  non-Catholics,  who  affected  to 
believe  that  their  establishment  cast  a  shadow  of  reproach  upon  the 
neighborhood;  they  were  subjected  to  quasi-official  espionage  and 
annoyance;  but  they  patiently  labored  on,  and  in  time  they  conquered 
distrust,  and,  in  not  a  few  instances,  won  confidence  where  they  had 
expected  disdain.  Looking  back  in  the  face  of  the  intervening  years, 
one  cannot  but  wonder  that  their  courage  was  found  equal  to  the  strain 


4o8  THE  CONVENT  OF  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 

that  was  made  upon  it,  and  that,  with  so  little  help,  and  so  little 
encouragement,  they  were  enabled  to  found  an  institution  out  of  which 
has  grown  no  fewer  than  twenty-four  houses  of  their  order,  scattered 
over  the  United  States,  in  Canada,  and  in  the  West  Indies,  all 
working  in  concert  and  for  a  common  end,  and  bearing  filial  relations 
to  the  establishment  begun  in  Louisville  just  forty  years  ago.  The 
parable  of  the  mustard  seed  is  here  repeated,  and  in  a  way  so  practical 
that  he  who  runs  may  read.  From  a  seed  as  little  significant,  there 
has  developed  in  our  day  a  tree  of  many  branches,  beneath  which  hun- 
dreds on  hundreds  of  hapless  women,  before  hopelessly  lost  to  society, 
and  almost  as  hopelessly  lost  to  themselves,  are  finding  shade  and  shel- 
ter, and  also  a  dissolvent  of  the  stains  of  their  smirched  womanhood. 

Very  much  of  the  credit— her  humility  would  be  shocked  at  the 
expression  had  not  death  intervened  to  close  her  eyes  and  ears  to  all 
mortal  encomium — for  the  great  good  that  has  followed  upon   the 
establishment  of  the  order  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Good  Shepherd  in 
this  country  is  due  to  the  energy  and  foresight  displayed  by  the  good 
Mother  Marie  des  Anges  Porcher.     She  was  of  that  stamp  of  women 
among  whom  are  to  be  found  perfect  faith  and  great  charity ;  and  com- 
bined with  these  prerequisites  to  successful  christian  and  charitable 
endeavor,   there  were  in  her  case  intelligence   of  the  highest   order 
and  a  power  of  will  that  was  contemptuous  of  supervening  obstacles. 
She   neither    spoke   nor   acted   without   a   motive   that   commended 
itself  to  her  reason  and   to   her   delicate   sense  of  propriety.     She 
rarely  blundered,  for  the  reason  that  she  thought  deeply,  and  earnestly 
prayed  for  light  and  guidance.      Only  in  an  inferior  degree  to  her 
humility,  her  leading  characteristic  was  firmness.     This  latter  quality, 
every  one  will  be  ready  to  acknowledge,  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
the  exercise  of  just  authority.     In  the  world,  it  is  too  often  allied  to 
arrogance,  to  unevenness  of  temper  and  abruptness  in  manner  and 
speech.     It  was  not  so  in  the  case  of  Mother  Marie  des  Anges.     Her 
inflexibility,  born  of  principle,  was  so  supported  by  interior  grace,  that 
it  had  not  in  it  the  least  quality  that  was  calculated  to  wound  suscepti- 
bility.    Her  rule  was  of  the  intellect  and  heart  so  evenly  balanced 
that  her  associates  and  ' '  the  children  "  of  the  house  controlled  by  her 
from  time  to  time,  appeared  as  if  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  they 
were  being  directed  by  her  in  certain  lines  of  duty,  and  that  they  had 
not  been  themselves  self-prompted  to  the  performance  of  these  duties. 
Never  was  natural  mother  more  ardently  beloved  by  her  children 
than  was  Mother  Marie  des  Anges  by  her  daughters  of  the  community 
over  which  was  poised  her  directing  hand.     In  the  Louisville  establish- 
ment, where  she  was  best  known,  and  where  the  example  of  her  daily 
life  was  to  all  around  her  a  continual  incentive  to  renewed  efforts  in 
the  race  after  perfection,  it  may  be  said  that  she  was  almost  worshiped 
by  both  her  associated  sisters  and  the  penitents  of  the  house.     Here  it 
is  that  she  will  be  most  sorely  missed,  and  here  it  is  that,  by  reason  of 
her  death,  the  local  sisterhood  finds  itself  crushed  to  the  very  earth  by 
the   direful  dispensation.     Let  them   take   courage!     The   Father's 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  4<^9 

kindly  eyes  are  not  closed  to  their  tribulation,  nor  to  their  needs.  He 
who  has  given  "sleep  to  His  beloved"  after  so  many  wakeful  years 
of  solicitude  in  His  service,  is  able  to  fill  her  vacated  place,  both  in 
the  community  and  in  their  own  now  sorrowing  hearts. 

In  April,  1847,  Mother  Marie  des  Anges  was  invited  by  the  late 
Most  Rev.  Francis  P.  Kenrick  to  establish  a  house  of  the  order  in  the 
city  of  Philadelphia.  She  accepted  the  invitation,  went  in  person  to 
the  city  named,  where  she  remained  for  eight  years,  and  where  the 
object  of  her  mission  was  fully  accomplished.  She  returned  to  France 
in  1855,  where  she  was  placed  successively  over  two  houses  of  the 
order  in  that  country.  She  afterwards  filled  the  position  of  mistress 
of  novices  in  the  house  of  the  order  in  London.  In  1863  she  was 
returned  to  the  United  States,  and  filled  for  five  years  the  position  of 
mistress  of  novices  in  the  house  of  the  order  established  in  St.  Louis. 
From  1868  to  1881  she  was  superior  of  the  house  she  had  established 
in  Philadelphia  in  1847,  Her  last  removal  was  to  Louisville  in  1881 ; 
and  her  last  office  in  the  community  was  that  of  Mother  Provincial 
over  the  houses  of  the  order  in  Louisville  and  Indianapolis. 

There  is  here  presented  to  the  reader  the  outlines  of  a  life  that  was 
filled  from  its  beginning  to  its  end  with  mortifications  and  trials,  with 
long  and  wearisome  journeyings  by  sea  and  land,  with  labors  that  were 
all  repugnant  to  self-love,  with  absolutely  nothing  that  is  suggestive  of 
ease  or  comfort  as  those  words  are  understood  by  humanity  in  its 
aggregate— and  all  ending  in  the  sleep  of  death  and  the  hiding  away  of 
the  mortal  temple  in  which  once  dwelt  an  immortal  spirit.  Look  at 
the  picture,  you  who  imagine  that  you  were  born  into  the  world  to  seek 
and  discover  the  means  of  self-gratification !  Look  upon  it  and  won- 
der, you  whose  aspirations  are  o(  the  level  of  the  earth  and  not  above 
it,  and  whose  ideas  of  existence  are  narrowed  to  the  consideration  of 
the  things  that  concern  the  body;  how  you  may  the  more  directly  add 
to  its  enjoyments  and  lessen  its  pains!  Will  you  be  able  to  see  m  the 
life  upon  which  we  are  commenting  anything  admirable  ?  Alas,  no. 
Its  grandeur  and  beauty  lie  beyond  the  range  of  your  darkened  visions, 
and  its  deep  philosophy  is  unfathomable  to  your  equally  darkened 
minds.  It  is  only  by  the  aid  of  supernatural  light  that  is  to  be  seen  of 
men  the  true  worth  of  such  an  earthly  existence. 

Worldly  notions  of  conventual  life  and  of  labors  undergone  for  the 
welfare  of  others,  are  but  misconceptions  of  ethical  verity.  The 
instinct  of  pity  is  natural  to  most  men,  and  experience  teaches  that 
incapacity  to  labor  is  a  real  misfortune.  It  teaches,  too,  that  indolence 
is  subversive  of  both  individual  health  and  happiness.  Even  when 
looked  on  from  a  standpoint  no  higher,  the  orders  of  chanty  in  the 
Catholic  Church  are  for  their  members  schools  for  the  cultivation  of 
their  better  gifts  from  nature.  Are  we  to  suppose  that  they  derive  no 
pleasure  from  their  acquisition  of  knowledge?— that  to  theni  fruitful 
and  accomplished  labor  carries  with  it  no  reward  of  gratification? 
There  is  more  unalloyed  happiness  to  be  found  in  convent-life  than  in 
the  palaces  of  kings.     Hence  it  is  that  it  is  so  rare  a  thing  to  find 


410  THE  CONVENT  OF  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 

among  religious  a  man  or  woman  of  a  morose  and  cheerless  disposition. 
For  them  the  great  reward  of  their  fidelity,  looked  forward  to  in  hope, 
has  its  droppings  of  incipient  comfort  while  their  hands  are  yet  busy 
with  their  Master's  work. 

Just  such  a  joyous  worker  was  Mother  Marie  des  Anges.  She 
found  pleasure  in  lifting  her  frail  sisters  from  the  slough  into  which  they 
had  faDen,  and  in  building  them  up  anew  to  the  measure  of  virtuous 
womanhood.  It  delighted  her  to  see  them  day  by  day  becoming  more 
and  more  assimilated  to  their  former  selves,  when  selt-respect  had  not 
vanished  out  of  their  lives,  and  when  there  had  been  none  to  point  at 
them  the  finger  of  scorn. 

Mother  Marie  des  Anges  was  in  the  66th  year  of  her  age  when  her 
beautiful  soul  winged  its  flight  heavenward.  Tuesday,  the  13th  of 
April,  1883,  she  appeared  to  be  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  best  of  health ; 
and  she  spent  the  entire  morning  in  directing  the  labors  of  a  number 
of  her  associates  and  certain  "children"  of  the  house,  who  were 
employed  in  preparations  for  seed  planting  in  the  garden  of  the  con- 
vent. At  noon  she  was  seized  with  indisposition,  headache  and  fever 
constituting  its  most  alarming  features.  She  grew  rapidly  worse,  and 
it  was  tho  ght  advisable  at  length  to  administer  to  her  the  last  sacra- 
ments. This  was  done  by  Rev.  E.  M.  Bachman,  chaplain  of  the 
institution,  and  they  were  received  by  her  with  not  only  a  perfect 
understanding  of  their  significance,  but  with  a  resignation  to  the  divine 
will  that  was  regarded  by  the  lookers-on  as  a  pledge  of  sanctification 
vouchsafed  her  by  Him  in  whom  she  had  trusted,  and  whose  earthly 
sufferings  she  had  sought  to  share.  She  lingered  on  until  Friday  the 
20th,  when  at  9  o'clock,  P.  M.,  her  gentle  agony  ended  in  an  appa- 
rently painless  death. 

Most  singularly,  Mother  Marie  des  Anges,  only  a  short  time  before 
her  death,  remembered  a  promise  she  had  made  the  then  aged  Count 
de  Neuville,  a  benefactor  of  the  house  of  the  order,  at  Angers,  on 
the  eve  of  her  first  departure  for  America ;  and  the  fulfilment  of  that 
promise  was  engaging  her  attention  when  she  was  called  out  of  life. 
The  pious  Catholic  nobleman  referred  to,  who  had  given  almost  his 
entire  fortune  to  the  support  of  the  order,  learning  that  a  colony  of 
the  sisters  were  about  to  start  for  America,  immediately  proceeded 
to  the  Home,  and  for  an  object  that  will  sufficiently  indicate  the  strength 
of  his  faith  and  the  depth  of  his  humility.  He  asked  to  be  granted 
the  privilege  of  kissing  the  feet  of  the  five  sisters  who  had  been  selected 
for  the  American  mission.  In  vain  did  they  plead  with  their  great 
patron  to  be  excused  an  ordeal  that  argued  in  their  minds  the  humilia- 
tion of  one  toward  whom  they  felt  nothing  but  veneration.  He  was 
persistent,  and  they  were  obliged  to  submit.  "At  the  feet  of  each," 
reads  the  account  of  the  ceremonial  furnished  the  writer,  "the  pious 
count  left  a  note  for  fifty  francs."  Before  leaving,  Count  de  Neuville 
gave  into  the  hands  of  Mother  Marie  des  Anges  a  reUc  of  St  Philomena, 
enjoining  a  condition  to  the  gift  that  she  should  have  erected,  at  such 
time  as  was  convenient,  in  the  house  she  expected  to  found  in  America, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  4** 

a  shrine  to  this  devoted  servant  of  God.  Before  her  illness,  Mother 
Marie  des  Anges  had  contracted  for  the  erection  of  this  shrine,  and  a 
few  days  after  her  death  the  sisters  were  gathered  before  it,  offering 
their  petitions  to  God  for  the  repose  of  her  soul. 

A  solemn  high  mass  of  requiem  was  celebrated  in  the  chapel  of  the 
convent  on  Sunday  morning,  April  25th,  of  which  the  celebrant  was 
Rev.  E.  M.  Bachman;  deacon,  Rev.  Anthony  McHenry ;  and  sub- 
deacon,  Rev.  P.  F.  Faunt.  The  funeral  took  place  in  the  afternoon, 
at  which,  in  the  absence  of  the  bishop  from  the  city,  his  vicar.  Rev. 
M.  Bouchet,  officiated.  He  was  assisted  by  Rev.  Fathers  Brady, 
Bachman,  Brandt  and  Oberlinkels. 

In  February,  1850,  all  that  was  mortal  of  the  samtly  first  bishop  of 
Louisville,  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  found  interment  in  the 
garden  of  the  house  of  the  Good  Shepherd  in  Louisville.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1852,  his  remains  were  removed  to  a  crypt  prepared  for  their 
reception  under  the  sanctuary  floor  of  the  cathedral  of  the  ssump- 
tion.  The  long  tenantless  grave  in  the  garden  of  the  sisterhood  has 
now  another  occupant.  Within  the  self-same  walls  that  once  enclosed 
the  form  of  one  to  whom  had  been  referred  the  gift  of  miracles,  so 
sanctified  was  his  life,  rests  now  that  of  the  consecrated  virgin  who 
had  given  her  little  all  to  God  and  walked  in  humiUty  after  her  divme 
model  on  His  way  to  Calvary.  It  is  fitting  that  it  should  be  so.  In 
an  honored  bed  the  Savior  whom  she  had  served  with  so  much  fidelity 
has  given  "Sleep  to  His  beloved."  B.  J.   W. 

Louisville,  May  i,  1883. 

It  is  but  necessary  to  add  here,  that  the  entire  support  of  the  estab- 
lishments of  the  Sisterhood  of  the  Good  Shepherd  is  derived  from  the 
labor  of  their  inmates,  professed  sisters,  novices  and  penitents.  Their 
laundry  in  Louisville  is  well  patronized;  and  very  many  families,  Cath- 
olics and  non-Catholics— through  their  knowledge  of  the  value  of  their 
services  to  society  in  the  aggregate— consider  it  a  privilege  to  furnish 
them  with  work— sewing,  embroidery  and  the  like.  Within  the  order, 
but  not  of  it,  they  have  an  Order  of  Magdalens,  formed  of  those  of 
their  penitents  who  aspire  to  sanctity,  as  did  the  penitent  samt  under 
whose  patronage  they  are  enrolled.  It  would  astonish  the  world  to 
know  how  much  nearer  heaven  are  some  of  these  unknown  pleaders 
for  pardon  for  long  past  transgressions  than  are  thousands  who  have 
not  so  fallen,  and  who  imagine  themselves  secure  of  God's  favor.  The 
number  of  penitents,  not  including  the  order  of  Magdalens,  attached 
to  the  house  of  the  Good  Shepherd  in  Louisville  is  at  present  nearly 
one  hundred.* 

*  Though  really  but  one  establishment,  the  sisters  of  the  Good  Shepherd  in 
Louisville  have  two  houses  under  their  charge.  The  original  of  these,  on 
Eighth  street,  is  occupied  by  the  sisters  who  are  employed,  for  the  most  part,  in 
sewing  for  private  families,  and  by  the  members  of  the  order  of  Magdalens. 
The  larger  of  their  establishments,  on  Bank  street,  occupies  a  square  of  ground, 
and  here  is  their  laundry.  In  it,  too,  are  domiciled  the  penitents  of  the  house. 
In  both  houses  there  are  chapels  where  the  Holy  Sacrifice  is  offered  up  daily. 


412  THE   MISSIONS   OF   HARDIN    AND   MEADE   COUNTIES. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

THE  MISSIONS    OF    HARDIN    AND    MEADE    COUNTIES. 

The  county  of  Hardin,  which  was  formed  in  1792  out  of  a  portion 
of  the  territory  originally  attached  to  that  of  Nelson,  was  afterwards 
subdivided  as  follows  :  Ohio  county  was  taken  from  it  in  1798;  Breck- 
inridge, in  1799;  Grayson,  in  1810;  Daviess,  in  1815;  Meade,  in 
1823;  Larue,  in  1843,  and,  in  part.  Hart,  in  1819.  The  oldest  of 
the  many  churches  now  to  be  found  in  the  original  district  known  as 
the  county  of  Hardin,  is  undoubtedly  that  of  St.  Clare,  near  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Colesburg.  Writing  of  this  church  in  1808,  Father  Ner- 
inckx  thus  refers  to  it;  "I  hope  to  finish  soon  St.  Clare's  church,  the 
foundations  of  which  I  have  already  laid;  "  and,  under  date  of  June 
27,  of  the  same  year,  he  writes:  "Came  home  this  evening  from  St. 
Clare's  congregation.  The  church  is  finished  up  to  the  roof  I  intend 
to  build  a  steeple  in  the  hopes  of  obtaining  a  bell.  The  church  is 
built  on  a  hill.  Many  non-Catholics  have  subscribed  for  it.  God 
reward  them  with  the  gift  of  faith."  He  also  states  that  the  congrega- 
tion attached  to  the  church  "comprised  seventeen  families." 

The  first  church-station  at  this  point  was  the  house  of  one  James 
French,  where  mass  was  said  by  Father  Badin  as  early  as  the  years 
1804-5.  Among  the  old  Catholic  settlers  of  the  locality  may  be  named, 
William  Cole,  from  whom  the  town  of  Colesburg  has  its  name;  Mrs. 
Adam  Wise,  married  to  a  non-Catholic  husband,  and  their  four  chil- 
dren, Willis,  Gabriel,  Elisha,  and  Teresa,  all  born  during  the  last 
decade  of  the  last  century,  the  last  named  of  whom  became  Sister 
Margaret,  of  the  Loretto  Society;  Mark  Beaven;  Raphael  French; 
Thomas  and  Mathew  Johnson;  William,  known  as  "Bee,"  Bryan; 
and  Jacob  Duffner,  one  of  whose  daughters,  Mrs.  Mary  Cole,  was 
surviving  as  late  as  the  year  1883,  at  the  age  of  86  years.  This  Mr. 
Duffner  is  still  remembered  as  a  man  of  extraordinary  piety.  James 
Boothe,  whose  wife  was  Elizabeth  Johnson,  came  from  Maryland  in 
181 2,  and  settled  near  the  church  of  St.  Clare.  One  of  their  sons, 
Pius  Boothe,  is  still  living.  Bennet  Fowler,  married  to  Nancy  Duffner ; 
James  Huff,  married  to  Susan  Johnson,  and  Edward  Miles,  married  to 
Eleanor  Forrest,  were  members  of  St.  Clare's  congregation. 

In  May,  1813,  as  is  still  to  be  seen  in  an  old  register  preserved  in 
the  church,  the  name  of  Father  Nerinckx  is  attached  to  the  record 
therein  given  of  the  baptism  of  Mary  Magdalen,  daughter  of  Edward 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  413 

Miles  and  Eleanor  Forrest.  The  succeeding  entry,  made  by  some 
other  priest,  is  dated  1818.  Between  the  entries  appears  the  following, 
translated  from  the  Latin  of  the  record,  in  the  handwriting  of  Father 
Nerinckx: 

"This  jump  of  five  years  is  the  effect  of  negligence,  ignorance,  or 
inadvertence.  (See  Rom.  Rit.) — Names  tnustbe  accurately  transcribed  in 
the  baptismal  book  by  the  priest  himself.     Rit.  Angl." 

"This  stricture,"  writes  a  correpondent,  "is  scarcely  correct  in 
detail,  since  we  find  one  baptism  recorded  in  181 7  by  Rev.  Peter 
Scheeffer." 

Among  the  earlier  pastors  of  the  church  of  St.  Clare,  was  Rev.  G. 
I,  Chabrat.  Since  1829,  the  list  includes  the  names  of  Revs.  Daniel 
Kelly,  F.  X.  Evremond,  Linus  Coomes,  Walter  S.  Coomes,  F.  Cham- 
bige  and  Napoleon  J.  Perch^,  all  anterior  to  the  year  1840.  Copied 
into  the  record  book  of  the  church,  is  to  be  found  an  agreement 
entered  into  between  the  last  named  pastor  and  John  Brewer,  Joseph 
Ryan,  Felix  Fowler  and  James  Boothe,  the  trustees  of  the  church, 
regularly  appointed,  by  which  the  former  agrees  to  accept,  and  the 
latter  to  pay,  the  sum  of  forty  dollars  a  year  for  pastoral  service,  which 
service  is  thus  defined  in  the  handwriting  of  the  future  archbishop  of 
New  Orleans:  "The  said  M.  Perche  binds  himself  to  come  and  visit 
the  congregation,  and  keep  church  at  St.  Clare's  once  the  month,  for 
one,  two  or  three  days,  according  to  the  wants  of  the  congregation." 

REV.    CHARLES    I.    COOMES 

From  1 84 1  to  1862,  the  church  of  St.  Clare  was  attended  by  the 
late  Rev.  Charles  L  Coomes,  one  of  the  most  laborious  of  the  native 
priests  of  Kentucky.  It  is  to  his  care  that  is  due  the  preservation  of 
such  as  remain  of  the  records  of  this  ancient  church. 

Charles  I.  Coomes  was  born  near  Bardstown,  in  Nelson  county,  in 
the  year  1803.  He  was  a  son  of  Walter,  and  a  grandson  of  William 
Coomes,  supposed  by  Dr.  Spalding  to  have  been  the  first  of  the 
Catholic  faith  known  to  the  history  of  the  State.  His  mother,  Anna 
C,  of  the  same  family  name,  was  a  daughter  of  Francis  Coomes,  of 
the  Cox's  creek  Catholic  settlement.  The  date  of  the  young  man's 
entrance  into  the  diocesan  seminary  is  unknown  to  the  writer ;  but  it 
could  not  have  been  later  than  182 1.  For  years  preceding  the  date  of 
his  ordination  he  was  an  officer  of  the  college  of  St.  Joseph.  He  was 
raised  to  the  priesthood,  in  conjunction  with  Rev.  L.  Picot*  in  the 
cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  at  the  hands  of  Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  David,  on 
the  5th  of  December,  1830. 

*The  priest  here  named  brings  to  me  no  pleasant  memories.  He  was  sent 
by  Bishop  Flaget  to  Vincennes,  where  he  got  into  trouble  and,  it  is  said,  into 
jail.  He  afterwards  returned  to  Kentucky,  with  an  unsavory  reputation  cling- 
ing to  him,  whence  he  strayed  South.  Some  one  with  a  like  name  was  going 
about  the  country  forty  odd  years  ago,  giving  lectures  on  the  subject  of 
•'Popery."  I  had  my  opinion  of  the  lecturer's  identity  at  the  time,  and  that 
has  known  no  change  to  the  present  hour. 


414  THE    MISSIONS    OF    HARDIN    AND    MEADE   COUNTIES. 

In  1834,  Father  Coomes  was  transferred  from  St.  Joseph's  college 
to  missionary  work  in  the  county  of  Daviess ;  and  from  that  time  till 
he  was  incapable  longer  of  attending  to  the  exacting  calls  of  priestly 
duty'  in  a  missionary  circuit  that  extended  over  hundreds  of  square 
miles  of  territory  —  a  period  of  just  forty  years  —  he  served  the 
scattered  congregations  of  Hardin,  Daviess,  Breckinridge,  Meade, 
Grayson,  Edmondson  and  other  contiguous  counties  ;  and  he  did  this 
with  a  promptness  and  earnestness  that  won  for  him  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  his  superiors  and  the  abiding  affection  of  the  people  com- 
mitted to  his  charge. 

With  health  impaired  and  energies  exhausted,  he  was  compelled  at 
length  to  ask  his  ordinary  for  such  measure  of  relief  as  it  was  in  his 
power  to  grant.  With  obliging  kindness,  Bishop  McCloskey  relieved 
him  of  his  onerous  mission  and  appointed  him  to  the  chaplaincy  of 
the  St.  Vincent's  orphan  asylum,  Louisville.  Two  years  preceding  the 
date  of  his  death  he  was  transferred  to  the  hospital  of  Sts.  Mary  and 
Elizabeth,  of  which  charitable  institution  he  was  the  chaplain  until 
seized  with  his  last  illness,  toward  the  latter  end  of  January,  1881. 

A  fortnight  before  his  death.  Father  Coomes  was  visited  by  his 
ancient  friend  and  co-laborer,  the  reverend  and  amiable  Elisha  J.  Dur- 
bin.  The  meeting  between  the  two  affected  to  tears  those  who  wit- 
nessed it.  Had  an  angel  of  God  appeared  at  his  bedside,  the  dying 
priest  could  not  have  exhibited  more  unfeigned  joy.  On  the  morning 
of  February  14th,  the  earthly  life  of  this  veteran  dispenser  of  the 
gifts  of  heaven  was  brought  to  a  close.  The  burial  took  place  from 
the  cathedral  of  the  Assumption,  after  a  mass  of  requiem  celebrated 
by  Vicar-general  Bouchet  and  an  appropriate  eulogy  by  Rt.  Rev. 
VVilliam  McCloskey.  Not  far  removed  from  the  place  of  rest  of  this 
venerable  priest,  in  the  cemetery  of  St.  Louis,  near  Louisville,  four 
simple  monuments  mark  the  graves  of  as  many  of  Father  Coomes' old 
associates  of  the  Kentucky  priesthood,  viz. :  Fathers  Robert  A. 
Abell,  Walter  S.  Coomes,  Edward  Clark  and  B.  J.  Spalding.  Rest 
and  peace  to  him  and  them  for  evermore. 

The  pastors  of  the  church  of  St.  Clare  were  ordinarily  charged 
also  with  the  congregations  attached  to  the  church  of  St.  Patrick  in 
Meade  county,  and  that  of  St.  John  in  Hardin.  Their  visits  extended 
also  to  numerous  stations  in  the  counties  named  and  others  adjoining. 
Among  the  later  pastors  ol  St.  Clare's  congregation  were  :  Rev.  P. 
Fermont,  from  1862  to  1867;  Rev.  T.  J.  Disney,  from  that  date  to 
1873;  Rev.  P.  Rock,  from  1873  to  1875,  under  whose  pastorate  was 
begun  and  finished  the  present  brick  church;  and  from  that  time  till 
now,  Rev.   J.  J.  Abell. 

The  old  log-church  of  St.  Clare,  which  had  held  its  place  for  so 
many  years  in  the  beautiful  cross-shaped  valley  that  lies  nestled 
between  spurs  of  the  famed  Muldraugh's  Hill,  gave  way  more  than 
forty  years  ago  to  a  structure  of  bricks  and  mortar  that  was  scarcely 
an  improvement  on  its  own  rude  simplicity.  There  are  memories 
connected  with  the  old  church  that  should  make,  the  spot  upon  which 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  415 

it  Stood  hallowed  ground  for  Catholics.  At  its  altar  had  appeared  such 
ecclesiastics  as  Nerinckx  and  Badin,  Flaget  and  Chabrat,  Kenrick  and 
Perche,  Reynolds  and  Spalding,  and  from  its  altar-steps  these  and 
others  scarcely  less  entitled  to  the  grateful  remembrance  of  the  children 
of  the  Church  in  our  own  times,  had  discoursed  in  the  hearing  of  a 
willing  people,  of  the  admirable  ways  of  God  and  the  things  that  were 
for  their  peace. 

The  church  of  St.  Ignatius,  in  Hardin  county,  is  one  about  which 
the  writer  has  learned  little  beyond  the  fact  that  it  is  of  comparatively 
modern  construction,  built  to  accommodate  a  neighborhood  of  Catho- 
lics whose  fathers  were  instructed  in  christian  doctrine  by  Father 
Nerinckx  himself. 

The  church  of  St.  John,  on  Rude's  creek,  a  small  structure  of 
logs,  was  built  by  Father  Nerinckx  somewhere  about  the  year  1812. 
The  first  Catholic  residents  of  the  district  are  said  to  have  been  : 
Charles  Cissell,  William  Hayden,  Barton  Roby,  William  Norris, 
Samuel  Durbin,  Silvester  and  John  P.  Riney,  Henry  Alvey  and  Elias 
Drury.  In  connection  with  this  ancient  house  of  worship,  it  is  proper 
to  state,  that  in  its  attached  grave-yard  awaits  the  resurrection  the 
body  of  the  first  priest  whose  death  took  place  in  Hardin  county — 
Rev.  Charles  J.  Cissell,  of  whom  mention  has  already  been  made. 

Since  1822,  the  date  of  the  establishment  of  the  convent  and 
school  of  Bethlehem,  now  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  branch 
houses  of  the  Loretto  Society,  the  greater  number  of  the  churches  and 
stations  of  Hardin  county  have  been  attended  from  that  point.  The 
farm  upon  which  this  institution  is  located,  aggregating  nine  hundred 
acres,  includes  the  home-place  of  the  late  Governor  John  L.  Helm. 
The  convent  and  school  buildings  are  no  less  imposing  than  they  are 
commodious.  They  include  a  handsome  chapel,  known  as  that  of 
the  Immaculate  Conception. 

The  subsequent  pastors  of  the  congregations  referred  to,  up  to  the 
year  1874,  were:  Revs.  Edward  Clark,  F.  Chambige,  A.  Degauquier 
and  Charles  I.  Coomes.  Of  one  of  these  the  writer  proposes  to 
speak  here  somewhat  in  detail : 

REV.    AUGUSTINE   DEGAUQUIER 

Was  born  in  Mourbay,  Province  of  Hainault,  Belgium,  on  the  7th  day 
of  September,  1802.  His  father,  a  man  of  influence  and  worth  in 
the  community,  and  also  a  pious  christian,  was  burgomaster  of  the 
town.  Studious,  and  naturally  intelligent,  the  boy  soon  became 
helpful  to  his  father  in  his  office  work.  When  of  proper  age,  he  was 
sent  to  the  college  of  Ath,  with  the  view  of  pursuing  a  course  of  studies 
preparatory  to  that  by  which  he  hoped  to  be  fitted  for  the  holy  ministry.* 

*  It  is  related  of  him  that  while  at  college  he  went  one  day  to  the  neigh- 
boring village  of  Mulbaix  in  order  to  have  his  name  enrolled  as  a  member  of 
the  Society  of  the  Rosary,  a  confraternity  of  which  had  been  there  established. 
Never  afterwards  did  his  devotion  to  the  Blessed   Virgin  slacken  in  the  least 


4l6  THE   MISSIONS   OF    HARDIN    AND    MEADE   COUNTIES, 

His  boyhood  was  passed  in  a  stormy  period  of  his  country's  history. 
He  was  in  his  thirteenth  year  when  the  battle  of  Waterloo  was  fought. 
He  witnessed  a  number  of  skirmishes  during  the  war,  and  the  roar  of 
the  cannon  at  the  great  battle  fell  upon  his  ear.  Many  incidents  in  con- 
nection with  the  war  and  individuals  engaged  in  it  as  officers  and  pri- 
vate soldiers  had  taken  such  hold  upon  his  mind  and  memory,  that  he 
was  able  to  relate  them  in  after  years  with  graphic  accuracy.  When 
quiet  was  restored,  the  young  Augustine  wished  to  resume  his  studies; 
but  William  of  Orange  had  in  the  meantime  established  government 
colleges,  in  which  the  professors  were  anything  but  Catholic,  and  it 
had  been  ordered  that  no  one  should  be  admitted  to  ordination  who 
had  not  completed  his  course  in  one  or  another  of  these  institutions. 
Feeling  assured  that  the  whole  scheme  of  education  as  promulgated  by 
the  government  had  for  its  object  the  destruction  of  the  religious  senti- 
ment in  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  the  substitution  therefor  of  ideas 
based  upon  the  premises  that  man  is  a  mere  creature  of  destiny,  and 
that  he  has  no  power  to  control  his  actions,  whether  for  good  or  evil, 
the  wise  youth  was  given  grace  to  forfeit  the  educational  facilities  in 
which  he  was  able  to  discover  dangers  to  his  heart's  peace  and  to  his 
sours  aspirations. 

In  the  year  1832,  the  young  Levite  came  to  America,  and  he  soon 
afterwards  secured  a  place  among  Bishop  David's  seminarians  at  Bards- 
town.  Further  advanced  in  both  general  scholarship  and  in  knowledge 
of  theology  than  most  of  his  companions,  he  was  esteemed  fitted  for 
ordination  in  a  little  over  two  years;  and  on  the  24th  November,  1834, 
he  was  raised  to  the  priesthood.  After  having  spent  a  few  months 
at  Loretto  with  the  object  of  perfecting  himself  in  English  pronunci- 
ation, and  a  few  weeks  in  Louisville  among  its  German  inhabitants, 
many  of  whom  were  suffering  at  the  time  from  serious  sickness,  he 
returned  to  Bardstown,  and  there,  for  a  half  year,  served  as  assistant 
pastor  of  the  cathedral. 

In  September,  1835,  the  mission  he  laid  down  with  his  life,  thirty- 
five  years  later,  was  given  him.  He  was  at  the  time  hearty  and  strong, 
and  he  encountered  toil  with  the  zest  of  an  athlete  at  play.  His  jour- 
neys, which  were  almost  of  dailyoccurrence,  were  all  made  on  horse- 
back. He  had  often  to  pick  his  way  for  miles  through  dense  under- 
growth, swim  rivers  and  creeks,  and  make  wide  circuits  in  order  to 
avoid  swamps  out  of  which  extrication  would  have  been  impossible. 
Often,  too,  he  found  himself  lost  in  the  woods,  and  under  the  necessity 
of  sleeping  with  his  saddle  for  a  pillow  and  the  sky  for  covering.*   He 

degree.  When  broken  down  by  age  and  infirmity,  and  no  longer  able  to  make 
the  salutations,  he  placed  his  rosary  about  his  neck  and  there  it  remained  until 
he  ceased  to  breathe. 

*  All  the  old-time  missionaries  of  the  State  had  experiences  such  as  these, 
but  I  can  readily  believe,  from  all  that  I  have  heard  of  the  district  of  country 
in  which  lay  his  mission  forty  years  ago,  that  not  one  of  them  found  himself 
involved  more  frequently  in  troubles  of  the  kind  enumerated  than  did  Father 
Degauquier.  He  was  a  philosopher,  however,  and  a  christian  one ;  and  no  one 
ever  heard  him  complain  of  things  that  were  irremediable. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  417 

ordinarily  expended  three  months  of  his  time  in  getting  around  to  all 
the  stations  and  isolated  families  in  his  wide  circuit  of  labor;  and  having 
arrived  at  its  end,  it  was  but  to  turn  his  horse's  head  anew  toward  its 
beginning.  At  each  stopping  place  his  work  was  cut  out  for  him.  He 
heard  confessions,  taught  catechism,  instructed  the  ignorant,  baptized 
the  infants,  and  at  times  married  waiting  couples;  assisted  the  dying 
and  buried  the  dead.  To  any  other  than  a  priest,  calls  to  the  sick, 
often  at  distances  of  forty  and  fifty  miles,  and  not  unfrequently  in 
directions  opposite  to  those  traveled  in  order  to  meet  engagements; 
would  be  considered  not  the  least  serious  of  annoyances.  But  God's 
minister  has  his  chart  of  duty  ever  before  his  eyes,  and  he  has  no  diffi- 
culty in  recognizing  his  relative  obligations  when  his  work  is  disturbed 
by  any  species  of  complication.  He  says  to  himself — It  is  God's  will 
that  I  shall  here  stay  my  steps,  and  go  whither  He  has  assuredly  called 
me. 

During  the  late  civil  war  there  were  numbers  of  Federal  troops 
stationed  along  the  railroad  running  through  Hardin  county;  and 
Father  Degauquier  sought  and  was  accorded  (without  pay,  however) 
the  chaplaincy  of  those  encamped  between  Muldraugh's  Hill  and 
Camp  Nevin.  For  months  he  gave  himself  up  to  this  charitable 
work,  and  when  it  is  known  that  he  prepared  for  death  many  of  the 
sick  soldiers,  any  Catholic  will  be  able  to  estimate  the  value  of  his 
labors. 

And  for  all  he  did  and  suffered  in  the  cause  of  religion  and 
humanity,  what  was  his  earthly  reward  ?  On  this  point,  one  who  had 
every  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  facts,  thus 
writes  :  "He  never  sought  to  enrich  himself;  indeed,  the  emoluments 
he  received  from  all  his  churches,  though  no  man  was  more  frugal, 
would  not  have  served  for  his  maintenance."  By  this,  it  is  presumably 
to  be  understood,  his  paternal  inheritance  was  drawn  upon  to  eke  out 
the  meagerness  of  his  salary.  The  same  writer  goes  on  to  say  :  * '  His 
purse  was  open  to  the  orphan  and  the  unfortunate  and  his  sympathy 
was  with  all  who  claimed  a  father's  kindness  or  a  friend's  advice." 

After  thirty-five  years  of  exacting  toil  and  constant  exposure,  the 
aging  priest  found  that  his  limbs  refused  longer  to  bear  him  up,  and 
that  his  life's  work  was  ended.  For  months  preceding  his  death,  he 
was  barely  able  to  perform  his  duties  as  director  of  the  local  sister- 
hood. Feeling  that  his  hour  was  approaching,  he  summoned  several 
of  the  neighboring  clergymen  to  his  assistance,  and  with  their  help,  he 
arranged  both  his  worldly  affairs  and  those  that  related  to  his  here- 
after. But  he  had  an  ordeal  yet  to  pass  through  that  would  be 
inexplicable  to  christians  but  for  their  faith  in  God's  wisdom  and 
mercy,  who  often  subjects  His  servants  to  suffering  in  order  to  increase 
their  merits. 

From  the  time  he  had  been  himself  unable  to  offer  up  the  Holy 
Sacrifice,  it  had  been  his  habit,  when  a  priest  was  in  the  house,  to  hear 
mass  while  seated  in  a  chair.  On  the  morning  of  the  23d  of  January, 
1870,  his  assistant,  the  late  Rev.  Charles  I.  Coomes,  left  him  appar- 

27 


4l8  THE    MISSIONS   OF    HARDIN    AND    MEADE    COUNTIES. 

ently  sleeping,  and  went  to  the  convent  chapel  to  say  mass  for  the  com- 
munity. Immediately  after  his  departure,  Father  Degauquier  arose, 
struck  a  match,  and  in  attempting  to  light  the  lamp,  overturned  it 
and  ignited  the  oil.  In  a  moment  his  night  clothing  was  ablaze,  and 
in  another,  he  was  himself  horribly  and  fatally  burned.  For  an  entire 
week  his  sufferings  must  have  been  excruciating,  and  yet  no  complaint, 
scarcely  a  sigh  escaped  him.  Four  hours  after  the  accident,  fearing 
that  he  might  lose  consciousness,  he  asked  to  be  annointed;  and  the 
last  rites  of  the  religion  of  which  he  had  been  so  faithful  an  exponent 
were  administered  to  him  by  Father  Coomes.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  ceremony,  he  thanked  those  present  for  the  kindness  they  had 
shown  him,  and  begged  them  to  continue  their  prayers  that  the  will  of 
God  might  be  fulfilled  in  his  regard.  After  more  than  a  week  of 
fearful  suffering,  his  gentle  spirit  passed  away  at  lo  o'clock  in  the 
evening  of  Sunday,  January  30,  1870. 

For  Catholics,  whether  lay  or  clerical,  admirable  lessons  are  to  be 
drawn  from  the  contemplation  of  the  life  of  this  excellent  priest. 
Filial  and  dutiful  toward  his  parents  in  childhood,  he  was  no  less  so 
toward  God  and  His  Church  in  after-life.  Proof  against  time-service 
and  worldly  blandishments  in  youth,  he  was  equally  proof  against  every 
selfish  principle  in  his  matured  manhood.  Called  to  the  priesthood,  he 
had  thought  for  nothing  beyond  its  prescribed  and  implied  duties. 
Thankful  for  the  strength  that  God  had  given  him,  he  expended  it 
freely  and  cheerfully  in  God's  service.  Despising  riches  and  worldly 
notoriety,  he  was  content  to  be  poor  and  to  live  unknown  to  others 
than  those  he  had  the  power  to  help.  What  he  had,  whether  of 
strength  or  talents  or  means,  he  looked  upon  as  God's  property,  to  be 
spent  in  His  service.  Finally,  he  suffered  and  was  patient,  and  he 
went  to  his  rest  by  the  way  of  the  cross.* 

In  Elizabethtown,  the  county-seat  of  Hardin,  there  were  few  resi- 
dent Catholics  anterior  to  the  year  1845.  -^s  early  as  1840,  however, 
Father  Charles  I.  Coomes  was  in  the  habit  of  occasionally  celebrating 
mass  in  the  town,  at  the  house  of  the  late  Denton  Geoghegan,  after- 
wards sheriff  of  the  county.     At  that  time  there  were  not  over  four  or 

*By  the  older  clergy  of  the  diocese,  Father  Degauquier  was  regarded  with 
strong  affection.  Four  of  these,  Fathers  Robert  A.  Abell,  M.  D.  O'Brien,  O. 
S.  D.,  F.  Chambige  and  Charles  I.  Coomes,  all  since  deceased,  assisted  at  his 
funeral,  and  the  first  named  among  them  delivered  a  discourse  on  the  occasion 
that  was  as  full  of  feeling  as  it  was  of  praise  of  the  dead.  A  neat  monument 
has  been  placed  over  the  grave  of  this  noble  priest,  upon  which  appears  an 
epitaph  in  verse  written  by  Rev.  R.  A.  Abell.  One  of  Father  Degauquier's 
congregations,  that  of  St.  John  the  evangelist,  on  Sunfish  creek,  in  Edmund- 
son  county,  was  made  up  principally  of  families  of  the  name  of  Durbin.  A  list 
of  "heads  of  families  of  the  congregation,"  in  the  handwriting  of  the  pastor, 
has  fallen  in  my  way,  and  the  recurrence  of  the  name  is  at  least  to  be  regarded 
as  singular:  "John  Durbin,  Jacob  Durbin,  Richard  Durbin,  John  Durbin,  Jr., 
Robert  Durbin,  Daniel  Cinter,  Joseph  Logsdon,  Thomas  Hill,  Simon  Sales, 
Austin  Jenkins,  Christopher  Durbin,  Nicholas  Durbin,  Dr.  John  Durbin,  John 
Skeis." 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  419 

five  Catholic  families  in  the  place.  Eight  years  later,  their  numbers 
had  so  greatly  increased  that  it  was  determined  among  them  to  make 
an  effort  to  build  a  church.  The  most  influential  and  energetic  among 
the  heads  of  families  who  took  the  matter  in  hand,  are  said  to  have 
been  John  and  Andrew  Rihn  and  George  W.  Warren.  They  were 
assisted  liberally  by  the  non-Catholics  of  the  town,  and  eventually 
they  secured  subscriptions  aggregating  $3,300,  and  put  up  the  present 
church  of  St.  James.  The  first  pastor  of  the  church,  who,  also,  no 
doubt,  first  suggested  the  effort  that  had  eventuated  in  its  construction, 
was  Rev.  Augustine  Degauquier.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  pastorate 
in  1868  by  Rev.  T.  J.  Disney,  the  present  zealous  pastor  of  the  church 
of  the  Sacred  Heart,  Louisville,  who  signalized  his  work  in  the  con- 
gregation by  the  introduction  of  a  colony  of  the  sisters  of  Loretto,  and 
the  estabhshment  by  these  of  parish  schools  and  the  St.  Mary's 
academy.  Father  Disney  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  Ryan  in  1874,  and 
he  by  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  J.  Cook,  in  1875.  * 

"The  church  in  Elizabethtown,"  writes  a  correspondent,  "is 
adorned  by  a  number  of  fair  paintings,  brought  to  the  country,  no  doubt, 
by  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  and  afterwards  gathered  from  the  neigh- 
boring church-stations  where  he  had  left  them  for  preservation  and 
brought  hither  by  one  or  another  of  its  earlier  pastors.  Two  of  these 
are  somewhat  remarkable.  One  of  them  represents  St.  John  in  boy- 
hood, with  lamb,  and  is  finely  drawn  and  colored.  The  other  is  sup- 
posed to  represent  St.  Augustine.     The  head  is  a  study." 

In  connection  with  the  churches  of  Hardin  county,  should  be  men- 
tioned two  other  ancient  edifices  of  like  character  in  the  adjoining 
counties  of  Bullitt  and  Spencer.  The  church  of  St.  John,  Bullitt 
county,  was  built  in  the  year  181 2,  under  the  pastorship  of  Rev.  G.  I. 
Chabrat.f  The  church  of  St.  Benedict,  in  Spencer  county,  Avas  built 
by  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  in  1815.I 

There  were  few  Catholics  living  in  Meade  county  previons  to  1820; 
but  there  wa^s  a  church  station  at  Flint  Island,  or  near  that  point,  as 
early  as  the  year  1810.  This  was  visited  occasionally,  no  doubt,  by 
both  Father  Badin  and  Father  Nerinckx.  In  181 S,  the  last  named  of 
these  missionaries  wrote  a  diary  of  a  journey  made  by  himself  and  the 
then  newly  ordained  priest.  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell,  from  Gethsemani, 
in  Nelson,  to  Morganfield,  in  Union  county,  in  which  occurs  the  fol- 

*  Among  the  educational  establishments  of  Hardin  county,  the  Cecilian 
college,  so  named  from  Charles  Cecil,  of  Marion  county,  the  father  of  the 
brothers,  Henry  A.,  Ambrose,  Charles  and  Thomas  Cecil,  its  founders  and,  for 
the  most  part,  its  present  officers,  is  deserving  of  special  mention.  Though 
controlled  by  laymen,  it  has  long  been  reputed  a  school  in  which  Catholic 
youths  are  in  no  danger  of  shipwreck  of  their  faith. 

1 1  have  been  able  to  secure  the  names  of  but  three  of  the  original  members 
of  St.  John's.  These  were  Christopher  Sanders,  Col.  Valentine  Thompson  and 
Walter  Blandford,  all  referred  to  elsewhere. 

J  Early  members  of  St.  Benedict's  congregation  were:  Henry  Newman, 
Benedict  Horrell,  John  O'Nan,  Baptist  Gough,  Harrison  Kerrick  and  Andrew 
Ofifutt. 


420  THE    MISSIONS    OF    HARDIN    AND    MEADE    COUNTIES. 

lowing  entry :  "At  St.  Teresa's,  Flint  Island,  where  Father  Abell 
preached,  we  were  presented  with  three  hundred  acres  of  land  for  a 
church,  etc."  After  the  appointment  of  Rev.  E.  J.  Durbin  to  the  mis- 
sions of  Western  Kentucky,  in  1824,  the  mission  of  St.  Teresa,  next 
to  those  of  St.  Anthony  in  Breckinridge  and  the  Sacred  Heart,  in 
Union  county,  was  certainly  the  most  important  in  the  entire  district. 

The  congregation  at  the  date  given  was  composed,  for  the  most 
part,  *at  least,  of  the  families  of  James  Mills,  Henry  Greenwell,  Wil- 
fred Greenwell,  Anthony  Livers,  Guy  Livers,  Ignatius  Elder,  

O'Brien,  Noble  Wight,  Mrs.  Henrietta  Alvey,  John  Manning,  Corne- 
lius Gough,  Joseph  Pike,  Oliver  Burch,  Peter  Jarboe,  Walter  Reid, 
Peter  Bruner,  Henry  Alvey  and  Caleb  Brown.  The  church  station  at 
the  time  was  the  house  of  Oliver  Burch. 

In  1826,  Father  Durbin  induced  the  congregation  to  put  up  for  its 
use  a  small  log  church;  and  this  was  attended  by  him,  not  oftener  than 
once  a  month,  most  likely,  until  the  year  1839,  when  Rev.  Charles  I. 
Coomes  was  charged  with  the  mission,  with  residence  at  Flint  Island. 
He  was  succeeded,  in  1846,  by  Rev.  William  Fennelly,  and  he,  in 
1850,  by  Rev.  Patrick  McNicholas.  Than  this  last  named  priest,  there 
was  not  at  the  time  another  in  the  diocese  possessing  characteristics  that 
better  fitted  him  for  exhaustive  ministerial  labors.  He  was  young,  and 
in  vigorous  health.  He  was  not  only  intellectually  bright,  but  he  had 
made  such  good  use  of  his  opportunities  as  to  provide  himself  with 
logical  weapons  with  which  to  define  and  defend  the  Catholic  faith  he 
had  inherited.  To  the  enthusiasm  that  is  natural  to  youth,  was  supple- 
mented in  him  the  zeal  that  has  its  source  in  individual  consciousness 
of  duty.  His  pastorate,  which  extended  over  a  period  of  twenty-one 
years,  marked  an  era  in  the  history  of  the  congregation  that  tells  well 
for  its  efficiency.  The  present  church  of  St.  Teresa  was  built  under 
his  direction,  and  mainly  through  his  influence  over  those  for  whose  use 
and  benefit  it  was  designed. 

The  church-stations  served  by  Father  McNicholas,  during  his 
incumbency  of  the  pastorate  of  St.  Teresa's,  were  many;  and  the 
labor  involved  in  the  care  of  these,  together  with  that  which  was  inci- 
dental to  the  charge  of  a  large  home  parish,  proved  eventually  too 
great  for  his  physical  strength.  In  1871,  much  more  by  excess  of 
labor  than  the  effects  of  age,  he  found  himself  so  utterly  prostrated 
physically  as  to  be  incapable  of  supplying  the  needs  of  the  then  large 
and  still  extending  mission.  Seeking  relief  from  the  hands  of  his 
bishop,  he  was  given  the  chaplaincy  of  the  house  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd, Louisville,  from  which  position  he  was  afterwards  removed  to 
the  St.  Thomas'  establishment,  near  Bardstown,  and  finally  to  the 
college  of  St.  Joseph,  in  the  town  itself.  Here  he  has  since  contin- 
ued to  reside,  in  semi-retirement,  and  in  the  performance  of  such 
labors  as  are  not  incompatable  with  his  weakened  bodily  energies.  * 

*  The  ecclesiastical  studies  of  Father  McNicholas  were  pursued  in  the  dio- 
cesan seminary,  almost  immediately  after  the  direction  of  that  institution  had 


Catholicity  in  Kentucky,  4ii 

Father  McNIcholas  was  succeeded  in  the  pastorship  of  the  church 
of  St.  Teresa  by  Rev.  Eugene  Crane,  and  he  by  the  present  pastor,  Rev. 
P.  Raoux. 

Two  other  churches  in  Meade  county,  St.  Patrick's  and  St.  Mar- 
tin's, have  been  attended  for  a  number  of  years  by  Rev.  Martin  O'Con- 
nor, of  Stithton,  Kentucky. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE   MISSION    OF    GRAYSON    COUNTY. 

Though  the  mission  of  Grayson  county  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the 
most  ancient  in  the  State,  it  is  not  even  named  in  the  CathoHc  directories 
of  1833  and  1834 — the  two  first  pubHshed  in  the  country.  Three 
years  after  the  last  date — in  that  of  1S37  — the  entry  regarding  it  occu- 
pies but  a  single  line:  "Grayson  county,  once  a  month,  by  Rev.  A. 
"Degauquier."  As  early  as  the  year  1810,  there  were  neighborhoods 
in  the  county  in  which  the  settlers  were  in  the  habit  of  crossing  them- 
selves before  eating,  and  where  there  was  a  tradition  of  the  faith  kept 
up  among  the  people.  Father  Nerinckx  rested  not  until  he  had  visited 
all  these,  and  amalgamated  them,  so  to  say,  into  congregations.  He 
formed  for  them  rules,  and  he  appointed  for  them  places  of  meeting 
— the  most  convenient  houses  in  the  districts — where  they  could  come 
together  on  Sundays  and  holidays  of  obligation  to  recite  in  common 
the  prayers  for  mass  and  to  catechise  the  children,  and  where,  at 
long  intervals,  he  would  himself  be  present  to  offer  up  the  Holy  Sac- 
rifice in  their  behalf. 

The  Catholic  directory  of  1839,  the  seventh  of  the  series  pub- 
lished and  continued  to  the  present  day,  gives  the  titles  of  the 
churches  of  Grayson  county  and  names  the  pastor  by  whom  they 
were  served:  "St.  Paul's  (on  Big  Clifty);  St.  Benedict's  (on  Nolynn 
river) ;  St.  Augustine's  (Grayson  Springs) — attended  by  Rev.  Francis 
Chambige."  It  is  supposed  that  the  oldest  of  these  churches,  as 
originally  constructed,  was  that  of  St.  Augustine,  and  that  it,  and  pos- 
sibly that  of  St.  Paul,  on  Big  Clifty,  were  built  by  Father  Nerinckx. 
All  of  them  were  looked  upon  as  old  structures  fifty  years  ago,  and 
their  renewal  in  later  years  was  regarded  as  a  necessity.     The  line  of 

fallen  from  the  hands  of  its  venerable  founder,  the  saintly  Bishop  David.  His 
ordination  to  the  priesthood  took  place,  if  I  mistake  not,  in  the  then  cathedral 
church  of  St.  Louis,  in  the  year  1848;  the  ordaining  prelate  being  the  late  Dr, 
M.  J.  Spalding,  at  that  time  coadjutor  bishop  of  Louisville. 


42  2  THE   MISSION    OF    GRAYSON    COUNTY. 

pastors  of  the  Grayson  county  churches,  as  far  back  as  the  writer  has 
been  able  to  trace  them,  up  to  the  year  1858,  includes  the  names  of 
Revs.  A.  Degauquier,  Francis  Chambige.  F.  Lawler,  Thomas  Joyce, 
John  F.  McSweeny  and  P.  Bambury. 

In  1858,  an  apostle  was  provided  for  the  Cathohc  people  of  the 
county,  of  whom  it  is  to  be  said,  he  lived  a  holy  and  useful  life,  and 
died  as  die  the  elect  of  God.  The  pastor  here  alluded  to,  who  served 
his  people  for  fifteen  years,  was  the  late  Rev.  J.  B.  Vandemergel. 
Though  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  the  Catholic  people  of  Grayson 
will  soon  forget  the  saintly  priest  to  whose  enlightened  direction  they 
were  so  long  subject,  it  will  be  for  them  a  melancholy  pleasure  to 
read,  at  times,  the  annexed  sketch  of  his  life,  for  the  details  of  which 
the  writer  is  indebted  to  a  friend,  himself  a  priest,  who  knew  him 
intimately,  loved  him  truly,  and  venerated  him  profoundly,* 

REV.  J.   B.   VANDEMERGEL. 

i    ' 

In  its  course,  the  life  of  the  true  christian  resembles  in  much  that 
of  the  sun  in  the  heavens.  In  it  is  displayed  force  as  well  as  regu- 
larity, attractiveness  as  well  as  warmth.  Motion  is  constant  in  both, 
but  its  regularity  prevents  our  noting  it  except  in  its  results.  Each  in 
its  sphere  is  the  dispenser  of  blessings.  Under  the  radiant  smiles  of 
the  one,  the  whole  earth  teems  with  fruitfulness.  In  the  humble  path- 
way of  the  other,  the  flowers  of  virtue  spring  forth,  dispensing  an 
aroma  that  is  of  heaven.  So  little  conspicuous  is  ordinarily  the  life 
of  the  true  christian,  that  men  are  only  reminded  of  its  worth  when 
they  miss  it  from  their  daily  walks.  These  observations  are  singu- 
larly applicable  to  the  late  devoted  pastor  of  Grayson  county. 

J.  B.  Vandemergel  was  born  in  Belgium,  about  the  year  1823. 
From  his  earliest  years  he  was  devoted  to  the  service  of  God.  When 
old  enough  to  understand  his  own  heart  and  its  aspirations,  he  deter- 
mined to  study  for  the  priesthood.  This  he  did,  and  in  due  time 
received  priestly  orders  from  the  hands  of  his  own  bishop  in  Belgium. 
It  is  unfortunate  that  we  are  without  data  sufficiently  explicit  to  present 
before  the  reader  even  an  outline  of  the  life  led  by  him  in  his  native 
land,  previous  to  his  entrance  into  the  American  college  at  Louvain  in 
1855,  whither  he  had  gone  with  the  view  of  applying  himself  to  the 
study  of  the  spoken  language  of  America,  to  which  country  he  had 
resolved  to  proceed  in  order  to  labor  upon  its  missions.  It  is  known 
that  he  was  engaged  in  pastoral  work  soon  after  his  ordination;  that  he 
was  respected  by  the  people  among  whom  he  lived,  and  that  he  might 
have  led  a  quiet  and  contented  life  in  his  own  country,  had  he  not  felt 
that  in  accepting  the  office  of  the  priesthood  he  had  engaged  with  the 
divine  Head  of  the  Church  to  expend  the  entire  sum  of  his  strength  in 
His  service. 

Out  of  the  far  West,  and  from  across  the  waste   of  waters   that 
divides  his  own  land  from  America,  came  to  him  the  echo  of  the  piti- 

*Rev.  Lawrence  Bax,  of  St.  John's  church,  Louisville. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKV;  423- 

fill  plaint  uttered  centuries  ago  by  Him  who  spake  as  never  man  spoke, 
"the  harvest  indeed  is  great,  but  the  laborers  are  few."  He  knew  that 
there  was  a  field  in  which  his  labors  would  be  turned  to  better  account 
than  in  his  own  country,  and  that  he  would  be  remiss  if  he  hearkened 
not  to  the  voice  that  was  whispering  tO  him  sleeping  and  waking,  ' '  Go 
you  also  into  my  vineyard." 

Having  passed  a  year  in  the  American  college  of  Louvain,  then 
under  the  direction  of  the  esteemed  Father  Kindekens,  and  learned 
the  language  of  the  people  among  whom  he  was  going,  he  embarked 
for  America  in  1856,  and  reached  Kentucky  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year.  For  nearly  two  years  he  labored  efficiently  on  the  missions  of 
Union  and  Daviess  counties.  In  the  fall  of  1858  he  was  charged  with 
the  pastorate  of  all  the  churches  in  Grayson  county;  and  in  the 
exhaustive  labors  incident  to  this  position  were  passed  the  remaining 
years  of  his  life.  Under  his  pastorate  were  renewed  the  churches  of 
Saint  John  (Big  CHfty),  and  Saint  Benedict  (Nolynn  river).  His_ 
nominal  residence,  however,  was  at  the  church  of  St.  Augustine,  near 
the  springs.  Here,  possibly  more  from  choice  than  necessity,  his 
residence  was  the  sacristy  of  the  church.  Here  it  was,  near  the 
tabernacle,  his  leisure  hours  were  spent— few  of  them  were  these,  and 
altogether  comfortless  would  they  have  been  considered  by  many  a 
one  who  imagines  himself  well  nigh  perfect.  Here,  night  and 
day,  in  his  own  and  his  people's  behalf,  were  his  petitions  "made 
known  to  God."  Some  of  the  stories  related  of  his  vigils  remind  one 
of  what  is  recorded  in  the  lives  of  the  saints  of  some  of  the  contem- 
platives  of  the  desert.  Alas,  that  devotion  should  have  grown  so  cold 
in  our  day  as  to  render  it  almost  impossible  to  make  men  understand 
the  true  value  of  a  life  that  is  habitually  passed  in  the  contemplation 
of  God  and  His  attributes,  in  prayer  for  mercy,  for  enlightenment,  for 
the  bestowal  of  grace,  and  for  the  removal  from  one's  pathway  of  the 
snares  of  the  evil  one. 

Father  Vandemergel's  life  was  one  of  toil,  of  abnegation,  of  morti- 
fications meekly  borne.  Bishop  Spalding  once  applied  to  him  the 
familiar  apothegm  known  to  the  country — altogether  meaningless  in 
the  abstract  as  it  is  in  construction,  and  yet  pithy  and  easily  under- 
stood— "he  lives  upon  nothing  and  cooks  it  himself."  He  meant  to 
say,  as  everybody  was  saying,  that  the  good  priest  could  be  thankful 
over  a  crust  of  bread,  and  that  he  could  fast  with  thankfulness  if  that 
were  lacking.  Nothing  could  be  more  characteristic  of  his  life.  Of 
his  hardships  he  never  complained,  and  never  was  he  heard  to  speak 
of  his  labors.  It  sufficed  for  him  that  his  heart  was  open  to  the  Mas- 
ter he  served,  and  that  His  approval  was  all  he  coveted.  For  the  rest, 
he  rejoiced  that  he  was  able  to  meet  the  exactions  of  his  onerous  min- 
istry, to  suffer  something  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  and  to  lead  his  willing 
people  into  wholesome  pastures. 

He  had  no  power  of  eloquence ;  and  though  he  was  suspected  of 
the  possession  of  learning,  he  was  careful  to  hide  from  others  the  extent 
of  his  knowledge.     That  he  was  an  intelligent  and  capable  pastor  of 


424  THE    MISSION    OF    GRAYSON    COUNTY. 

souls,  however,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  his  people  were  well 
instructed,  and  that  there  were  among  them  few  who  were  not  practical 
Catholics. 

A  few  years  previous  to  his  death,  he  bought  a  lot  in  the  town  of 
Leitchfield,  upon  which  he  built  a  handsome  Gothic  church.  In  an 
old  frame  building  beside  this  church  the  devoted  priest  passed  the  last 
days  of  his  life.  The  news  of  his  serious  illness  had  brought  to  the 
place  several  priests,  all  of  whom  were  edified  by  the  christian  patience 
he  exhibited  when  he  was  told  that  he  had  but  a  short  time  to  Hve.  On 
Tuesday,  July  ist,  1873,  he  sank  to  rest.  Having  directed  that  his  body 
should  be  buried  at  St.  Augustine's,  his  first  home  in  the  county,  it  was 
borne  thither  the  following  morning  accompanied  by  Revs.  C.  I. 
Coomes,  Joseph  De  Vries  and  James  Ryan,  together  with  very  many 
members  of  the  congregation. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  remains  at  St.  Augustine's,  a  mass  of  requiem 
was  celebrated  by  Rev.  Jas.  Ryan,  and  the  funeral  ceremony  was 
performed  by  Rev.  Jos.  De  Vries,  who  also  delivered  a  feehng  address 
over  the  coffined  body  of  his  departed  friend.  Before  the  last  absolu- 
tion, Rev.  L.  Bax,  of  Louisville,  reached  the  church,  and  gave  his 
assistance  in  the  ritualistic  observance  of  the  ceremonial. 

In  the  direction  of  the  setting  sun,  thousands  of  leagues  distant 
from  the  land  that  gave  him  birth,  lies  all  that  is  mortal  of  the  brave 
Flemish  priest  who  had  set  aside  home  comforts  and  home  associations 
in  order  to  labor  for  the  good  of  souls  in  inland  America.  It  is  meet 
that  his  memory  should  be  preserved  in  the  hearts  of  our  people;  that, 
looking  at  his  humble  grave  in  the  shadow  of  the  church  that  was  in 
truth  his  only  home  for  so  many  years,  the  faithful  should  rejoice  that 
there  was  given  to  him  strength  to  leave  all  things  for  Christ,  and  that 
he  was  able  to  bear  hence  to  the  feet  of  his  Savior  God,  so  many 
trophies  of  his  peaceful  ministry. 

Searching  among  his  papers  after  his  death,  it  was  found  that  Father 
Vandemergel  had  made  a  will,  and  that  he  had  left  the  little  he  pos- 
sessed of  estate  to  the  orphan  children  under  the  protection  of  the 
Church  in  the  diocese  of  Louisville. 

The  renewal  of  the  church  of  St.  Augustine,  at  Grayson  Springs, 
was  at  the  sole  expense  of  a  pious  Catholic  lady,  Mrs.  A.  D.  Bellchasse, 
whose  husband  died  at  that  point  in  1852.  It  was  built  over  the  grave 
of  Mr.  Bellchasse,  and  on  a  tablet  in  the  wall  of  the  church  appears 
the  inscription:  "  D.  O.  M.  .  .  .  John  D.  Bellchasse,  born  in  New 
Orleans,  Aug.  24,  18 14.  .  .  .  Died  at  Grayson  Springs,  Aug.  17, 
1852."*  Since  the  death  of  Father  Vandemergel  the  churches  of 
Grayson  county  have  been  served  by  Revs.  M.  Melody,  P.  Carmen 
and  E.  Fahrenbach. 

*  Since  the  above  was  written,  I  learn  that  St.  Augustine's  church  has  been 
destroyed  by  fire.  Still  later,  the  report  comes  to  me  that  the  present  pastor  of 
the  church  has  been  for  months  engaged  in  its  reconstruction. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  425 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

THE    MISSION    OF    DAVIESS    COUNTY.' 

"As  early  as  the  year  1808,"  writes  an  old  Catholic  resident  of 
Daviess, "  there  were  nominal  Catholics  in  this  county.  They  married 
out  of  the  Church,  and  their  children  were  brought  up  without  knowl- 
edge of  the  precious  inheritance  that  was  due  them.  Some  of  these  lat- 
ter retained  traditions  of  their  faith  that  afterwards  smoothed  the  way  for 
them  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  and  its  joyful  acceptance.  Others 
of  them  are  even  more  inimical  to  the  Church  than  are  those  whose 
Protestant  ancestry  drifts  into  the  past  for  hundreds  of  years.  We 
have  here,  at  least,  a  good  argument  against  mixed  marriages.  Two 
of  my  own  cousins  thus  lost  their  faith  and  brought  a  like  misfortune 
upon  their  families.  One  of  them  was  led  back  to  the  ark,  together 
with  his  entire  family,  when  a  resident  priest  was  sent  to  the  district. 
The  other  still  continues  to  wander.  It  would  astonish  you  to  learn 
how  many  there  are,  even  here,  who  ought  to  be  in  the  sheepfold,  and 
are  not,  simply  because  they  were  without  a  shepherd  in  their  youth. 
The  outlook  has  been  brighter  since  1833,  when  Rev.  John  C.  Wathen 
was  sent  to  the  district,  of  which  Knottsville  is  the  center.  Aban- 
donment of  the  Church  is  now  a  rare  occurrence,  and  now  and  then 
a  wanderer  of  times  past  is  seen  to  re-enter  the  fold." 

The  first  Catholic  settlers  in  Daviess  county,  worthy  of  the  name, 
were  William  Jarboe  and  Mrs.  Ezekiel  Henning.  The  husband  of 
the  latter  was  not  a  Catholic,  but  he  afterwards  became  one,  and  it 
was  in  his  house,  as  is  generally  supposed,  was  said  the  first  mass  that 
was  ever  offered  up  in  Daviess  county.  The  officiating  priest  on  that 
occasion  was,  doubtless,  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx.  In  1820,  at  least  on 
one  occasion,  mass  was  celebrated  in  the  house  of  William  Jarboe  by 
Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell.  From  1816  to  1830  there  was  an  influx  of 
Catholic  movers,  mostly  from  Nelson  county,  to  the  neighborhood 
from  which  was  afterwards  drawn  the  congregation  of  St.  Lawrence. 
Among  these  were  the  families  of  John  Payne,  Charles  Jarboe,  Leon- 
ard Knott,  from  whom  the  town  of  Knottsville  takes  its  name,  Thomas 
Montgomery,  John  Bowles,  Hilary  Drury,  S.  McDaniel,  Richard  R. 
Coomes,  Ben.  All,  Peter  Higdon,  and Carrico.* 

*The  house  of  John  Bowles,  named  above,  was  the  church  station  for  the 
neighborhood  for  a  number  of  years  preceding  the  erection  of  the  church  of 
St.  Lawrence.  The  venerable  Mother  Bertha  Bowles,  of  the  Loretto  society, 
is   one   his  daughters Thomas  Montgomery  was   the  father  of  Hon. 


426  THE    MISSION    OF    DAVIESS   COUNTY. 

Richard  R.  Coomes,  whose  name  appears  in  the  above  Hst  of  early 
settlers  in  the  county,  is  a  grandson  of  the  veteran  patriarch  of  the 
Cox's  Creek  settlement,  Francis  Coomes,  who  died  a  centenarian  in 
1822.  The  history  of  the  family,  as  sketched  for  the  writer  by  its 
oldest  living  representative  in  Daviess,  though  it  may  have  hitherto 
been  referred  to  in  this  history,  is  sufficiently  interesting  to  be  here 
introduced : 

Francis  Coomes,  from  whom  one  branch  of  the  family  so  desig- 
nated and  residing  in  Kentucky  has  its  descent,  was  born  in  Mary- 
land about  the  year  1722.  When  a  young  married  man,  he  strayed 
away  from  Maryland  and  went  first  to  Virginia,  and  afterwards  to 
North  Carolina.  Here  there  were  children  born  to  him,  and  these 
grew  up  with  little,  if  any,  knowledge  of  their  ancestral  faith.  When 
his  oldest  son,  Richard,  father  of  the  venerated  friend  whose  account 
the  writer  is  here  quoting,  reached  his  majority,  he  became  dissatisfied 
with  his  surroundings  in  North  Carolina,  and,  after  wandering  from 
place  to  place  for  a  number  of  years,  finally  came  to  Kentucky  in  the 
year  1790.  It  is  more  than  fikely  he  fell  in  with  some  of  his  father's 
former  acquaintances  of  Maryland,  then  on  their  way  to  the  settle- 
ment on  Cox's  creek. 

Richard  Coomes  was  accompanied  to  the  State  and  -to  the  settle- 
ment referred  to  by  two  single  sisters,  Anna  and  Rachel  Coomes,  the 
first  of  whom  afterwards  became  the  wife  of  Walter  Coomes,  favor- 
ably mentioned  by  Dr.  Spalding  in  his  "  Sketches  of  Kentucky,"  and 
the  mother  of  the  late  Rev.  Charles  I.  Coomes,  referred  to  in  many 
places  in  this  history ;  and  the  last,  the  wife  of  William  Coomes,  who 
removed  from  Nelson  to  Daviess  county  in  the  year  181 5. 

In  1794,  or  thereabouts,  Richard  Coomes  returned  to  North  Caro- 
lina and  brought  back  with  him  to  Kentucky  his  aged  father  and 
mother,  and  two  single  sisters.  One  of  these  latter  afterwards  inter- 
married with  Wilfred  Wathen,  and  became  the  mother  of  the  first 
resident  pastor  of  Daviess  county,  the  late  Rev.  John  C.  Wathen. 
The  other  was  married  to  John  Speaks.  Having  still  a  widowed  sister 
residing  in  Virginia,  Mrs.  Margaret  Wathen,  he  went  after  her  a  year  or 
two  later,  and  brought  to  Kentucky  herself  and  her  two  infant  children. 
This  Mrs.  Margaret  Wathen  was  afterwards  united  in  marriage  with 
Zachariah  Aud,  of  the  Cox's  Creek  Catholic  settlement,  and  she 
became  the  mother  of  the  present  venerable  chaplain  of  Calvary  con- 
vent, Rev.  Athanasius  A.  Aud,  still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-one  years. 

Zach'.  Montgomery,  of  the  California  bar Hilary  Drury  removed  from 

Maryland  to  the  Cox's  Creek  settlement,  of  Kentucky,  in  1809,  where  he  after- 
wardb  married  a  daughter  of  Richard  Coomes,  to  whom  reference  will  be  found 
in  tht  text.  Hilary  Drury,  accompanied  by  his  brother-in-law,  R.  R.  Coomes, 
removed  to  Daviess  county  in  1830.  One  of  his  sisters  died  a  member  of  the 
Loretto  society ;  his  oldest  daughter,  Matilda,  is  a  member  of  the  same  com- 
munity; his  oldest  son,  J.  G.  Drury,  is  a  prominent  physician  residing  in 
Knottsville;  his  younge^t  son,  Rev.  E.  Drury,  has  charge  of  the  church  and 
congregation  of  St.  Francis,  Chicago,  Kentucky. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  42? 

Long  before  these  latter  passages  in  the  life  of  Richard  Coornes,  he 
had  found  his  way  back  to  the  Church  in  which  he  had  been  baptized; 
and  it  was  through  his  instrumentality,  principally,  and  under  God,  that 
each  and  every  member  of  his  father's  family,  before  estranged  from 
the  faith,  was  led  back  to  the  one  fold  of  the  one  shepherd.  The 
death  of  Richard  Coomes  took  place  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight 

years. 

After  the  year  1824,  and  up  to  1833,  the  Catholic  people  of  Daviess 
county  were  visited  at  long  intervals  by  Rev.  E.  J.  Durbin,  from 
Union  county,  or  by  one  of  his  assistants.  The  first  Catholic  church 
put  up  in  the  county,  that  of  St.  Lawrence,  a  poor  log  edifice,  was 
erected  in  1831.  The  pastorate  of  Rev.  John  C.  Wathen  began  in 
1833,  and  his  mission  at  the  time  extended  to  the  counties  of  Daviess, 
Breckinridge  and  Meade.  His  nominal  residence,  however,  was  at 
the  church  of  St.  Lawrence.  Nearly  two  years  before  his  death, 
which  took  place  on  the  19th  of  October,  1841,  he  replaced  his  home 
church  by  one  of  brick. 

It  would  appear  from  the  annexed  extract  from  a  letter  addressed 
to  the  writer  by  a  highly  respected  priest  of  the  diocese,  that  the  first 
Catholic  settlers  in  Daviess  county  were  unfortunate  in  their  selections  of 
lands  for  permanent  residence.  ' '  The  land  upon  which  stands  the 
church  of  St.  Lawrence  was  a  gift  from  the  owner  of  a  great  deal  of 
the  adjoining  property,  all  of  which  is  poor,  and  it  was  given,  no 
doubt,  in  order  to  secure  sales  of  the  lands  nearby  to  Catholic  settlers. 
The  hilly  lands  at  St.  Raphael's,  on  Panther  creek,  were  given,  I 
think,  with  the  same  design."  * 

Rev.  Linus  O.  Coomes  was  pastor  of  the  church  of  St,  Lawrence 
in  1844,  and  the  following  year,  Rev.  A.  A.  Aud  was  named  pastor  of 
the  entire  mission  of  Daviess  county.  In  1 846  the  mission  was  divided 
by  Revs.  Walter  S.  Coomes  and  A.  A  Aud.  In  1848  Rev.  Michael 
Coghlan  became  pastor  of  St.  Lawrence's,  in  which  position  he 
remained  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  was  succeeded,  in 
1872,  by  Rev.  Charles  Eggermont,  and  he  by  the  present  pastor.  Rev. 
P.  J.  Rock,  about  the  year  1880. 

In  the  year  1844,  a  church  was  built  on  Panther  creek,  in  Daviess 
county,  to  which  was  given  the  title  of  St.  Raphael's.  It  was  but  a 
plain  structure  of  logs,  and,  in  1857,  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Two 
years  later  it  was  rebuilt  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Ivo  Schacht.  On 
the  same  water  course,  but  a  few  miles  distant  from  St.  Raphael's,  was 
built,  in  1859,  the  church  of  St.  Alphonsus     The  district  in  which  these 

*The  annexed  itenas  are  recorded  in  a  book  kept  by  Father  Wathen,  and  still 
preserved  at  St.  Lawrence  :  i.  "  Took  charge  of  congregation  of  St.  Lawrence 
May  5,  1833."  2.  "Commenced  at  Yellow  Banks  (now  Owensboro)  May  12, 
1833."  3.  "  Entered  upon  ministerial  exercises  at  Hardinsburg,  Breckinridge 
county,  August  4,  1833."  4.  "  April  2d,  1840,  Rev.  Cousin  Charles  I.  Coomes, 
has  come  to  stay  with  me;  he  leaves  in  October."  5.  "February  5,  1839, 
members  of  congregation  meet  and  resolve  to  build  a  church;  they  sign  eight 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  dollars." 


428  THE    MISSION    OF   DAVIESS   COU>fTY. 

churches  appeared,  were  settled,  for  the  most  part,  by  families  whose 
ancestral  homes  had  been  in  Nelson  county,  the  greater  number  of 
them  havmg  been  former  members  of  the  congregation  of  Holy  Cross, 
on  Pottinger's  creek.*  The  church  of  St.  Alphonsus  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1868,  and  has  since  been  replaced  by  one  of  brick. 

The  church  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Woods,  Whitesville,  stands  thirteen 
miles  southeast  from  that  of  St.  Lawrence.  It  was  originally  built  of 
logs  by  Rev.  Walter  S.  Coomes,  in  1845.  Since  that  time,  however, 
it  has  been  replaced  by  a  handsome  frame  structure,  put  up,  as  is  sup- 
posed, by  Rev.  Michael  Coghlan,  about  the  year  i862.t 

Under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Ivo  Schacht,  of  St.  Stephen's,  Owens- 
boro,  two  other  churches,  both  small,  were  erected  in  Daviess  county. 
One  of  these  is  that  of  St.  Peter,  at  Grissom  Landing,  and  the  other 
that  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours,  not  far  removed  from  that  of  St.  Raph- 
ael's. The  first  named  dates  from  1872,  and  the  other  from  iS-j^.X 
About  the  same  time  was  begun  and  finished  the  church  of  St. 
Joseph,  Owensboro,  designed  and  constructed  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  German  element  of  the  population  of  Owensboro  and  the 
surrounding  country. 

In  the  year  1882,  the  pastorate  of  the  churches  of  Daviess  county 
comprised  seven  clergymen.  The  names  of  these  were :  Rev.  D.  F. 
Crane,  at  St.  Stephen's,  Owensboro;  Rev.  P.  J.  Haeseley,  at  St. 
Joseph's,  Owensboro;  Rev.  P.  J.  Rock,  at  St.  Lawrence's,  Knottsville; 
Rev.  P.  Volk,  at  St.  Alphonsus',  Panther  Creek;  Rev.  G.  A.  Van- 
troostenberghe,  at  St.  Raphael's,  Panther  Creek ;  Rev.  Kyran  King, 
at  St.  Mary  of  the  Woods,  Whitesville ;  and  Rev.  Dom.  F.  Croghan,  at 
St.  Peter's,  Grissom  Landing. 

In  connection  with  the  missions  of  Daviess,  are  to  be  noticed  those 
of  Hancock  and  Hopkins  counties,  the  scattered  Catholic  populations 
of  which,  till  1868,  were  served  from  Knottsville  and  Owensboro.  In 
187 1,  the  handsome  stone  structure,  known  as  the  church  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  was  erected  in  the  town  of  Hawesville,  Han- 

*  Among  the  earlier  settlers  on  Panther  creek  were  several  families  of  the 
name  of  Hayden,  three  of  whom  were  known  by  the  baptismal  name  of 
"William.  Others  of  the  same  patronymic  were  John,  Marcellus  and  Raymond 
Hayden.  The  names  of  others  of  the  earlier  members  of  the  congregations 
referred  to  were :  John  H.  Rodman,  Reason  Cravens,  Randal  Blandford  and 
William  Simms.  Both  of  the  churches  named  above  were  served  by  pastors 
stationed  at  either  Knottsville  or  Owensboro. 

t  Among  the  first  members  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Woods 
were:  Clark  Hagan,  Basil  Howard,  Alexander  Hardisty  and  George  Mattingly. 

f  The  first  Catholic  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  of  Grissom  Landing  were: 
Miles  Lancaster,  David  Wade,  George  Mattingly,  E.  C.  Berry,  Bernard  Kelly, 
and  Hilary  Hagan.  In  1878,  the  number  of  communicants  in  the  congrega- 
tion of  St.  Peter's  aggregated  one  hundred  and  twenty-five.  The  older  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours  were:  James  M.  Hayden, 
Richard  R.  Coomes,  (since  removed  to  Knottsville),  Thomas  Berry,  Patrick 
Dougherty,  Simeon  Hayden,  Thomas  Coghlan,  Basil  Clark  and  Gregory 
Howard. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  429 

cock  county;  and,  previous  to  that  date,  there  had  been  built  at 
Cloverport  the  small  church  of  St.  Malachy. 

In  1874,  Rev.  A.  M.  Coenan  was  charged  with  the  mission  of  Hop- 
kins county,  then  becoming  important  m  consequence  of  the  introduction 
to  the  county  of  large  numbers  of  working-men,  very  many  of 
whom  were  Catholics  in  religion,  in  search  of  employment  in  its 
extended  coal-fields.  The  zealous  pastor  has  accomplished  a  great 
work  in  the  district.  He  was  presented  by  the  St.  Bernard  Coal  Com- 
pany with  a  lot  in  the  town  of  Earlington,  two  hundred  feet  square, 
upon  which,  assisted  generously  by  the  company  and  its  employees, 
he  erected  the  beautiful  and  commodious  church  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception.  He  has  since  erected,  in  connection  with  the  church,  a 
comfortable  parochial  residence,  and  a  double  school  building  of  suffi- 
cient capacity  to  accommodate  the  children  of  the  parish  of  both  sexes. 
He  has  also  built  a  residence  for  the  sisters  (Lorettines),  who  have 
charge  of  the  schools.* 

Though  not  so  intimately  connected  with  the  mission  of  Daviess  as 
others  to  which  reference  has  been  made,  the  writer  has  concluded  to 
insert  here  what  he  has  to  say  of  that  of 

HENDERSON    COUNTY. 

The  county  of  Henderson  adjoins  that  of  Daviess  on  the  east,  and 
it  has  a  local  history  that  would  be  found  interesting  if  it  were  proper 
here  to  pursue  it.  Before  the  year  1840,  the  number  of  Catholic 
families  residing  in  the  county  could  have  been  represented  by  two 
numerals.  These  were  visited,  however,  at  long  intervals,  by  either 
Father  Durbin  or  one  of  his  assistants.  It  was  not  until  after  the  year 
1850  that  any  marked  increase  of  Catholic  population  was  observable 
in  the  county.  With  the  discovery  of  this  fact  by  the  ecclesiastical 
authorities  of  the  diocese,  began  the  effort  on  their  part  to  provide  in  a 
more  adequate  degree  for  its  increased  spiritual  needs. 

In  the  year  1858,  urged  thereto,  no  doubt,  by  the  pastors  inter- 
mittently sent  to  their  relief,  and  still  more  by  their  own  sense  of 
religious  duty,  the  Catholic  people  of  Henderson  met  together  and 
resolved  to  provide  themselves  with  a  church.  Happily,  a  suitable  lot 
for  the  building  had  been  procured,  five  years  before,  through  the  gen- 
erosity of  three  individuals — Francis  Millet,  Samuel  Spalding  and  Miss 
Mary  Henderson — each  subscribing  towards  its  cost  the  sum  of  $200. f 

By  direction  of  Bishop  Spalding,  Rev.  John  Boyle  undertook  the 
labor  of  getting  up  subscriptions  for  the  building  of  the  church.     He 

*  Among  the  clergy,  not  hitherto  named,  connected  at  one  time  or  another 
with  the  missions  of  Daviess  and  the  adjoining  counties,  should  be  mentioned  : 
Revs.  Eugene  O'Callaghan,  William  P.  Bourke,  Michael  Flynn,  J.  B.  Vande- 
mergel,  E.  M.  Bachman,  H.  J.  Brady  and  H.  Westermann. 

t  Miss  Mary  Henderson,  above  alluded  to,  was  a  convert  to  the  Catholic 
faith.  She  is  said  to  have  been  a  direct  descendant  of  Col.  Richard  lie.nder-. 
son,  from  whom  the  county  has  its  name. 


430  THE    MISSION    OF    M'CRACKEN    COUNTY. 

was  associated  in  this  work  with  Messrs.  John  Fernet  and  Francis  Mil- 
let, and  without  great  difficulty  they  succeeded  in  collecting  a  suf- 
ficiency of  money  and  material  to  enable  them  to  put  up  a  church 
that  has  since  sufficed  for  the  needs  of  the  congregation.  Among  the 
most  liberal  of  the  benefactors  of  the  church  of  St.  Louis,  Henderson, 
are  to  be  named:  Governor  Lazarus  W.  Powell,  Archibald  Dixon,  ex- 
lieutenant  governor  of  Kentucky  and  senator  in  congress;  Dr.  Richard 
Garland,  George  Atkinson,  Francis  Millet,  John  Pernet,  Mary  Hen- 
derson, Mrs.  Reigler,  Jacob  Schaeffer,  Peter   Fosse, Man- 

nion  and  Frank  Livers.* 

It  was  not  until  1863  that  the  church  of  St.  Louis  was  finished  and 
dedicated.  From  that  time  till  1866  it  was  under  the  pastoral  charge 
of  Rev.  William  J.  Dunn,  then  the  assistant  of  Rev.  E.  J.  Durbin,  of 
the  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  in  Union  county.  About  the  date 
last  given,  Father  Dunn  was  named  pastor  of  the  church,  with  resi- 
dence at  Henderson.  He  was  intrusted  at  the  same  time  with  the 
charge  of  quite  a  number  of  stations,  one  of  which  was  in  Hopkins- 
ville,  Christian  county,  where  he  purchased  a  lot  with  the  expectation 
of  building  upon  it  a  church  at  some  future  day.f 

The  writer's  review  of  the  missions  of  Western  Kentucky  would 
be  incomplete  without  reference  being  made  to  those  of 

m'cracken  county. 

The  few  Catholics  residing  in  McCracken  county  previous  to  a 
comparatively  :  cent  date  were  visited  occasionally  from  the  church 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  by  Father  Durbin.  About  the  year  1834,  a  num- 
ber of  German  Catholic  families  settled  at  a  distance  of  about  twelve 
miles  from  Paducah,  near  the  site  of  the  present  church  of  St.  John 
the  Evangelist,  built  in  1869.  The  names  of  these  families,  and  of 
others  who  afterwards  settled  in  the  same  neighborhood,  were  :  Adrien 
and  John  Greif,  father  and  son,  the  latter  still  living  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three  years;  Nicholas  Trost,  Stephen  and  John  Roser,  John 
Schneider,  Anton  Poth,  Peter  Hopenthal  and  John  Roof.  The 
church  of  St.  John  was  built  under  the  pastorship  of  Rev.  Peter 
Haeseley,  who  had  been  a  school  teacher  in  the  neighborhood  before 
entering  upon  his  theological  course  of  studies. 

Paducah,  at  first  an  unimportant  station  served  by  Father  Durbin 
and  his  assistants,  has  become  in  our  day  a  city  in  which  Catholicity  is 
making  marked  progress.     The  early  Catholic  residents  of  the  town 

*The  four  gentlemen  first  named  were  not  Catholics,  though  Dr.  Garland 
afterwards  became  one,  as  also  did  several  members  of  his  family.  One  of  his 
daughters  is  now  a  member  of  a  religious  community  in  New  York. 

fThe  church  of  St.  Paul,  Hopkinsville,  of  which  Rev.  Thomas  Hayes  is 
pastor  at  this  writing — 1882 — was  built  a  few  years  later  by  the  Rev.  T.  J. 
Jenkins.  Rev.  William  J.  Dunn,  about  five  years  ago,  attached  himself  to  the 
congregation  of  the  Passionists,  among  whom  he  is  now  known  as  Father 
Emmanuel. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  43 1 

were:  Sebastian  Glauber,  — ■ Neifs,   Ben.   Austin,   Philip  Nurn, 

William,  Joseph  and  Nicholas  Greif,  Nicholas  Muller,  Andres  and 
Augustine  Budde  and  John  Daly.  The  house  of  one  of  the  Greifs 
was  for  many  years  the  church  station  for  the  families  named.  In 
1864,  a  lot  of  one  and  a  half  acres  was  secured  for  a  church,  and 
mainly  through  the  exertions  of  Father  Durbin,  the  first  church  of  St. 
Francis  de  Sales  was  built  upon  it.  An  ell  was  afterwards  attached  for 
school  purposes,  and  these,  original  church  and  all,  now  constitute  the 
rectory  of  the  present  church  of  the  same  title,  built  in  1869-70  by 
the  late  Rev.  Ivo  Schacht,  at  the  cost  of  about  $10,000,  and  dedicated 
by  him  in  the  latter  year.* 

In  1858,  the  sisters  of  charity  of  Nazareth  established  a  branch 
house  of  their  community  in  Paducah  under  the  immediate  direction 
of  Sister  Martha  Drury.f  In  addition  to  the  academy  of  St.  Mary's, 
then  established  by  them,  in  which  they  have  now  for  their  pupils  the 
children  of  many  leading  citizens  of  the  place,  these  sisters  have  under 

*Rev.  Ivo  Schacht  was  either  a  Hollander  or  a  Belgian  by  birth.  He  came 
to  America  in  priest's  orders,  if  I  mistake  not,  and  soon  afterwards  was  engaged 
in  missionary  work  in  the  diocese  of  Nashville,  where,  in  the  city  of  that  title, 
he  was  for  several  years  pastor  of  the  cathedral  under  the  ordinary,  the  late 
Rt.  Rev.  R.  P.  Miles.  About  the  year  1859,  he  removed  to  Kansas,  where  he 
labored  with  zeal  and  snccess  until  1861,  when  he  came  to  Kentucky  and  offered 
his  services  to  Rt.  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding.  He  was  employed  afterwards  on  the 
missions  of  Daviess,  Marion,  Mercer  and  McCracken  counties,  and  he  was 
esteemed  in  every  congregation  served  by  him  as  a  laborious  and  successful 
minister.  I  knew  Father  Schacht,  and  it  is  my  conviction  that  a  more  earnest 
and  faithful  priest  never  labored  for  the  good  of  souls  on  the  soil  of  Kentucky. 
It  is  said,  however,  by  those  who  could  claim  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  his 
character,  that  he  was  somewhat  self-willed,  and  apt,  at  times,  to  defer  too 
little  to  the  advice  of  others  in  his  methods  of  procedure  in  certain  cases.  His 
integrity  was  never  doubted ;  only  his  judgment  was  esteemed  at  fault.  In 
1870  he  assumed  charge  of  St.  Stephen's  church,  Owensboro,  where,  four  years 
later,  he  finished  his  earthly  course.  He  had  been  for  years  an  enthusiast  on 
the  subject  of  temperance,  and  soon  after  his  installation  as  pastor  of  St.  Ste- 
phen's he  organized  in  his  congregation  a  Total  Abstinence  society.  A  few 
days  preceding  his  death,  he  was  invited  by  the  officers  of  other  similar  socie- 
ties established  among  non-Catholics,  to  join  with  them  in  a  demonstration  that 
would  indicate  to  the  general  public  of  the  county  the  strength  and  character 
of  the  movement  in  which  they  were  engaged.  He  accepted  the  invitation  for 
himself  and  the  society  attached  to  his  church,  and  though  his  pastoral  duties 
had  been  incessant  throughout  the  day— it  being  Easter  Sunday— the  evening 
found  him  and  them  at  the  place  of  meeting,  one  of  the  Protestant  churches 
of  the  town.  Being  invited  to  address  the  joint  assembly,  he  arose  and  had 
spoken  about  twenty  minutes  when  he  was  seen  to  falter  and  fall  heavily  back- 
ward, as  was  supposed  in  a  fainting  fit.  He  was  borne  immediately  to  his  res- 
idence, where  he  was  attended  by  physicians  and  his  clerical  co-laborer  of  the 
German  church  of  St.  Joseph,  Rev.  E.  M.  Bachman.  He  never  rallied,  and 
his  death  took  place  on  the  morning  of  April  10,  1874. 

tif  there  is  a  living  member  of  the  sisterhood  of  charity  of  Nazareth  who 
should  need  no  introduction  to  Catholics  in  Kentucky,  and  especially  to  those 
living  in  Louisville  and  Paducah,  that  particular  religious  can  be  none  other 
than  Sister  Martha  Drury,  the  oldest  representative  of  the  order  that  has  not 
yet  "squared  her  accounts  with  time." 


432  THE    MISSION    OF    M'cRACKEN    COUNTY. 

their  control  the  parish  schools  for  both  girls  and  boys.  From  first  to 
last,  the  line  of  pastors  in  Paducah  includes  the  names  of  Fathers 
Elisha  J.  Durbin,  Alfred  Hagan,  Patrick  McNicholas,  William  Ober- 
hulsmann,  John  F.  Reed,  J.  B.  Boyle,  J.  M.  Beyhurst,  Michael 
Power,*  Ivo  Schacht,  James  Quinn,  the  Carmelite  fathers,  under  Rev. 
P.  F.  Meagher,  and  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  H.  N.  Jansen. 

*  Those  who  remember  the  late  Rev.  Michael  Power,  pastor  of  St.  Michael's, 
Louisville,  and  1  am  quite  sure  he  is  kindly  remembered  by  very  many  Catho- 
lics of  the  city,  will  be  interested  to  learn  the  depth  of  esteem  that  was  felt 
for  him  by  his  parishioners  of  Paducah  during  the  troublous  times  of  the  late 
war.  His  position  was  a  delicate  one,  and  the  only  question  for  his  solution 
was  how  he  might  best  conserve  the  interests  of  his  people,  and  not  provoke 
suspicion  on  the  part  of  either  the  Federal  or  Confederate  authomties,  by  whom 
the  town  was  alternately  held.  The  young  men  of  the  congregation  were  all 
away,  with  one  army  or  the  other,  and  his  parishioners  at  the  time,  though 
as  much  divided  in  political  sentiment  as  were  the  soldiers  in  the  field,  were 
all  non-combatants.  They  were  subjected  to  many  annoyances,  however,  that 
were  inseparable  from  their  position,  and  it  required  tact  and  prudence  on  the 
part  of  the  pastor  to  reduce  these  to  their  minimum.  Happily  for  his  politic- 
ally divided  flock,  he  was  deficient  in  neither  particular.  He  managed  to 
gain  the  confidence  of  the  army  officials,  whether  they  happened  to  be  Federals 
or  Confederates,  and,  without  any  compromise  of  his  integrity,  he  was  enabled 
to  secure  for  his  beleaguered  people  courtesies  and  favors  which  would  have 
been  otherwise  denied  them.  A  friend  writes  me  that  "  the  name  and  memory 
of  Father  Power  are  enshrined  in  many  hearts  in  Paducah." 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  433 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE  JESUITS  AT   ST.    JOSEPH'S   COLLEGE — 1848-1868. 

The  first  attempt  made  by  Bishop  Flaget  to  secure  for  his  diocese 
the  services  of  the  Jesuit  fathers  of  the  province  of  Missouri  occurred 
in  1847.  Their  engagements  were  such  at  that  time,  however,  as  to 
prevent  their  acceptance  of  his  proffer  to  them  of  the  college  of  St. 
Joseph,  Bardstown.  A  year  later,  negotiations  were  renewed  with  a 
favorable  result,  and  at  the  annual  commencement  of  the  institution  in 
June,  1848,  the  retiring  president,  Rev.  Edward  McMahon,  announced 
the  fact  of  the  transfer  of  the  college  and  church  of  St.  Joseph  to  the 
Jesuit  fathers,  and  introduced  to  the  large  assemblage  present  his  suc- 
sor  in  office.  Rev.  Peter  J.  Verhaegen,*  and  also  the  provincial  of  the 
order  for  the  province  of  Missouri,  Rev.  John  B.  Elet.  The  staff  of 
professors  and  teachers  did  not  begin  to  arrive  at  the  college  until  the 
last  of  July.  From  the  diary  of  one  of  these  the  writer  has  been  per- 
mitted to  copy  the  extracts  that  follow  : 

"  July  24 — Early  this  Monday  morning,  Mr.  Garesche  and  myself 
left  the  novitiate  of  St.  Stanislaus,  he  for  Cincinnati,  and  I  to  be  the 
conductor  of  five  Jesuits  to  Bardstown,  Kentucky.  Our  ride  to  town 
might  have  been  in  greater  state,  but  scarcely  in  a  manner  more  inde- 
pendent of  conventionality.  A  two-horse  wagon,  driven  by  a  negro, 
and  more  than  three  parts  filled  with  corn  in  the  ear,  constituted  our 
running  outfit.  Reaching  St.  Louis,  I  found  awaiting  me  Fathers  N. 
Congiato  and  A.  Ehrensberger,  and  Messrs.  Joseph  E.  Keller,  P.  J. 
Hueck  and  Brother  Casper  Wohl.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we 
left  together  the  St.  Louis  wharf  on  the  steamer  Ocean  Wave,  bound 
for  Louisville,  After  a  trip  of  three  days,  without  striking  incident, 
we  landed  at  Portland,  whence  we  proceeded  to  a  hotel  on  Main  street, 
Louisville,  which  was  well  known  to  me  from  the  fact  that  it  had  for- 
merly been  kept  by  one  Langhorn,  and  that  in  one  of  its  rooms  a 
brother  of  mine  had  closed  his  eye  to  all  things  earthly.  It  was  situ- 
ated but  a  few  squares  from  the  episcopal  residence,  and  we  went  in  a 
body  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  venerable  Bishop  Flaget. 

"We  were  conducted  into  his  presence,  and  found  him  seated  in 
a  plain  arm-chair,  from  which  we  soon  perceived  that  it  was  difficult 

*It  is  due  to  the  memory  of  Father  McMahon  to  say  that  the  college  had 
unwonted  prosperity  under  his  administration  of  its  affairs.  He  had  greatly 
reduced  the  debt  of  the  institution  during  his  term  of  office,  and  the  remain- 
der, only  $23,000,  was  assumed  by  t'le  incoming  officials. 


434  THE   JESUITS    AT   ST.  JOSEPH'S    COLLEGE — 1848-1868. 

for  him  to  rise  without  assistance.  He  was  attended  by  his  niece,  an 
elderly  maiden  lady.  When  we  announced  ourselves  as  Jesuits  from 
Missouri,  on  our  way  to  St.  Joseph's,  Bardstown,  he  made  an  excla- 
mation of  thanks  to  God,  and  arose  to  receive  us;  but  he  tottered  on 
his  feet.  With  a  voice  trembling  from  feebleness  and  excess  of  emo- 
tion, now  raised  to  a  falsetto  or  soprano,  and  now  scarcely  audible,  he 
proceeded  to  embrace  each  one  of  us.  When  my  turn  came  I  told  him 
I  was  a  Kentuckian,  and  one  of  his  own  spiritual  children.  '  My  Ken- 
tucky child,'  said  he,  and  this  he  repeated  several  times,  'Welcome 
home !  welcome,  many  times  welcome  to  my  diocese  be  the  dear 
Jesuit  fathers!  '  He  went  on  to  say,  *  During  the  last  two  long  years 
since  they  left  St.  Mary's  college,  I  have  prayed  unceasingly  to  be 
permitted  to  see  them  back  in  my  diocese  before  I  shall  be  called  out 
of  the  world.  My  prayer  is  granted.  I  have  Hved  to  see  that  day . 
Nunc  dimittis  servum  tuum,  Domine,  secundiwi  verbum  tuum  in  pace ; 
quia  viderent  oculi  mei  salutare  tuu?n.'  He  then  sank  back  in  his  chair, 
quite  overpowered  with  his  feelings.  My  Jesuit  companions,  who  then 
saw  the  saintly  old  prelate  for  the  first  time,  were  much  struck  with  his 
simple  manners  and  his  evident  sanctity,  no  less  than  with  his  love  of 
our  society.  We  knelt  to  receive  his  blessing,  in  giving  which  so 
great  was  his  emotion,  he  could  scarcely  utter  the  words  of  the  for- 
mula; and  then  we  departed,  all  of  us  deeply  affected  by  what  had 
occurred. 

' '  We  reached  Bardstown  by  stage-coach  at  two  o'clock  on  Friday; 
July  28th,  where  we  found  Father  Verhaegen  awaiting  our  arrival. 
Ours  was  the  first  party  appointed  to  begin  the  work  of  actually  taking 
final  possession  of  the  college.  Father  McMahon  remained  at  St. 
Joseph's  for  several  weeks  after  this  date  in  order  to  give  his  assistance 
to  the  new  president,  and  then  he  left  for  the  diocese  of  Pittsburg, 
where  were  passed  the  remaining  years  of  his  life." 

Classes  in  college  were  organized  about  the  beginning  of  Septem- 
ber with  a  fair  showing  of  students,  and  these  steadily  increased 
throughout  the  session.  As  had  been  the  case  with  this  institution 
from  a  date  as  early  as  1824,  a  large  proportion  of  the  students  were 
from  Louisiana,  Mississippi  and  other  Southern  States.  During  the 
first  year  of  their  occupancy,  and  management  of  St.  Joseph's,  the 
fathers  were  assisted  by  a  number  of  the  secular  clergy,  viz :  Rev.  B. 
J.  Spalding,  in  the  pastorate  of  the  former  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph, 
and  Fathers  F.  Chambige  and  Francis  B.  Jamison,  in  the  professor- 
ships of  chemistry  and  English  literature.  From  1848  to  1852  the 
fathers  of  the  society  who  found  employment  at  St.  Joseph's,  some  for 
short,  and  others  for  longer  terms,  were :  Revs.  J.  B.  Elet,  P.  J.  Ver- 
haegen, J.  B.  Duerinck,  F.  Di  Maria,  A.  Ehrensberger,  N.  Congiato, 
F.  D'Hoop,  L.  Du  Mortier,  F.  X.  De  Coen,  J.  B.  Emig^,  Adrian  Van 
Hulst,  J.  Baltus,  F.  J.  Nussbaum  and  F.  Horstman.  Numbers  of 
young  attaches  of  the  order,  afterwards  raised  to  the  priesthood, 
were  connected  with  the  institution  in  the  capacity  of  tutors  or  pre- 
fects, among  whom  may  be  named  Messrs.  W.  H.  Hill,  F.  Beckwith, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


435 


J,  A.  Fastre,  Thomas  O'Neil,  J.  M.  Converse  and  others.  From  the 
first,  the  institution  was  satisfactorily  prosperous,  and  it  continued  to 
grow  in  public  favor  until  the  war  came  on  and  the  Federal  authorities 
seized  and  occupied  the  college  buildings  for  hospital  purposes. 

In  1842,  Rev.  J.  B.  Emig  being  president  of  the  institution,  a 
large  additional  building  was  put  up,  a  portion  of  which  was  used  for 
an  infirmary,  and  the  rest  for  a  museum  of  natural  history  and  for 
class-rooms.*  Many  other  improvements,  and  also  additions  to  the 
grounds  of  the  institution  were  made;  and  all  these  were  paid  for  as 
wrought  or  purchased.  In  conjunction  with  all  this,  the  debt  of 
$23,000  originally  assumed,  had  been  fully  liquidated 

In  1854-55,  the  fathers  connected  with  the  institution  were  Revs. 
N.  Congiato,  J.  Converse,  P.  Tschieder,  J.  De  Blieck,  F.  Nussbaum, 
G.  Watson,  J.  Coveney,  F.  Coosemans,  T.  De  Leeuw,  G.  Mearns,  A. 
Levisse  and  C.  Truyens.  The  scholastics  of  the  society  employed  in 
the  college  during  these  years,  in  addition  to  those  heretofore  men- 
tioned, were  Messrs.  J.  Kuhlman,  Thomas  Miles,  J.  Hayes,  F.  Stunte- 
beck  and  others.  The  institution  was  now  in  a  most  flourishing  con- 
dition, but  there  had  arisen  a  source  of  trouble  between  the  fathers  and 
the  ordinary  of  the  diocese,  that  finally  led  to  the  withdrawal  of  the 
former  from  the  State,  f 

*  The  late  Very  Rev.  F.  Chambige  had  given  to  the  institution  his  large 
collection  of  specimens  in  mineralogy  and  geology,  in  which,  as  his  surviving 
friends  will  remember,  he  took  no  little  interest.  One  day — I  have  the  story 
from  one  who  was  cognizant  of  the  occurrence — an  unappreciative  lay-brother 
of  the  college  having  use  for  the  tables  upon  which  the  specimens  were  spread, 
deliberately  dumped  them  together  in  a  box  and  put  them  out  of  the  way. 
When  he  saw  what  had  been  done,  the  consternation  of  Father  Chambige  was 
complete,  and  his  patience  sorely  tried.  The  reassortment  of  the  cabinet, 
which  contained  specimens  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  was  the  after  occupa- 
tion of  his  hands  for  months. 

t  As  early  as  1848,  in  addition  to  their  charge  of  St.  Joseph's  college,  the 
Jesuit  fathers  had  established  a  classical  school  in  Louisville,  and  also  one  that 
was  essentially  free.  These  were  placed  in  the  beginning  under  the  conduct  of 
Fathers  J.  B.  Emig  and  Charles  Messea,  with  four  assistant  teachers.  After- 
wards, they  were  conducted  by  Fathers  F.  H.  D'Hoop,  J.  Halpin,  P.  De  Mee- 
ster,  J.  Maes,  George  Watson,  A.  Levisse  and  others.  In  1850  or  1851,  the 
fathers  bought  a  lot  on  Fourth  street,  and  erected  on  it  a  large  and  handsome 
school  building.  The  college  of  St.  Aloysius  was  an  excellent  seat  of  learning, 
and  its  patrons  were  all  respectable  and  many  of  them  wealthy.  But  the  fathers 
felt  that  a  church  in  connection  with  their  college  was  in  so  far  a  necessity  that  it 
would  enable  them  to  secure  to  themselves  and  others  all  the  legitimate  fruits 
of  their  ministry.  The  bishop  was  consulted  on  the  subject,  but  his  assent  to 
the  proposal  was  withheld,  and  for  the  reason,  as  he  declared,  that  the  church, 
if  built,  would,  from  its  proximity,  be  injurious  to  the  cathedral.  He  proposed 
that  they  should  seek  a  site  for  both  college  and  school  beyond  the  more  thickly 
populated  parts  of  the  city;  but  the  fathers  considering  such  an  arrangement 
impracticable,  concluded  to  close  their  classical  school.  This  was  done,  if  I 
mistake  not,  in  1852,  when  the  college  building  was  let  to  the  Nazareth  sister- 
hood, and  sold  to  the  same  in  1858.  From  that  day  to  the  present,  this  has 
been  known  as  St.  Joseph's  infirmary.  The  free  school  continued  under  the 
direction  of  the  Jesuits  till  the  latter  named  year. 


436  THE   JESUITS    AT    ST.  JOSEPH'S   COLLEGE — 1848-1868. 

Until  1854,  the  members  the  society  of  the  province  of  Missouri 
had  not  perfect  knowledge  of  the  terms  of  the  contract  for  the  transfer 
of  St.  Joseph's  college  to  the  Jesuit  fathers,  made  six  years  before. 
They  found  that  the  property  had  been  deeded  to  the  society  in  trust; 
arKi  on  conditions  making  it  subject  to  reversion.  It  was  a  general 
conviction  among  them  that  a  blunder  had  been  committed  by  their 
former  officials  of  the  province,  and  that  should  the  ordinary  of  the 
diocese  be  unwilling  to  modify  the  contract  made,  it  would  be  best 
for  the  society  to  surrender  all  the  advantages  it  had  already  derived 
in  the  diocese,  and  to  remove  themselves  beyond  his  jurisdiction.  The 
bargain  made  included  a  number  of  other  provisions  which  were 
esteemed  onerous  by  the  fathers ;  but  the  trust  clause  in  the  deed  of 
transfer  was  especially  objectionable,  because  it  was  contrary  to  usage 
in  the  first  place,  and  in  the  second  because  they  were  hampered  by  it 
in  making  contemplated  improvements.  A  petition  was  sent  by  them 
to  the  bishop,  asking  that  the  property  be  deeded  to  them  \nfee  simple, 
but  their  petition  was  not  granted;  nor  was  it,  as  is  believed  by  num- 
bers of  the  clergy  of  the  diocese,  absolutely  denied.  At  any  rate,  it 
was  not  till  1868  that  the  fathers,  in  obedience  to  directions  from  their 
superiors,  redeeded  the  entire  property  to  the  ordinary  of  the  diocese, 
and  left  the  State.  * 

It  would  be  interesting,  if  the  writer  were  competent  for  the  task, 
to  speak  here  more  in  detail  of  the  lives  of  the  many  fathers  of  the 
society,  connected  at  one  time  or  another  with  our  oldest  Kentucky 
college,  who  are  no  longer  of  the  living.  They  were  known  to  him, 
to  be  sure,  but  not  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  him  warranty  of  exactness 
in  any  attempt  he  might  make  to  portray  them  as  they  lived.  The  list 
of  the  dead  among  them,  includes  such  names  as  Verhaegen,  D'Hoop, 
Truyens,  Di  Maria,  Coosemans,  Beckwith,  Converse,  De  Blieck  and 
others,  all  men  of  piety  and  worth,  and  most  of  them  distinguished  for 
their  talents  and  learning. 

Such  knowledge  as  the  writer  has  of  the  clergymen  named  is  here 
appended  in  the  form  of  short  personal  sketches : 

Rev.  Peter  J.  Verhsegen  was  of  a  highly  respectable  family,  born 
in  Belgium,  June  21st,  i«oo.  In  company  with  a  number  of  Belgian 
youth,  all  inclined  to  the  priesthood,  he  came  to  the  United  States  with 
Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  in  1821,  and  on  the  21st  of  October  of  that 
year  he  entered  the  novitiate  of  the  Jesuits  at  White  Marsh,  Maryland. 
In  1823,  he  went  to  Missouri,  where  he  finished  his  course  of  ecclesi- 
astical studies,  and  was  ordained  priest  by  Bishop  Rosati  at  the  seminary 
of  the  Barrens  in  1826.     Father  Verhaegen  was  a  ready  and  pleasing 

*  A  member  of  the  society  tells  me  that  this  transfer  was  without  considera- 
tion ;  that  it  included  lands  bought  by  the  fathers  after  the  transfer  to  them 
of  the  college  property,  together  with  many  costly  improvements,  and  that 
the  college  was  at  the  time  entirely  free  from  debt. 

Among  the  professors  at  St.  Joseph's  college  during  tbe  last  year  of  its  occu- 
pancy by  the  Jesuit  fathers  were  the  following,  not  heretofore  named  :  Revs. 
John  Roes,  John  S.  Verdin,  F.  Masselis,  and  F.  J.  Boudreaux, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  4^7 

speaker,  sprightly  and  cheerful  in  conversation,  and  amiable  in  his  inter- 
course with  others.  He  often  preached  for  Dr.  Rosati,  and  always 
acceptably.  Upon  the  establishment  of  St.  Louis  university  in  1829, 
he  had  principal  charge  of  the  institution,  and  when  the  school  was 
chartered,  in  1833,  he  became  its  first  president.  In  1836,  he  was 
named  superior  of  the  Jesuits  of  the  western  province;  in  1845,  provin- 
cial of  Maryland;  and  in  1848,  president  of  St.  Joseph's  college.  In 
1 85 1,  he  was  pastor  of  the  church  of  St.  Charles,  in  the  town  of  that 
name  in  Missouri.  In  1857,  he  was  returned  to  the  university  of  St. 
Louis,  where  he  taught  the  classes  in  moral  and  dogmatic  theology, 
and  for  a  time,  delivered  Sunday  evening  discourses  from  the  pulpit  of 
the  church  of  St.  Francis  Xavier.  In  July,  1858,  his  health  having 
become  seriously  affected,  he  was  returned  to  St.  Charles',  where  the 
remaining  two  years  of  his  life  were  given  to  missionary  work,  and  where 
he  was  often  visited  by  those  who  loved  him  for  his  genial  qualities,  or 
valued  his  wise  counsels  in  difficult  matters.  He  was  an  exact  and 
edifying  religious,  and  specially  distinguished  for  those  virtues  that 
spring  immediately  from  christian  charity.  He  died  July  21st,  1861, 
and  his  remains  repose  near  those  of  the  illustrious  Indian  missionary. 
Father  De  Smet,  and  the  scarcely  less  remarkable  disciple  of  St.  Igna- 
tius, Father  Van  Assche,  at  Florissant,  Missouri. 

My  acquaintance  with  Father  Francis  D'Hoop  began  in  185 1, 
when  he  became  president  of  the  college  of  St.  Aloysius,  Louisville, 
and  in  his  death,  four  years  after,  I  lost  an  esteemed  friend.  He  was 
a  Belgian  by  birth,  born  January  nth,  1813.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1837,  together  with  Revs.  A.  Damen  and  P.  De  Smet,  and 
under  the  guidance  of  the  late  Rev.  David  Deparcq. 

His  novitiate  began  at  Florissant,  Missouri,  on  the  21st  of  Novem- 
ber, of  the  year  named.  He  did  service  for  the  society,  first  at  the 
college  of  St.  Charles,  Grand  Coteau,  Louisiana;  then  as  pastor  of 
souls  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio ;  then  as  president  of  the  college  of  St. 
Joseph,  Bardstown,  and  last,  as  president  of  that  of  St.  Aloysius, 
Louisville.  He  was  a  learned  and  able  priest,  and  an  impressive 
preacher,  simple  in  his  manners,  warm-hearted  and  generous,  and 
especially  remarkable  for  his  goodness  and  kindness  toward  the  poor 
and  afflicted.  While  in  Louisville,  he  was  the  confessor  of  many  pious 
persons  attached  to  the  different  congregations  of  the  city,  and  also  of 
numbers  of  the  clergy.  He  was  a  constant  sufferer  from  a  chronic 
complaint  that  finally  caused  his  death,  but  so  great  was  his  fortitude, 
and  so  naturally  cheerful  was  his  disposition,  that  even  his  most 
intimate  friends  were  not  cognizant  of  his  true  condition.  His  death 
took  place  in  Louisville  on  the  23d  of  March,  1855.  His  remains 
were  removed  to  Bardstown,  and  there  buried  near  the  former  cathe- 
dral of  St.  Joseph ;  but  they  were  removed  thence  to  the  cemetery  of 
the  sisters  of  charity  of  Nazareth,  in  the  year  1868;  he  had  been  at  one 
time  the  spiritual  director  of  this  community. 

Father  Charles  Truyens  was  born  in  Belgium,  February  17th, 
1813.     He  came  to  the  United  States,  and   was  received  into  the 


438  THE  JESUITS   AT    ST.  JOSEPH'S   COLLEGE — 1848-1868. 

society  as  a  novice  at  Florissant  on  the  ?4th  day  of  February,  1837. 
Before  ordination,  he  was  employed  for  a  number   of  years   at  St. 
Charles'  college,  Louisiana.     After  being  raised  to  the  priesthood,  he 
was  employed   in   duties  of  the  ministry  at  St.    Louis,   among   the 
Indian  tribes  west  of  Missouri,  at  Chicago,  and  finally  as  pastor  of  St. 
Joseph's  church,  Bardstown,  which  position  he  retained  from  i860  to 
the  date  of  his  death,  December  14th,    1867.     Father  Truyens  was 
neither  intellectually  bright  nor  learned.      He  was  not  an  interesting 
speaker,  and  what  he  knew  was  limited  to  that  which  enabled  him  to 
fulfil  his  priestly  and  pastoral  duties.     And  yet  one,  the  reverse  of  all 
this,  could  not  have  been  more  successful  in  his  efforts  to  subserve  the 
spiritual  interests  of  his  parishioners.     Referring  to  him,  some  time 
after  his  death,  a  member  of  the  society,  who  knew  him  well,  thus 
spoke  of  him  :     "  According  to  a  type  of  goodness.  Father  Truyens 
was   a   good   man,  and   even   a  saint;  but   there  was   in  him   what 
appeared  to  me  peculiarity  and  eccentricity  of  character.     In  him  was 
exemplified  our  Lord's   way  of  choosing  His  instruments:     "The 
weak  things,  and  the  things  contemptible,  has  God  chosen,  that  he  may 
confound  the  strong."     Father  Truyens'  influence  over  his  parishioners 
was,  indeed,  something  wonderful;  and  it  is  to  be  said,  that  it  was 
always  exerted  in  their  best  interests.     Of  the  world  and  the  world's 
affairs  he  took  little  notice  ;  neither  did  he  of  passing  events  or  objects, 
unless  they  became  related  to  his  one  over-ruling  purpose,  which  was 
to  do  what  was  plainly  and  practically  of  duty  to  God.     He  went  as 
chaplain  with  the  division  of  the  army  sent  to  oppose  Gen.  ZoUicoffer 
toward  the  beginning  of  the  civil  war,  and  he  was  present  at  the  battle 
of  Somerset,  in  Southeastern  Kentucky.     He  attracted  the  notice  of 
both  officers  and  soldiers  by  his  attention  to  the  wounded  and  dymgon 
the  battle-field,  where  he  spent  the  entire  night,  hurrying  hither  and 
thither,  as  directed  by  the  cries  and  groans  of  the  suffering,  to  serve  and 
comfort  them  in  their  wretched  condition.     In  after  years  he  often 
spoke  feelingly  of  a  non-Catholic   officer  who  had  sought   him   for 
several  hours  of  the  night  in  order  to  guide  him  to  a  wounded  soldier  of 
the  Southern  army  who  had  begged  piteously  to  see  a  priest.     Father 
Truyens  was  led  to  the  dying  christian  by  this  noble  officer,  and  was 
there  in  time  to  see  the  wounded  and  forlorn  man  die  in  peace,  after 
having  received  the  sacraments  of  penance  and  extreme  unction. 

Father  Francis  Xavier  Di  Maria  was  an  Italian  by  birth.  His 
name  first  appears  in  the  Catholic  directory  of  the  United  States  in 
the  year  1843,  when  he  was  one  of  the  faculty  of  St.  Louis  university. 
He  was  among  the  first  of  the  fathers  who  reached  Bardstown  in 
1848,  where  he  was  attached  to  the  pastorate  of  the  church  of  St. 
Joseph  for  the  ten  succeeding  years.  He  was  much  respected  by  his 
parishioners  of  Bardstown,  many  of  whom  I  have  heard  speak  of  him 
in  terms  of  strong  affection.  His  death  took  place  in  Philadelphia,  on 
the  23d  of  July,  1871. 

I  have  no  remembrance  of  having  seen  Father  Coosemans,  who 
was  for  one  or  more  sessions  president  of  St.  Joseph's  college ;  but  I 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  439 

have  often  heard  him  spoken  of  as  a  man  of  fine  talents  and  of  extra- 
ordinary virtues.  His  death  took  place  at  St.  Ignatius'  college,  Chi- 
cago, February  7th,  1878. 

Father  Beckwith  was  not  yet  in  holy  orders  when  I  knew  him  as  a 
tutor  in  the  college  of  St.  Aloysius,  Louisville.  He  was  a  great 
favorite  with  the  students  of  the  institution,  among  whom  were  two  of 
my  own  sons.  If  I  mistake  not,  his  death  took  place  at  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana,  about  the  year  1866. 

Father  James  M.  Converse  was  born  in  Randolph,  Vermont,  and 
was  of  Puritan  stock.  He  became  a  Catholic  in  1842,  and  entered 
the  society  of  Jesus  in  1845.  He  was  an  amiable  man  and  a  most 
useful  priest,  beloved  by  his  associates  of  the  society  and  held  in  high 
regard  by  his  large  acquaintance,  Protestant  as  well  as  Catholic.  He 
died  at  St.  Louis  university  on,  the  25th  of  April,  1881. 

Father  John  de  Blieck  was,  possibly,  more  generally  and  widely 
known  than  either  of  those  whose  names  have  been  mentioned.  He 
was  a  man  of  popular  manners,  an  excellent  preacher,  and  at  one  time 
he  was  engaged  in  giving  missions  in  Kentucky  and  other  States  of 
the  Union.  From  St.  Joseph's  college,  where  he  served  in  various 
offices,  including  that  of  president,  he  was  sent  to  the  college  of  St. 
Ignatius,  Chicago,  where  he  passed,  if  I  mistake  not,  the  remaining 
years  of  his  life.  His  death  took  place  in  the  city  named,  in  July, 
1883. 

In  the  fall  of  1869,  the  preparatory  seminary  of  the  diocese  was 
again  removed  from  St.  Thomas'  to  Bardstown,  and  the  St.  Joseph's 
college  buildings  were  turned  over  to  the  occupancy  of  its  professors 
and  students.  From  that  date  till  the  year  1872,  the  institution  was 
under  the  direction  of  a  board  appointed  by  the  ordinary,  of  which 
Rev.  P.  de  Fraine  was  superior.  During  these  years  the  teaching 
force  of  the  seminary  was  composed  of  such  men  as  Revs.  A.  Viala, 
J.  P.  Ryan,  W.  Bourke  and  Charles  Eggermont. 

In  1872,  the  character  of  the  institution  was  in  so  far  changed  as  to 
admit  to  its  course  of  studies  Catholic  young  men  and  boys  who  had 
no  thought  of  studying  for  the  priesthood;  and  from  that  time  till  the 
date  of  his  death,  March  11,  1877,  it  was  conducted  under  the 
presidency  of  Rev.  Michael  Coghlan,  the  former  veteran  pastor  of  the 
church  of  St.  Lawrence,  Knottsville.  Father  Coghlan  had  for  his 
assistants,  at  one  time  or  other,  Revs.  E.  M.  Crane,  Dominic  Crane, 
J.  A.  Barrett,  H.  Plaggenborg  and  James  J.  Ryan.  After  the  death 
of  the  president  of  the  institution,  to  the  close  of  the  session  of  1877, 
the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  the  office  were  assumed  and  admirably 
discharged  by  the  vice-president,  Rev.  E.  Crane. 

In  September,  1877,  by  direction  of  his  ordinary,  Rev.  William  J. 
Dunn,  previously  of  the  cathedral,  Louisville,  assumed  the  presidency 
of  St.  Joseph's.  During  his  occupancy  of  the  post,  which  was  but  for 
a  single  year,  he  had  for  his  assistants.  Revs.  W.  P.  Hogarty,  E.  M. 
Crane,  J.  A.  Barrett  and  C.  J.  O'Connell.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
session  of  1878,  the  reverend  professor  last  named  was  appointed  by  his 


44<i  THE  JESUITS   AT   ST.  JOSEPH'S   COLLEGE — 1 848-1862. 

bishop  president  of  the  institution,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present, 
as  had  been  the  case  from  the  foundation  of  the  college  to  its  occu- 
pancy as  a  theological  seminary  in  1869,  all  the  advantages  to  be 
derived  from  its  curriculum  have  been  available  to  young  men  and  boys 
of  good  character,  whether  non-Catholics  or  of  the  household  of  the 
faith.  Under  Father  O'Connell's  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the 
college,  he  had  for  his  associates  of  the  faculty,  Revs.  W.  P.  Hogarty, 
J.  A.  Barrett,  W.  P.  Mackin,  Dom.  Croghan,  L.  Deppen  and  C. 
Ohle. 

Since  1880,  the  direction  of  the  college  has  been  in  the  hands  of 
Rev.  W.  P.  Mackin,  supported  by  an  able  and  efficient  faculty,  com- 
posed of  Revs.  H.  J.  Civill,  J.  A.  Barrett,  William  Bourke,  Dominic 
Crane  and  J.  Culleton.  At  no  time,  in  the  later  years  of  its  existence, 
has  the  condition  of  this  venerable  institution  been  more  prosperous 
that  now,  nor  more  adequate  to  the  educational  needs  of  the  youth  of 
the  country.* 

♦Very  ma'ny  of  the  alumni  of  St.  Joseph's  college,  while  that  institution 
was  under  the  conduct  of  the  Jesuit  fathers,  were  afterwards  much  distin- 
guished in  professional  and  political  life.  The  most  notable  among  these  is, 
undoubtedly,  ex-governor  A.  H.  Garland,  of  Arkansas,  afterwards  United  States 
senator  from  that  State,  and  at  this  date,  possibly,  the  most  eminent  of  the  lawyers 
of  the  country.  While  in  Kentucky,  the  fathers  of  the  society  of  Jesus  secured 
to  their  own  body  quite  a  number  of  able  recruits.  Among  these  may  be 
named:  Revs.  Michael  Driscoll,  Walter  H,  Hill,  Thomas  H,  Miles,  J.  M. 
Hayes  and  Rev.  Edward  A.  Higgins. 


Catholicity  in  Kentucky.  441 


CHAPTER  XL. 

REV.    S.    T.    BADIN — HIS    LATER    YEARS. 

It  is  something  for  the  American  Catholic,  in  this  era  of  the  history 
of  his  country,  to  have  personally  known  the  first  ordained  priest  of 
the  United  States.  It  is  something  more  and  better,  to  have  heard 
him  speak  in  terms  of  praise  of  parents  and  grand-parents,  toward 
whom,  when  these  were  living,  he  bore  the  dual  relation  of  friend  and 
pastor.  In  a  former  chapter,  I  have  spoken  of  Father  Badin  as  he 
is  ordinarily  presented  in  the  Catholic  history  of  the  State — youthful, 
untiring,  filled  with  zeal  for  God's  glory  and  the  salvation  of  souls; 
quick  in  action,  and  quick  of  intellectual  impulse,  and  not  a  httle 
eccentric  in  both  manner  and  speech.  It  is  my  purpose  now,  to  pic- 
ture him  to  my  Catholic  readers  as  he  was  presented  to  my  own  eyes, 
after  his  return  to  Kentucky,  in  1837. 

Before  entering,  however,  upon  my  proposed  descriptive  review  of 
the  life  of  this  distinguished  missionary,  for  the  era  indicated,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  refer  at  some  length  to  his  personal  history  from  the  time 
he  left  Kentucky,  in  181 9,  to  that  of  his  return  to  the  diocese,  in  1837. 
The  question  has  often  been  asked  in  my  hearing :  "  Why  did  Father 
Badin  abandon  the  mission  of  Kentucky?"  I  have  no  idea  that  he 
had  any  such  purpose  when,  in  the  early  spring  of  1819,  he  entered 
upon  the  long  journey  by  land  and  sea  that  brought  him  in  time  to  his 
native  land  and  the  sight  of  his  surviving  kindred.  His  journey  had  for 
its  nominal  objects,  first,  needed  bodily  rest  and  recuperation ;  and  sec- 
ondly, attention  to  certain  matters  connected  with  his  paternal  inheri- 
tance. That  his  action  was  influenced,  in  some  degree,  at  least,  by  a 
consideration  that  was  only  suspected  at  the  time,  and  that  by  only  a 
few  of  his  associates  of  the  clergy  of  Kentucky,  is  now  indisputable. 
He  had  become  ambitious  of  episcopal  distinction;  and  knowing  that 
Bishop  Flaget  had  appealed  to  the  Holy  See  for  an  assistant,  he  thought 
to  secure  the  appointment  for  himself  through  his  personal  influence 
with  leading  clergymen  in  France. 

The  fact  here  stated  should  not  affect  unfavorably  the  fame  of  the 
grand  old  missionary  who  was  privileged  to  write  after  his  name, 
Proto-Sacerdos  Statuum  Fcederatoruni  Americce  Sepientrionalis .  Ambition 
is  not  always,  logically  and  necessarily,  an  emanation  from  man's  per- 
verted nature.  I  have  reason  for  believing  that  Father  Badin's  ambi- 
tion was  entertained  from  reasonable  and  christian  motives,  and  hence, 
that  it  was  free  from  all  taint  of  viciousness.     He  had  made  a  willing 


442  REV.  S.  T.  BADIN — HIS   LATER   YEARS. 

sacrifice  of  himself  and  all  his  faculties  for  the  good  of  the  Catholic 
people  of  the  diocese.  He  had  been  their  father,  and  he  looked  upon 
them  as  his  children.  Their  faces  were  all  known  to  him,  as  were  also 
their  dispositions  and  their  necessities.  Is  it  at  all  wonderful  that, 
under  such  circumstances,  he  should  have  entertained  the  idea,  that 
he,  better  than  another,  would  be  able  to  give  direction  to  schemes  for 
their  spiritual  advancement  ?     I  think  not. 

But  there  was  still  another  motive  which,  in  the  absence  of  those 
enumerated,  would  naturally  incline  the  aging  priest  to  sever,  for  a 
time,  at  least,  his  relations  with  the  mission  he  had  founded.  Between 
himself  and  Bishop  Flaget,  there  had  ensued  divergence  of  opinion  in 
respect  to  the  settlement  of  title  to  certain  properties  that  had  been 
acquired  by  him  for  the  Church,  before  the  See  of  Bardstown  was 
created,  and  which  were  still  held  in  his  own  name.  The  most  valu- 
able of  these  properties  was  the  "Howard"  place,  near  Bardstown, 
upon  which  stood,  at  the  time,  the  church  of  St.  Thomas  and  the  dio- 
cesan seminary  buildings.  It  is  due  to  the  memory  of  Father  Badin  to 
say  that  he  never  had  a  thought  of  alienating  one  foot  of  this  property 
from  the  uses  to  which  it  had  been  devoted  by  the  generous  donors.  He 
was  only  anxious  in  regard  to  the  absolute  requirements  of  the  laws  of 
the  land,  as  these  affected  the  bequests  and  the  terms  upon  which  they 
had  been  made.  Furthermore,  he  insisted  upon  his  right  to  hold  legal 
title  to  the  property,  until  provision  was  made  for  the  liquidation 
of  debts  contracted  by  him  in  behalf  of  the  Church,  and  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  mission  of  Kentucky.  With  this  explanation,  the  intelligent 
reader  will  readily  understand  the  allusions  made  by  him  to  his  dis- 
turbed relations  with  his  bishop,  as  these  occur  in  more  than  one  pass- 
age of  certain  letters  of  his,  from  which  I  propose  to  quote  with 
becoming  historic  freedom.  The  letters  referred  to  are  eleven  in  num- 
ber, nine  of  which  were  written  while  he  was  in  Europe,  and  two, 
shortly  after  his  return  to  the  United  States.  They  are  all  addressed 
to  his  friend.  Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat,  afterwards  coadjutor-bishop 
of  Bardstown.     The  first  bears  date : 

"Paris,  July  4th,  1819. 

'^'^  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir:  I  am  under  promise  to  write  to  you,  and 
I  hasten  to  fulfil  my  obligation  to-day,  since  the  ship  Marcus,  which  I 
blessed  under  the  name  of  St.  Mark,  and  which  brought  me  to  my 
native  land,  is  to  sail  in  two  or  three  days  on  its  return  to  New  York. 
I  wrote  to  my  brother*  from  Havre  de  Grace,  and  supposing  that  he 

*  Vincent  Badin,  afterwards  a  priest.  I  have  no  personal  recollections  of 
Father  Vincent  Badin.  He  could  not  have  been  much  more  than  a  child  when 
his  elder  brother  came  to  America.  The  exact  date  of  his  own  arrival  in  Ken- 
tucky, I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain;  but  it  C(juld  not  have  been  later  than 
the  year  1814.  His  first  instructor  was  undoubtedly  his  brother.  He  after- 
wards was  a  pupil  of  Father  John  B.  David,  in  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St. 
Thomas,  where  he  received  minor  orders,  and  possibly  those  of  sub-deacon  and 
deaconship.  He  was  certainly  not  in  priest's  orders  when,  in  1822,  with  the 
consent  of  Bishop  Flaget,  he  offered  his  services  to  Rt.  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick, 


CATHOLICITY    m    KENTUCKY.  443 

showed  you  my  letter,  I  need  not  now  be  very  explicit  about  my  voy- 
age. We  had  a  good  captain,  a  good  crew  and  decent  company.  We 
were  twenty-one  days  at  sea,  as  I  had  been  twenty-one  days  traveling 
by  land.  We  had  two  stormy  nights,  and  two  days  of  calm,  which 
excited  a  French  passenger  to  swear  and  blaspheme ;  but  I  am  informed 
that  a  seaman  gave  him  a  seasonable  reproof,  by  which  he  was  silenced. 
Through  the  goodness  of  Almighty  God,  we  were  preserved 
from  accidents,  and  but  two  of  the  passengers  were  (truly)  sick,  through 
most  of  the  voyage.  I  was  treated  by  all  with  politeness  and  respect. 
General  Vendome,  a  gentleman  of  good  principles,  who  saw  Rt.  Rev. 
Bishop  Flaget  in  Canada,  contracted  a  great  friendship  with  me,  which 
contributed  much  to  our  mutual  happiness.  I  said  my  first  mass  in 
France  in  thanksgiving,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Catholic  passengers, 
on  the  anniversary  of  my  first  mass  in  America,  in  the  church  of  Notre 
Dame  ill  Havre. 

"I  am  now  at  the  seminary  of  St.  Nicholas  au  Chardonnet,  but 
having  a  number  of  friends  and  relations  visiting  me,  I  cannot  here 
enjoy  the  leisure  and  liberty  of  making  a  spiritual  retreat,  as  I  wish, 
and  therefore  I  will  go  to-morrow,  with  my  professor  of  theology  and 
former  confessor,  to  the  solitude  of  Issy.  My  arrival  in  Paris  was 
known  at  Orleans,  the  very  day  before  my  family  received  my  letters; 
and  since  then,  some  of  my  friends  are  trying  to  hurry  me  away  from 
Paris,  and  others  to  retain  me  here.  But  I  am  well  resolved  to  listen 
to  a  better  voice :    Ducam  eiim  in  solitudinem,  etc. 

' '  There  is  here  a  public  paper  edited  by  a  friend  of  mine,  under 
the  title  of  Ami  de  la  Religion  et  du  Roi.  ...  A  statement  of  the 
missions  of  Kentucky  will  be  printed  in  that  paper,  and  subjected  to 
my  revision.  The  account  will  be  collated  from  my  own  notes.  I 
will  send  you  a  copy,  when  opportunity  serves*  The  state  of  religion 
here  is  not  flourishing,  though  I  saw  this  morning,  at  the  parish  church 
where  I  said  mass,  more  than  a  hundred  communicants.  Some  folks 
work  on  Sundays,  and  the  churches  are  not  crowded  as  they  were 
thirty  years  ago.     The  processions  of  the  blessed  sacrament  are  per- 

the  then  newly  consecrated  first  bishop  of  Cincinnati,  with  whom  he  left  Ken- 
tucky, and  by  whom  he  was  shortly  afterwards  raised  to  the  dignity  of  the 
priesthood.  As  the  priestly  ordination  of  his  brother  preceded  that  of  any 
other  in  the  entire  country,  so  his  own  was  the  first  to  take  place  on  the  soil  of 
Ohio.  Father  Vincent  Badin  was  a  man  of  no  great  talents,  learning  or  force 
of  character.  His  brother,  whose  strong  affection  for  him  is  sufficiently  evi- 
denced in  the  correspondence  herewith  presented,  was  never  without  solicitude 
concerning  him.  He  appears  to  have  regarded  him  as  one  whose  constant 
needs  were  surveillance  and  protection.  He  was  an  amiable  man,  however,  and 
a  good  workii.g  priest.  He  served  with  fidelity  the  missions  of  the  North- 
western territory,  under  the  direction  of  his  brother's  friend,  the  late  Very  Rev. 
Gabriel  Richard.  Upon  the  death  of  that  most  worthy  priest,  in  1832,  he 
became  pastor  of  St.  Ann's  church,  Detroit,  and  had  charge  of  the  entire  mis- 
sion.    He  returned  to  France  in  1843,  where  his  death  took  place  two  years 

later.  „  .  ... 

*  The  New  York  Catholic  World  iox  September,  1875,  contains  a  translation 

of  this  little  brochure. 


444  ^^^-   S.  T.  BADIN  —HIS  LATER  YEARS. 

formed  with  solemnity,  but  many  of  the  bystanders  do  not  kneel. 
The  president  of  the  seminary  of  Maux  told  me  last  week  that  he  knew 
of  a  priest  who  had  thirteen  parishes — not  such  stations  as  we  have  in 
Kentucky — to  attend.  The  ancient  doctrine  is  followed  in  this 
seminary — dancing  and  marriages  with  non-Catholics,  viewed  as  they 
ought  to  be.  The  political  horizon  does  not  appear  to  be  yet  settled 
as  well  as  desirable.  Many  in  the  chambers  and  in  the  administration, 
have  not  a  particle  of  faith.  The  new  concordat  was  rejected  by  the 
chambers,  to  whom  it  should  not  have  been  exhibited.  The  license  of 
the  press,  of  prints  and  of  sculpture  is  carried  to  extremes. 

"  I  beg  you  to  present  my  respects  and  compliments  to  all.  I 
name  nobody,  since  the  nomenclature  would  cover  pages.  Still, 
respect  and  particular  affection  for  a  brother  demand  special  mention, 
as  also  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop,  Mr.  Darid  and  Mr.  Nerinckx,  to  whose 
good  prayers  I  wish  to  be  recommended ;  also  to  yours  and  those  of 
the  seminarians,  the  Dominicans  and  the  nuns.  My  best  wishes  to  my 
congregation  (that  of  Holy  Cross)  on  whom  I  pray  Almighty  God  to 
pour  every  desirable  blessing  for  time  and  eternity,  without  excepting 
one  single  soul.  My  best  compliments  to  John  Rowan,  Esq.*  With 
sincere  regard  in  the  sacred  hearts  of  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph,  I 
remain  your  obedient,  humble  servant,  S.  T.  Badin." 

The  second  letter  of  the  series  was  addressed  by  the  writer  to  his 
friend,  after  the  latter  had  reached  his  former  home  in  France, 
whither  he  had  gone  for  the  purpose  of  soliciting  alms  for  the  mission 
of  Kentucky : 

*' Orleans,  July  2 1  St,  1820. 

' '  Reverend  and  very  dear  Sir :  I  have  j  ust  had  the  happiness  of  per- 
forming the  spiritual  exercises  with  a  friend,  one  of  the  best  clergymen 
of  this  diocese,  twelve  leagues  from  this  city.  I  was  absent  two  weeks, 
returned  yesterday  and  then  only  received  your  favor  of  June  28th.  I 
join  you  cordially  in  returning  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  having 
brought  you  safe  to  the  paternal  abode.  I  do  easily  conceive  how  you 
have  been  overpowered  with  visits.  These  are  unavoidable  in  your 
present  situation  ;  but  I  trust  they  will  have  been  instrumental  in  the  edifi- 
cation of  your  friends,  and  your  own  sanctification.  We  have  reason  to 
believe  that  the  bishop  of  this  place  will  encourage  a  collection  for 
Kentucky;  but  he  has  observed  to  me  again  that  this  is  an  unpropitious 
season,  because  of  the  preceding  collections,  and  because  the  gentle- 
men and  ladies  of  wealth  and  piety  are  now  a  la  campagne. 

"The  bishop  of  Orleans  continues  to  request  my  co-operation  in 
the  exercises  of  the  holy  ministry  in  his  diocese,  where  two  hundred 
and  seventy-seven  priests  were  wanted  last  year.     Of  the  whole  num- 

*  Judge  John  Rowan  was  one  of  the  most  eminent  jurists  of  his  day  in  Ken- 
tucky. He  represented  Nelson  county  in  the  State  constitutional  convention  of 
1799;  was  a  member  of  congress  from  1807  to  1809;  a  justice  of  the  court  of 
appeals  in  1819,  and  a  senator  in  congress  from  1825  to  1831.  He  was  a  man 
of  exalted  personal  character,  and  most  friendly  in  his  intercourse  with  the 
early  missionary  priests  of  the  State.       Ho  died  in  Louisville,  July  13th,  1843. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  445 

ber  employed  (five  hundred  and  sixty-five),  two  hundred  and  fifty-one 
are  over  sixty  years  of  age,  and  some  of  them  are  mercenaries, 
wolves  rather  than  pastors  :  besides,  I  am  compelled,  and  I  am  sorry, 
indeed,  therefor,  to  join  you  in  the  opinion  that  trespeuont  T esprit  de 
leur  etat,  etc.,  etc.  This  justifies  too  much  your  apprehension  that  in 
a  few  years  there  will  remain  in  our  unhappy  country  but  a  spark  of 
religion.  Such  considerations  are  all-sufficient  to  induce  me  to  be  useful 
until  I  return  to  America,  if  God  Almighty  should  manifest  that  such 
is  His  will. 

"  I  cannot  dissemble  that  the  harsh  treatment,  which,  contrary  to 
my  expectations,  I  have  met  with  from  persons  whom  I  loved  and 
respected  more  than  any  friends  on  earth,  has  cooled  my  desire  of 
returning  to  America,  and  given  room  to  that  of  remaining  with  my 
countrymen,  who  are  not  a  httle  anxious  that  I  should  do  so.  I  have 
bestowed  upon  Kentucky  the  best  of  my  life,  and  I  cannot  now  be  as 
useful,  because  I  daily  feel  that  my  memory  and  other  faculties  are 
faiUng,  My  unremitted  labors,  for  so  many  years,  and  many  tribula- 
tions, without  the  relief  I  might  have  rightly  expected  from  my  clerical 
brethren,  have  surely  contributed  to  impair  my  natural  energies.  But 
there  is  no  doubt  that  my  visit  to  France  has  been  conducive  to  a 
necessary  rest  and  comfort,  as  also  to  my  sanctification,  still  more 
desirable.      Unum  est  necessartum,  quid  enim  prodest  homiiii,  etc. 

"  At  a  proper  distance  of  time,  place  and  persons,  in  the  sight  of 
God,  who  will  judge  all  our  actions,  and  our  most  secret  thoughts,  I 
have  examined  myself  over  and  over  again ;  I  have  advised  with  the 
most  prudent  and  holy  clergymen,  to  whom  I  have  candidly  submitted 
both  my  conduct  respecting  the  church  property,  and  the  necessary 
documents  relating  to  the  same.  Their  undoubted  opinion  is,  that  I 
was  under  no  obligation  to  dispossess  myself;  but  that  to  have  done 
so  would  have  been  more  perfect,  provided  I  first  secured  my  debts. 
In  justice  to  myself  I  will  say  that  I  was  willing  a  principio  to  do  this 
if  it  could  be  done  properly.  I  have  proved  this,  since  I  have  freely 
dispossessed  myself,  not  only  of  the  funds,  but  of  my  own  improve- 
ments, rents,  etc.  My  very  first  letters  to  our  venerable  bishop  should 
have  at  once  put  at  rest  all  controversy.  One  month  before  his  death, 
Mr.  Thomas  Howard  had  made  me  his  sole  heir,  and  it  was  only  at  my 
own  request  that  two  others  were  associated  with  me  in  such  a  manner 
that,  if  I  were  the  survivor,  I  necessarily  became  the  sole  and  rightful 
possessor.  At  his  death,  I  gave  my  bond  and  obligation  for  a  pretty 
large  sum  of  money  to  secure  that  property  to  the  Church;  and  I 
assumed  another  obligation  besides  the  interests,  etc.  I  did  also  divest 
my  heart  before  Almighty  God,  who  has  been  the  witness  of  my  offer- 
ing, and  who  is  not  fallible  like  men.  But  behold,  in  less  than  one 
year  thereafter,  I  was  threatened  by  my  friend — Si  inimicus  mens  male- 
dixisset  mihi  sustinuissem  utique — with  the  excommunication  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  Trent,  as  being  an  usurper! — Whereas  it  has  been  questioned  by 
the  late  Bishop  Carroll  and  many  others,  both  in  France  and  America, 
whether  I  could,  consistently  with  the  will,  and  validly,  disposesses 
myself. 


446  REV.  S.  T.  BADIN — HIS  LATER  YEARS. 

"This  miserable  affair,  in  which  I  was  on  the  defensive,  has  been 
the  cause  of  many,  many  sins.  The  bishop  has  acknowledged  that 
avarice  has  at  no  time  controlled  my  action  in  this  matter.  I  could 
not  have  acted  otherwise  than  I  did,  and  be  true  to  reason  and  my 
sense  of  justice  and  religion.  Motives  which  were  not  mine,  have 
been  persistently  attributed  to  me.  My  pride  afterwards  opposed  the 
crimination  to  which  I  had  been  subjected,  whereas  I  was,  and  still 
am,  conscious  of  having  been  judged  wrongfully.  Far  from  deserving 
their  excommunication,  I  felt  that  I  was  entitled  to  the  gratitude  of  the 
clergy.*  .  .  .  With  the  grace  of  God,  I  would  rather  give  to,  than 
take  from  the  church ;  and  however  ill-treated  I  have  been,  I  have 
always  had  the  will  to  do  more  for  that  of  Kentucky,  of  which  I  have 
been  the  founder,  the  father,  and  the  sole  pastor  for  a  number  of  years, 
amidst  labors,  afflictions,  and  the  temptations  which  must  necessarily 
assail  a  lonely  young  stranger  and  inexperienced  priest,  in  a  new  and 
wild  country,  where  everything  was  to  be  built  up,  almost  without 
means.  But  if  any  good  has  been  done,  the  praise  is  due  to  God,  and 
the  confusion  belongs  to  me.  I  have  no  hopes  but  in  the  merits  of 
my  Redeemer,  in  whose  charity  I  wish  to  live  and  die,  whose  mercy  I 
implore,  and  in  whose  bountiful  heart  we  must  be  all  united  for  evet. 
I  recommend  my  whole  being  and  future  resolutions  to  your  good 
])rayers  and  sacrifices.  Osculor  te  osculo  sancto,  sincere  tuus  in  Domino, 
/rater.  T.  S.  Badin." 

The  third  letter,  with  a  few  unimportant  omissions,  runs  as  follows : 
"  RoMORAUTiN,  Department  du  Loire  et  Cher, 

August  22,  1820. 

^^  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir :  The  Right  Rev.  Bishop  of  Orleans  and 
his  vicars  have  so  often  called  on  me  to  do  work  in  this  populous  diocese, 
where  there  is  half  a  million  of  souls,  and  where  more  priests  are 
wanting  than  in  both  the  United  States  and  Canada,  that  I  have  yielded 
at  last  to  their  instances.  The  bishop  offered  me  any  place  I  would 
like  best.  He  proposed  to  me  a  very  handsome  situation  in  a  little 
town  (Bonny),  on  the  Loire,  between  Briare  and  Corne  ;  but  I  inclined 
to  be  in  a  solitary  place,  with  poor  people  fearing  God,  and  more  docile 

*  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  above  will  prove  otherwise  than  unpleas- 
ant reading  for  Catholics  generally,  and  especially  for  those  who  have  learned 
to  cherish  reverence  for  the  names  of  Bishop  Flaget  and  Father  Badin.  None 
the  less  worthy  of  honor  and  respect  should  be  the  memory  of  either  because 
of  the  misunderstanding  between  them,  upon  which  Father  Badin  comments 
in  the  letter  above  given.  To  human  weakness,  and  not  to  interested  design, 
is  to  be  attributed  whatever  there  was  of  uncharitableness  in  their  thoughts 
regarding  each  other.  At  no  time  were  the  labors  of  either  directed  to  an  end 
that  was  selfish.  The  example  of  their  lives  is  sufficient  evidence  of  this  fact. 
Bishop  Flaget  owned  no  real  property  in  his  own  right,  and  when  he  died,  his 
personality,  if  turned  into  mon.ey,  would  scarcely  have  paid  the  expenses  of  his 
modest  funeral.  The  property  held  by  Father  Badin  for  the  Church,  was  kept 
by  him  intact  until  satisfactory  arrangements  were  made  for  its  transfer;  and, 
long  before  his  death,  the  little  he  owned  in  his  own  right  was  given,  either  to 
the  Church,  or  to  interests  that  were  regarded  by  him  as  essential  to  her  pros- 
perity in  this  country. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  447 

than  citadins.  I  preferred  two  parishes  in  Sologne,  Millaney  and 
Mareilly-en-Gault,  separated  by  the  Bruardan  forest,  about  seven  miles 
distant  from  each  other,  and  thirteen  leagues  from  Orleans.  I  chose 
these  parishes  because  the  two  last  pastors  were  men  of  respectability, 
and  because  no  opposition  will  be  made  to  my  plans  or  rnanner  of 
governing  by  the  constituted  authorities.  Besides,  I  am  neighbor  to 
an  old  priest  who  is  one  of  the  best  clergymen  of  the  diocese.  I  was, 
moreover,  led  to  believe  that  I  would  find  un  mobilier  toid  nionU  for  my 
use.  This  is  true  indeed,  but  the  incumbent  asks  me  two  thousand 
francs.  As  I  had  not  given  up  entirely  the  notion  of  going  back  to 
America,  I  hesitated  for  six  or  seven  days  as  to  what  determination  I 
should  take.  I  concluded  finally  that  I  must  work,  at  least  make  a 
trial.  A  day  or  two  later,  I  received  your  letter,  which  rather  con- 
firmed me  in  my  resolution.  I  do  certainly  need  more  rest  than  I 
have  enjoyed  in  America.  I  am  charged  only  with  thirteen  hundred 
and  eighty-one  souls,  and  having  less  to  do,  I  shall  have  more  leisure  to 
attend  to  my  own  sanctification,  to  rehearse  my  past  life  before 
Almighty  God,  and  to  prepare  for  eternity,  which,  perhaps,  is  near 

at  hand. 

"I  had  flattered  myself  with  the  idea  of  spending  all  my  life  with 
the  good  bishop  of  Bardstown,  whom  I  loved  more  than  any  other  per- 
son; but  such  violence  has  been  made  to  my  feelings,  and  with  such 
pertinacity  and  rashness,  that  .  .  .  (The  sentence  is  thus  abruptly 
closed  in  the  original.)  I  regret,  however,  many  good  friends,  and  my 
brother,  whose  last  farewell  I  took  on  Pottinger's  creek,  in  the  flat-boat 
that  took  him  to  Natchez.  He  must  have  suffered  much  since  he 
returned  to  Kentucky.  Wishing  to  make  him  as  happy  as  I  can,  I 
have  given  him,  by  my  last  letter,  all  my  movables;  and,  indeed,  I  do 
not  despair  of  seeing  him  again. 

''I  hope  to  have  an  interview  with  you  before  you  return  to 
America.  I  wish  to  communicate  to  you  a  plan  which  has  presented 
itself  to  my  mind,  for  the  relief  of  Bishop  Flaget,  whose  zeal  in  the 
vineyard  I  have  planted  merits  well  my  homage,  and  which  I  can  still 
assist,  however  remote  from  Kentucky.  I  have  been  unjustly  treated, 
it  is  true,  but  I  am  not  to  conclude  on  that  account,  having  it  in  my 
power  to  do  so,  that  the  Church  is  not  to  be  assisted  •  •  •  I  am  dis- 
gusted to  see  much  parade  made  in  the  newspapers  of  trifling  dona- 
tions or  alms,  which  Americans  would  be  ashamed  to  offer  in  similar 
circumstances.  With  half  a  million  of  diocesans,  the  bishop  of 
Orleans  could  hardly  do  as  much,  in  the  same  time,  as  the  bishop  of 
.  Bardstown,  with  his  twenty  thousand  backwoodsmen,  has  done  in 
eight  years.* 

*In  the  face  of  the  declaration  here  made  by  Father  Badin,  it  will  appear 
singular  that  there  should  be  stories  extant  of  the  illiberality  shown  by  the  early 
Catholic  settlers  of  Kentucky  in  matters  affecting  the  decency  of  divine  wor- 
ship. It  is  my  conviction  that,  with  rare  exceptions,  there  never  was  a  people 
less  disposed  to  be  niggardly  when  contributions  were  needed  for  any  object 
connected  with  religion. 


448  REV.   S.  T.   BADIN — HIS    LATER    YEARS. 

' '  What  do  you  think  of  this  estimate  of  the  Catholic  population  of 
the  United  States?: 

"  Diocese  of  Bardstown, 30,000 

"  Baltimore, 60,000 

"  Philadelphia, 40,000 

**  New  York, 30,000 

"  Boston, 10,000 

**  New  Orleans, 50,000 

Dispersed  throughout   the  country  and  unat- 
tached to  congregations, 220,000 

"Total, 440,000 

"In  union  with  your  good  prayers  and  sacrifices,  I  remain  cordially. 
Rev.  and  dear  sir,  your  obedient,  humble  servant,     S.  T.  Badin." 

The  fourth  letter  of  the  series  is  dated : 

"Orleans,  January  7,  1821. 

^^  Reverend  a?id  Dear  Sir:  Though  the  affairs  of  France  wear  now 
a  better  aspect,  I  am  not  surprised  at  your  longing  after  America.  I 
know  as  you  do,  the  prevailing  spirit  of  this  country,  and  I  draw  with 
you  the  same  conclusions.  How  different  from  Flanders,  and  even 
from  our  Kentucky  back-woods!  ...  I  hope  that  Rev.  Mr.  Nerinckx 
will  succeed  better  than  both  of  us  together.*  We  have  data  to  sus- 
tain that  hope,  since  he  did  so  well  on  a  previous  occasion. 

"I  have  prepared  a  writing  to  answer  the  plan  suggested  by  you  in 
your  last  letter,  and  I  have  communicated  it  to  our  best  friends,  who 
approve  of  it  heartily.  But  ftisi  dominus  ddificaverit  domutu :  in  vanum 
laboraverunt.  This  we  should  have  before  our  eyes,  that  we  may  be 
always  kept  in  the  dependence  of  God,  without  whom  nothing  can  be 
truly  good,  however  estimable  it  may  appear  in  the  eyes  of  men.  God 
grant  that  I  may  have  always  present  to  my  mind,  and  that  I  may 
cherish  in  my  heart  the  motto  of  your  patron  saint,  St.  Ignatius,  pre- 
fixed to  this  scrawl. f 

"  As  I  am  penning  down  the  name  of  that  venerable  saint,  who  has 
been  so  infamously  designated  by  Protestant  writers,  I  am  reminded  of 
news  I  read  two  days  ago  in  some  gazette,  to-wit:  That  the  emperor  of 
Austria  had  become  the  protector  of  the  exiled  Jesuits;  that  on  the  eve 
of  Christmas,  forty  of  them  were  put  in  provisional  possession  of  the 
cathedral  of  Vienna,  dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mother,  their 

*Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  than  whom  no  more  excellent  and  exemplary 
priest  ever  served  the  diocese,  was  in  Belgium  at  the  time  the  above  letter  was 
written.  He  had  gone  thither  for  the  purpose  of  soliciting  among  his  country-  * 
men  aid  for  the  pressing  wants  of  Bishop  Flaget,  and  for  the  community  he  had 
himself  founded,  under  the  name  of  The  Daughters  of  Mary  at  the  Foot  of  the 
Cross.  His  earnestness  and  his  saintly  character  were  well  known  to  Father 
Badin,  and  it  does  not  astonish  me  at  all  that  he  should  have  felt  that  his  own 
and  his  correspondent's  capabilities  would  be  found  far  surpassed  by  those  of 
their  newly  arrived  coadjutor. 

"^  Ad  Major  em  Dei  Gloriam.     The  initial  letters  of  these  words  precede  the 
date,  in  all  of  Father  Badin's  letters  herein  reproduced. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  449 

powerful  protector,  and  that  a  control  or  superintendence  is  given  them 
over  all  the  young  men  who  are  to  be  promoted  to  holy  orders.  This 
information  has  produced  in  me  such  lively  sentiments  of  happiness 
that  I  take  pleasure  in  relating  it.  Ora  pro  aintco,  qui  te  osculatur, 
osculo  sancto,  S.  T.  Badin." 

The  only  points  of  interest  in  the  fifth  letter  of  the  series,  which 
is  dated  "Paris,  February  7,  1821,"  are  contained  in  the  annexed 
paragraphs : 

"I  have  packed  several  trunks  at  Orleans,  where  I  bought  forty 
tableaux d'autel,  an  organ,  etc.  I  advise  you  to  take  the  bell  promised 
by  your  friend  at  Lyons,  provided  there  should  not  be  too  great 
expenditure  of  cash,  which  is  the  thing  most  needed  for  the  cathedral.* 

"My  advice  respecting  une  cuisiiiiere,  is  to  leave  her  with  the  cure 
of  Mauriac,  first,  because  she  is  not  healthy,  and  the  voyage  by  sea 
and  land,  or  the  climate  of  Kentucky,  might  make  her  more  sickly; 
secondly,  because  I  would  rather  have  a  man  servant.  Besides,  in 
taking  her  with  you,  you  would  expose  yourself  to  t\\Q  pasquinades  of 
the  American  editors  and  others.  Mr.  Chanut  thinks  we  should  not 
even  be  accompanied  by  nuns  since  they  are  not  absolutely  necessary 
in  Kentucky.      Tu  videris." 

Among  the  discomforts  of  pioneer  life  in  Kentucky,  few  were  felt 
more  keenly  by  the  missionaries  from  France  than  the  one  relating  to 
the  cuisine.  It  was  not  that  the  food  prepared  for  their  consumption 
was  plain  and  simple,  for  they  had  all  been  accustomed  to  such  fare  in 

*This  advice  was  acted  upon  by  Dr.  Chabrat,  and  the  idenlical  bell  referred 
to  has  been  swinging  for  sixty  years  in  the  tower  of  the  former  cathedral  of  the 
diocese  at  Bardstown,  summoning  the  faithful  to  church,  resounding  its  admoni- 
tions to  prayer,  knolling  over  the  dead,  and  keeping  count  of  the  fleeting 
hours.  Times  numberless,  when  a  boy,  I  climbed  with  tireless  feet  the  long 
flights  of  stairs  that  led  to  its  home  in  the  tower,  where,  as  it  appeared  to  me, 
it  kept  watch  and  ward  over  the  town  beneath  and  miles  on  miles  of  surround- 
ing country.  It  is  fifty  years  since  I  saw  it  last,  but  its  shapely  contour,  and 
above  all,  its  melodious  sound,  are  as  present  to  my  fancy  to-day  as  they  were  then 
to  my  faculties  of  sight  and  hearing.  Around  its  surface,  and  preceding  the 
date,  "  Lyons,  1821,"  and  the  holy  names,  "  Jesu.  .  .  .  Maria,"  appears  the 
sentence  from  holy  writ :  Audite  verbum  Doiniiii,  omnes  gentes,  et  annutitiate  in 
insulis  qiuc  procul  stmt.  The  impression  has  been  general,  as  well  among  the 
clergy  as  the  laity,  that  this  bell  was  a  gift  to  Bishop  Flaget  from  Louis 
Philippe,  duke  of  Orleans,  afterwards  king  of  France,  who  desired  thus  to 
acknowledge  his  sense  of  obligation  for  courtesies  extended  to  him  by  that  pre- 
late, when  he  was  an  exile  in  the  island  of  Cuba,  in  the  year  1800. 

Rev.  G.  I.  Chabrat  reached  New  York  on  his  return  trip  some  time  in  May, 
1821.  He  was  anxious  to  secure  a  remission  of  collectable  duties  on  the  church- 
furniture,  etc.,  brought  over  by  him,  and  made  application  to  the  late  Father 
William  Mathews,  the  veteran  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's  church,  Washington,  to 
use  his  eiforts  to  that  end  with  the  officers  of  the  treasury  department.  Father 
Mathews'  answer  to  Dr.  Chabrat's  request  is  lying  before  me  as  I  write,  and  I 
quote  from  it  a  passage  that  is  sufficiently  amusing:  "Your  wearing  apparel 
and  vestments  will  be  exempt  from  duty;  but  the  secretary  can  admit  nothing 
else  free.  Several  articles  were  imported  for  the  cathedral  of  Baltimore — an 
altar,  gilt  angels,  candle-sticks,  etc. — not  one  article  was  permitted  to  pass  free 
— not  even  the  poor  angels .' " 


45 O  REV.  S.  T.  BADIN — HIS  LATER  YEARS. 

the  seminaries  of  their  own  country ;  but  that,  because  of  processes  of 
cookery  that  set  at  defiance  all  hygienic  laws,  it  had  been  rendered 
absolutely  unwholesome.  This  was  especially  the  case  in  respect  to 
bread.  It  was  often  brought  to  the  table  still  retaining  its  condition 
of  dough,  or  what  was  nearly  as  bad  for  digestion,  so  soured  by  fer- 
mentation before  baking  as  to  render  it  as  unpalatable  as  it  was  noxious 
to  health.  Soups  and  stews,  always  wholesome  when  properly  pre- 
pared, and  never  costly,  were  rarely  to  be  found  on  the  tables  of 
either  the  poor  or  the  well-to-do,  whether  among  agriculturists  or  towns- 
people. It  is  said  that  Father  Badin  did  much  for  culinary  reform  in 
Kentucky  in  his  day.  An  anecdote  is  told  of  him  in  this  connection, 
that  will,  at  least,  illustrate  the  resources  of  his  wit,  when  his  appetite 
demanded  the  exercise  of  that  particular  faculty.  One  day,  a  little 
before  noon,  so  the  story  goes,  he  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  member  of 
one  of  his  congregations,  and  without  explanation  or  apology, 
requested  that  a  plate  of  soup  be  served  up  for  his  dinner.  "But, 
Father  Badin,"  exclaimed  the  female  head  of  the  house,  "this  is  Fri- 
day, and  soup  cannot  be  made  without  meat."  "  Oh  !  I  have  a  sub- 
stitute for  the  meat,"  returned  the  priest,  extracting  from  his  pocket  a 
small  round  pebble,  and  thrusting  it  into  the  hand  of  the  astonished 
woman.  "Just  put  that  in  the  pot,"  he  continued,  "and  add  to  it  a 
half  gallon  of  water,  one  quart  of  milk,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  but- 
ter, the  half  of  a  head  of  cabbage,  six  good-sized  potatoes,  a  turnip 
or  a  couple  of  carrots,  if  jou  have  them,  a  spoonful  of  salt,  and  the 
half  of  a  pod  of  red  pepper.  The  pebble  will  furnish  all  the  other 
necessary  ingredients."  It  is  not  likely  that  the  woman  was  deceived  ; 
but  that  others  were,  is  beyond  question,  since  Father  Badin's  pebble 
soup  is  a  frequent  subject  of  table-talk  to  this  day  with  the  descendants 
of  those  among  whom  his  early  missionary  life  was  passed. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above,  that  it  was  not  without  reason  that  Dr. 
Chabrat  was  anxious  to  secure  the  services  of  a  cuisiniere  for  his  bishop. 

The  sixth  letter  of  the  series  contains  little  that  would  be  of  interest 
at  the  present  time.  Indeed,  it  is  only  remarkable  for  the  fact  that  the 
writer  speaks  in  it  of  his  intention  to  return  to  America  at  an  early  day. 
Why  it  was  that  he  afterwards  abandoned  the  idea  can  now  be  only  a 
subject  for  conjecture : 

"Paris,  March  30,  1821. 

^^  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir:  I  received  yesterday  your  letter  of 
the  25th  instant.  I  would  be  happy  to  bear  to  you  the  answer  in  per- 
son, but  that  is  quite  impossible.  I  had  made  myself  busy  in  trying 
to  secure  for  you  and  for  me  a  passage  siirun  vaisseau  de  roi franc. ;  but 
it  will  not  sail  so  soon,  nor  directly  for  the  United  States.  ...  I 
have  now  at  Paris  an  organ,  which  I  bought  for  Lexington,  several 
members  of  that  congregation  having  requested  me  to  do  so,  and  to 
advance  the  money.  Should  they  fail,  those  of  Louisville  might  like 
to  have  it.  ...  I  will  send  it  via  New  Orleans,  to  the  care  of  M. 
Gilly,  nephew  to  the  Messrs.  Tarascon,  to  whom  present  my  best 
wishes  and  civilities.     You  will  not  forget  to  associate  the  virtuous 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  45 1 

Mrs.  Tarascon,  who  deserves  as  much  respect  as  any  Catholic  of 
Louisville.     God  bless  her  family. 

"I  expect,  according  to  your  promise,  that  you  will  write  to  me 
before  your  departure.  I  wish  you  and  your  good  nuns  a  short  and 
prosperous  voyage.  Angelus  Raphael  cotnitetur  vos.  I  hope  to 
embrace  you  again  in  America.      Totus  tuus,  etc.         S.  T.  Badin." 

For  the  reason,  possibly,  that  mention  is  made  in  it  of  persons  who 
were  at  one  time  well-known  to  me,  I  have  found  the  seventh  letter  of 
the  series  extremely  interesting:  -s^minaire  de  St.  Nicholas, 

Paris,  Sept.  5th,  1823. 
^^  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir:  You  must  know  that  I  have  become  pretty 
well  acquainted  with  your  brother,  the  doctor,  who  spent  some  months 
in  Paris,  and  who  has  communicated  to  me  your  last  letter  to  him, 
bearing  date:  Vincennes,  Indiana,  October  1822.  Yours  from  Scott 
county  informs  me  that  you  were  settling  four  sisters  at  St.  Pius.  I 
greatly  rejoice  at  it,  and  I  would  rejoice  still  more,  if  there  was  a  good, 
firm,  disinterested  pastor  with  them.  No  single  congregation  in  Ken- 
tucky has  given  more  exercise  to  my  weakness.  It  is  too  delicate  a 
subject  to  talk  of  the  causes  of  the  last  disturbances.  May  God  have 
mercy  on  them.* 

' '  I  was  happy  to  hear  through  your  brother  that  Dr.  Harney  had 
become  a  CathoHc.  Had  this  news  been  sent  to  me  direct,  I  am  per- 
suaded it  would  have  been  accompanied  with  fuller  details.  God  be 
thanked,  t 

*  Having  alluded  to  these  disturbances  in  a  former  chapter,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  state  here  that,  of  all  the  early  Catholic  settlements  of  the  State,  that  of 
Scott  county  only  has  a  history  that  affords  no  theme  of  happy  contemplation 
for  Catholics. 

tDr.  John  Milton  Harney  was  a  native  of  Delaware,  born  in  1789,  and  his 
death  took  place  at  Bardstown,  Kentucky,  January  15th,  1825.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Judge  John  Rowan,  of  whom  mention  has  been  made  in  a  preced- 
ing note.  He  was  a  physician  of  high  standing,  scholarly  and  accomplished, 
and  a  poet  of  no  mean  pretensions.  He  was  a  dutiful  Catholic,  from  the  day 
of  his  conversion  to  that  of  his  death.  I  cannot  forbear  quoting  here  a  speci- 
men of  his  versification,  which  has  long  been  regarded  as  of  superior  merit,  and 
which,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  had  for  its  subject,  the  first  bishop  of  the  See  of 
Bardstown,  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget: 

"ON   A   VALUED   FRIEND. 

•'Devout,  yet  cheerful,  pious,  not  austere, 

To  others  lenient,  to  himself  severe; 

Though  honored,  modest;  diffident,  though  praised — 

The  proud,  he  humbled,  and  the  humble  raised.  , 

Studious,  yet  social;  though  polite,  yet  plain; 

No  man  more  learned,  yet  no  man  less  vain  ; 

His  fame  would  universal  envy  move, 

But  envy's  lost  in  universal  love. 

That  he  has  faults,  it  may  be  bold  to  doubt, 

Yet  certain  'tis,  we  ne'er  have  found  them  out ; 

If  faults  he  has—  as  man,  'tis  said,  must  have — 

They  are  the  only  faults  he  ne'er  forgave. 

I  flatter  not ;  absurd  to  flatter  where 

Just  praise  is  fulsome,  and  offends  the  ear." 


452  REV.   S.   T.  BADIN — HIS   LATER    YEARS. 

"I  will  write  to  your  brother  and  tell  him  your  wants  .  .  .  First  an 
organ,  but  Mons.  Morel,  of  Bordeaux,  wrote  to  me  that  he  had  sent 
you  one,  and  also  certain  church  furniture,  in  charge  of  a  priest;  but  he 
had  no  tidings  of  him.  Secondly,  a  chimney  clock;  une  horloge,  louder, 
for  your  monastery;  and  a  few  bells.  It  appears  to  me  that  you  have 
grown  fond  of  noise  since  you  bought  the  gros  bourdon  for  the  cathe- 
dral. Let  me  tell  you  that  the  sound  of  that  bell  is  echoed  even  in 
Paris,  where  I  lately  saw  Mr.  Rousand.  He  tells  me  that  you  have 
paid  dearly  for  it,  on  account  of  the  carriage  from  Lyons  to  Bordeaux. 
I  am  mistaken  in  saying  you  have  paid.  It  appears  probable  enough, 
that  it  will  fall  to  my  lot  to  discharge  that  debt,  or  a  part  of  it.  Well, 
it  will  be  no  hardship,  but  a  pleasure  to  me,  believing  as  I  do,  beatius 
est  magis  dare  quam  accipere.  But  I  cannot  enjoy  the  greater  beatitude, 
as  may  be  well  imagined,  without  first  receiving  the  lesser  one.  .  .  . 
Thirdly  and  lastly,  you  want  two  or  three  hundred  dollars!  I  do  easily 
conceive  the  distress  of  a  zealous  priest  in  Kentucky,  when  he  has  at 
heart,  as  it  is  meet  he  should  have,  the  welfare  of  the  Church.  I  fore- 
told you  these  things,  but  you  would  not  believe  my  word.  I  do  not 
blame,  but  praise  you  for  it;  and  be  sure  it  will  afford  me  pleasure  to 
assist  you  whenever  I  can  do  so.  A  pagan  queen  once  said:  Non 
ignara  mali,  viiseris  succurere  disco.  How  much  more  a  christian  to 
even  strangers,  et,  a  fortiori.,  a  priest  toward  a  priest.  .  .  .  Should  any 
of  your  family  go  to  America,  they  may  themselves  be  the  bearers  of 
succors. 

"Before  this  reaches  you,  no  doubt,  you  will  know  of  Bishop  Fen- 
wick's  safe  arrival  at  Rome,  where,  I  am  afraid,  he  will  be  detained 
longer  than  he  thought  for,  on  account  of  the  Holy  Father's  death.  .  .  . 
I  would  be  glad  to  hear  of  brother  Vincent.  We  have  received  no  let- 
ter from  him  since  November  or  December.  .  .  .  How  does  the  poor 
Ganilh  come  on?  I  fear  he  will  grow  poorer  every  day:  Celiii  qui 
desire  etre pauvre.^ 

"Though  short,  the  account  you  gave  me  of  the  family  of  Mr. 
Sanders,  of  Bullitt  county,  was  most  acceptable.  But  why  did  you 
not  add  something  of  those  generous  and  constant  friends  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sanders,  of  Nelson,  Mr.  Gwynn,  Mr.  Gardiner,  and  others?  To 
these  you  will  give  my  best  compliments,  f 

"  I  would  be  happy  to  see  my  friends  again,  but  God  only  knows 
when  or  whether.  His  holy  will'be  done.  .  .  .  You  write  from  Scott 
county,  and  yet  you  do  not  mention  the  name  of  my  good  hearted  friend 
Judge  Twyman.     I  charj^e  you  (you  will  not  object  to  the  service, 

*Rev.  Anthony  Ganilh,  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  to  whom  reference  has  been 
made.  He  was  generally  regarded  by  his  associates  of  the  clergy,  as  somewhat 
erratic  and  shiftless. 

t  The  parties  here  referred  to,  wiih  the  exception  of  Christopher  Sanders, 
of  Bullitt  county,  having  been  previously  noticed,  it  is  only  necessary  that  I 
shall  here  say  a  word  of  that  eminently  Catholic  gentleman.  He  came  to 
Kentucky  with  his  brother,  above  named,  about  the  year  1790,  when  neither 
was  over  twenty. one  years  of  age.     He  settled  in  or  near  Shepherdsville,  where 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  453 

hor  the  expression,  I  hope)  to  assure  him  of  my  invariable  esteem  and 

friendship.  *     How  does  J T come  on  ?     Does  he  continue 

to  agree  with  ?     But  hush !  .   .   .  you  have  named  no  one  in 

connection  with  the  disorders,  and  I  must  not  even  judge.  They  may 
both  be  in  heaven  now :  indeed,  they  are  not  youngsters,  no  more  than 
I,  who  appear  such  a  bad'ne  this  evening. f  This  day  thirty  years  ago, 
I  left  Baltimore  for  Kentucky.      Totus  tuus,  etc.,       c    t-   R  " 

The  eighth  letter  of  the  series  was  written  nearly  two  years  after 

the  preceding.     It  is  dated:  ^.^  .  ^  „ 

/        ^  ^        .  "London,  August  22,  1825. 

\  ^'  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir:  .  .  .  You  show  your  readiness  to 
undertake  a  voyage  to  Europe  in  order  to  collect.  I  would  advise  you 
to  do  so  if  you  could  show  a  gold  cross  on  your  breast,  not  otherwise. 
Had  he  not  become  homesick.  Bishop  Fenwick  would  have  met  with 
better  results  last  winter  than  I  could  hope  for  as  a  reward  of  my  own 
efforts  in  twenty  years.  .  .  .  We  see  now  very  little  of  the 
genuine  spirit  of  Christianity.  The  English  know  nothing  of  humility, 
poverty  and  mortification,  and  though  they  despise  the  convents,  in 
which  these  virtues  are  practiced,  they  are  continually  sounding  the 
words  Bi'Me  and  Gospel,  wherein  they  are  commended.  ...  If 
it  is  your  wish  to  be  benefited  by  Flemish  generosity,  let  me  advise  you 
to  diverge  in  nothing  from  the  spirit  of  your  venerable  predecessor, 
and  the  founder  of  your  society.  | 

"  The  system  of  the  Emperor  Joseph  II.  is  adopted  by  the  king  of 
the  Netherlands.  Th.Q petits  seminaires  are  suppressed,  and  there  is  to 
be  a  saninaire  general,  where  none  will  be  admitted  unless  they  have 
studied  at  the  Lycees  under  Protestant  or  Deistical  professors.  The  pub- 
lication of  the  bull  of  the  jubilee  has  been  forbidden,  and  the  Pope's 
nuncio  recalled.  Oh  !  la  belle  liberie,  granted  by  evangelical  govern- 
ments !     I  beg  your  own  prayers  and  those  of  your  nuns. 

"  Totus  tuus  in  visceribus  Christi.  S.  T.  Badin." 

But  a  single  paragraph  of  the  ninth  letter  of  the  collection,  which 
bears  date,  "  Douay,  June  4th,  1826,"  would  be  of  the  least  interest  to 
Catholic  readers  of  the  present  day.     This  is  appended  : 

he  became  in  time,  a  man  of  mark  in  the  community.  Somewhere  about  the 
year  1820,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Adair  magistrate  of  the  Shepherdsville 
district.  He  was  much  discomposed  when  he  found  that  he  was  required  by 
his  office  to  perform  civil  services  of  marriage.  His  conscience  was  quieted  l)y 
Bishop  Flaget,  however;  but  it  was  noticed  that  he  never  sought  occasions  for 
the  exercise  of  his  functions  in  the  pirticular  mentioned. 

*  Father  Badin  took  no  little  pride  in  the  part  he  had  taken  in  the  conver- 
sion of  Judge  James  Twyman ;  and  well  he  might,  since  his  convert  was  a 
man  of  exalted  character,  a  lawyer  of  distinction,  and  an  upright  judge. 

t  It  is  well  that  Father  Baden's  reputation  for  wit  was  already  secured  when 
he  perpetrated  this  pun  upon  his  name.  Long  before,  he  had  said  of  himself: 
Je  m'afpelle  Badin,  viais  je  ne  badine pas  toujours  :  My  name  is  jester,  but  I  do  not 
always  jest. 

X  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  the  founder  of  the  Loretto  sisterhood,  was  now 
dead,  and  Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat  had  been  charged  with  its  directorship. 


454  REV.  S.  T.  BADIN  — HIS  LATER    YEARS. 

"I  left  England  on  the  12th  of  January,  and  I  have  since  been 
traveling  through  Flanders  incognito.  Of  course,  I  have  done  very  lit- 
tle for  the  missions.  I  have  been  much  exposed  on  account  of  the 
persecution,  and  I  am  signalized  as  embaucheur.  If  caught,  I  would 
soon  be  in  jail,  and  probably  sent  to  New  Holland.  Let  us  pray  for 
the  good  Belgians.  ...  I  thank  you  for  the  news  you  send  me. 
I  was  much  gratified  en  retrouvant  dans  votre  lettre — names  very  dear  to 
me — Gwynn,  Sanders,  Boone,  Gates,  McManus,  Rowan,  Twyman, 
O'Hara.  You  see,  I  have  placed  them  as  I  found  them.  Please 
remember  me  kindly  to  them  all,  and  to  Wm.  Hayden,  Henry  Burch, 
etc.,  etc.*  God  bless  Kentucky  and  your  schools,  etc.  Pray  for  me, 
qui  totus  tuus  in  visceribus  Christi,  S.  T.   Badin." 

Father  Badin  returned  to  America  in  the  summer  of  1828,  reach- 
ing New  York,  most  likely,  about  the  end  of  July  of  that  year.  Writ- 
ing to  his  friend  from  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  under  date  of  August 
1 6th,  he  says:  "  I  am  on  my  way  to  Detroit  to  see  my  brother  and 
Mons.  Richard.     I  cannot  say  at  present  when  I  shall  visit  Kentucky." 

The  annexed  is  the  last  of  his  letters  in  the  possession  of  the 
compiler. 

"Monroe,  Michigan  Territory,  April  12th,  1828. 

''  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir : — You  say  you  cannot  see  what  keeps  me 
so  long  from  Kentucky.  I  may  answer  with  propriety,  Nesciebatis 
quia  in  his  quce  Patris  mei  sunt  oportet  vie  esse.  If  I  be  not  most  mis- 
taken, I  am  where  God  will  have  me  to  be  at  present,  where  twelve 
priests  are  wanted,  with  a  bishop  at  their  head.  If  something  be  not 
quickly  done,  religion  must  soon  disappear  from  the  territory.  I  fare 
worse  here  than  I  would  in  Kentucky,  but  selfish  considerations  are 
no  rule  for  me.  Sure  T  am  that  you  are  mistaken  in  supposing  that  I 
am  kept  away  by  ernl  reports.  ...  I  am  no  stranger  to  the  Kentucky 
mission,  of  which,  I  may  say  without  vanity,  I  am  the  father.  I  can 
readily  believe,  as  you  say,  that  my  return  would  be  welcomed  by  all 
grateful  men.  For  this,  as  well  as  other  blessings,  thanks  are  due  by 
me  to  the  bestower  of  all  good  gifts. 

"  I  have  laid  some  plans,  and  I  see  some  prospects,  and  many  diffi- 
culties before  me.  ,  .  .  Mons.  Richard  is  overwhelmed  with  labors, 
fatigues,  cares,  debts,  lawsuits  and  calumnies.  He  is  a  very  meritorious 
laborer,  a  learned  and  holy  man,  but  a  bad  manager  of  temporal  affairs. 

*0f  Father  Badin's  friends,  named  in  this  letter,  Washington  Boone,  Wil- 
Uam  Hayden  and  Henry  Burch,  were  members  of  his  old  congregation  of  Holy 
Cross.  Charles  McManus  and  Stephen  Gates,  the  latter  a  Frenchman  by  birth, 
were  citizens  of  Bardstown,  true  men  and  devoted  Catholics.  Kean  O'Hara, 
of  Frankfort,  was  at  the  time  one  of  the  most  accomplished  educators  in 
the  State.  A  translation  by  him,  of  Father  Badin's  Latin  poem,  Carmen  Sacrum 
will  be  found  in  the  appendix  to  Dr.  Spalding's  "Sketches  of  Kentucky."  The 
name  O'Hara  has  become  familiarized  to  the  people  of  this  country,  and 
especially  to  those  of  the  Southern  States,  through  the  fame  that  is  attached  to 
a  son  of  Father  Badin's  friend,  the  late  Col.  Theodore  O'Hara.  One  of  his 
poems,  known  as  the  Bivouac  of  the  Dead,  is  recognized  of  standard  merit 
wherever  the  English  language  is  spoken. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  455 

I  love,  esteem  and  admire  him.  *  I  read  lately  Monseigneur  David's 
Rule  of  Faith.  I  wish  the  work  had  been  divided  mto  chapters, 
were  free  from  typical  errors,  and  did  not  appear  m  some  places 
exceptionable  to  our  squeamish  heretics.  With  God's  help,  I  shall  soon 
edit  a  small  work  for  the  sunday-schools  I  have  set  up,  with  the  title : 
Scriptural  Inquiry  after  the  Primitive  Doctrines  of  the 
Church  of  Christ.  I  beg  a  place  in  the  mementos  of  your  good 
Lorettines.      Totus  tuus,  etc.  S.  T.  Badin.   t 

The  stay  of  Father  Badin  at  Monroe  could  not  have  extended  much 
over  a  year,  since  we  find  him  in  Kentucky  in  the  fall  of  1829, 
and  the  early  months  of  the  following  year.  If  the  accounts  given  m  the 
Louisville  papers  are  to  be  relied  on,_  respecting  the  visit  paid  to  Ken- 
tucky of  the  renowned  Dr.  England,  on  the  occasion  of  the  consecra- 
tion of  Rt.  Rev.  Francis  P.  Kenrick,  preconizated  bishop  of  Arath 
and  coadjutor  of  Philadelphia,  which  took  place  at  Bardstown  on  the 
6th  of  June,  1830,  that  prelate  was  accompanied  on  his  steamboat  voy- 
age from  New  Orleans  to  Louisville  by  the  venerable  proto-priest  of 
the  United  States.  These  accounts  state  in  effect,  that  Dr.  England, 
accompanied,  among  others,  by  Father  Badin,  reached  Louisville  on 
the  steamer  Louisiana,  direct  from  New  Orleans,  on  the  30th  day  of 
May.  The  inference  is  plain  that  Father  Badin  visited  New  Orleans 
in  the  Spring  of  1830.  . 

At  the  time  referred  to.  though  the  venerable  missionary  was  in  the 
sixty-third  year  of  his  age  he  was  in  vigorous  health,  and  not  afraid  of 
work.  "  On  the  morning  of  his  arrival,"  says  a  correspondent  of  one 
of  the  papers  then  published  in  the  city,  "he  sang  high  mass  in  the 
little  church  he  had  himself  caused  to  be  erected  nineteen  years  ago, 
and  his  voice  betrayed  little  loss  of  either  strength  or  volume."  J  _ 
Over  what  length  of  time  this  visit  of  Father  Badin  extended  is 

*  Rev.  Gabriel  Richard  was  Father  Badin's  warm  personal  friend.  The 
two  had  come  to  the  United  States  about  the  same  time,  and  both  had  exerted  the 
energies  of  their  prime  in  exacting  missionary  work,  the  one  in  Kentucky,  and 
the  other,  first  in  Northern  Illinois,  and  afterwards  in  Michigan. 

t  The  mission  at  Monroe  was  visited  in  the  summer  of  1830,  by  Rev.  1< red- 
erick  Reze,  V.  G.,  of  Cincinnati,  who,  three  years  later,  was  consecrated  hrst 
bishop  of  Detroit.  Referring  to  this  visit,  a  writer  for  the  U.  S.  Catholic  Miscel- 
lanyM  its  number  of  September  4th,  following.says:  "  Father  Reze  found  here  a 
commodious  church,  a  zealous  pastor  (Rev.  Mr.  Smith),  and  a  good  school 
While  in  the  town,  he  met  the  presbytery  of  the  church,  and  was  astonished 
to  find  that   all   of    its    members,    including    the    pastor,  were    converts   Irom 

Protestantism."  x-      1      j       u       i 

X  The  sermon  on  this  occasion  was  preached  by  Bishop  England,  who  also 
lectured  from  the  same  pulpit  on  that  and  the  following  evenings.  The  local 
papers  of  the  day  notice  these  lectures  with  high  commendation  and  one  ot 
them  records  the  circumstance  that  they  were  listened  to  "by  the  leading  citi- 
zens  of  the  town,  including  the  mayor,  members  of  the  bar,  and  a  number  ot  Pro- 
testant ministers."  In  his  sermon  of  the  morning  of  the  30th,  Bishop  England 
alluded  feelingly  to  the  circumstance  that  the  celebrant  of  the  mass  was  one  to 
whom  special  reverence  and  gratitude  were  due,  on  account  of  the  invaluable 
services  he  had  rendered  the  Catholic  people  of  Kentucky. 


456  REV.  S.  T.  BADIN — HIS  LATER  YEARS. 

altogether  uncertain.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  occupied 
months  of  his  time  in  revisiting  the  scenes  of  his  early  missionary 
career,  and  that  for  weeks  together  he  was  the  honored  guest  of  one  or 
another  of  his  French  compatriots  in  the  villages  of  Shippingport  and 
Portland,  near  Louisville.  In  August  or  September,  of  the  year  1830, 
he  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  made  some  stay  with  the  bishop  of 
that  See,  Rt.  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick.  It  was  during  this  visit,  as  is 
supposed,  he  arranged  with  the  prelate  named  to  take  charge  of  the 
Pottawatomie  Indian  mission,  on  St.  Joseph's  river,.  Indiana.*  Hast- 
ening on  to  Michigan,  Father  Badin  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  in 
Detroit,  a  most  efficient  co-worker,  a  Miss  Campau,  who  was  not  only 
familiar  with  the  Pottawatomie  dialect,  but  who  had  already  spent 
many  years  of  her  life  in  a  nobly  sustained  endeavor  to  christianize 
that  particular  tribe  of  Indians.  The  two  reached  the  seat  of  their 
future  labors  in  August,  1830,  where  they  entered  at  once  upon  their 
self-imposed  task  of  christian  charity.  The  abandoned  Protestant  mis- 
sionary buildings  were  transformed  into  a  church  and  a  school-house; 
and  the  young  and  old  of  the  tribe  were  taught  reverence  for  God  and 
His  commandments  and  precepts,  and  the  first  named  to  speak  and 
read  both  their  own  tongue  and  the  language  of  the  country,  f 

Father  Badin's  connection  with  the  Pottawatomie  mission,  inter- 
rupted by  occasional  visits  to  the  surrounding  settlements  of  whites  in 
Indiana,  Ohio  and  Michigan,  extended  from  the  summer  of  1830  to  the 
spring  of  1836.  Logansport,  South  Bend  and  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana, 
were  regularly  visited  by  him  during  the  entire  term  of  his  pastorate 
among  the  Pottawatomies.  | 

*  During  a  tour  made  by  Rev.  Frederick  Reze  through  Michigan  and  the 
Northwest  Territory,  in  the  spring  of  1830,  he  visited  several  tribes  of  Indians, 
whose  reservations  were  situated  immediately  south  of  the  great  northern  lakes. 
This  visit  of  his  to  the  Pottawatomie  tribe  is  especially  worthy  of  note  from 
the  fact  that  it  was  made  the  occasion  of  the  withdrawal  of  a  Protestant  mis- 
sion, that  had  been  vainly  endeavoring  for  years  to  alienate  the  Indians  from 
the  Catholic  and  only  form  of  christian  faith  of  which  they  had  any  knowledge. 
They  were  promised  by  Father  Reze  the  services  of  a  priest,  and  hence  the 
arrangement  referred  to  in  the  text,  between  Father  Badin  and  the  bishop  of 
Cincinnati. 

t  A  writer  for  the  Catholic  Miscellany,  of  December  4th,  1830,  thus  speaks  of 
Miss  C.impau:  •'She  acts  as  the  pastor's  interpreter,  and  she  is  justly  entitled 
to  the  praise  of  piety,  zeal  and  heroic  courage  in  the  cause  to  which  she  has 
devoted  herself  for  the  honor  of  religion." 

\  "  On  one  of  his  visits  to  Fort  Wayne,"  writes  a  clerical  friend  of  the  dio- 
cese of  Vincennes,  "Father  Badin  induced  a  Mr.  Colerick,  afterwards  a  well- 
known  lawyer  of  the  city  named,  to  accompany  him  on  a  visit  he  proposed 
making  to  an  Indian  encampment,  most  likely  of  the  Ottawas,  immediately 
south  of  Lake  Michigan.  Arrived  at  their  destination,  they  found  that  the 
males  of  the  tribe  were  out  hunting.  These  soon  returned,  however,  bringing 
with  them  as  many  pigeons  as  they  could  well  carry,  A  large  kettle  was 
placed  over  the  fire,  and  into  it  went  the  pigeons,  feathers,  viscera  and  all. 
When  portions  of  the  mess  were  set  before  the  visiting  strangers.  Father  Badin 
began  to  eat  with  apparent  indifference  to  the  primitive  mode  of  cooking  to 
which  the  food  had  been  subjected.      Not  so  his  companion,  whose  more  fasti- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  457 

In  March,  1835,  about  a  year  before  his  final  withdrawal  from  tne 
Pottawatomie  mission,  Father  Badin  visited  Cincinnati,  where  he  was 
the  guest  of  Rt.  Rev.  J.  B.  Purcell  for  several  weeks.  The  CatJiolic 
Telegraph  of  the  20th  of  the  month  named,  contains  an  extended 
notice  of  an  address  delivered  by  the  aged  priest  in  the  cathedral  of 
the  city,  in  which  he  took  occasion  to  point  out  to  his  hearers  the 
shameful  slanders  by  which  the  impersonated  bigotry  of  the  day  was 
seeking  to  cast  doubts  upon  the  patriotism  of  the  Catholic  population  of 
the  United  States.  Fanaticism,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  already  rife 
for  destruction  in  several  of  the  eastern  cities,  as  in  Boston,  where  it  had 
led  its  unhappy  votaries  to  set  fire  to  a  convent  occupied  by  defense- 
less women,  and  as  in  Pittsburg,  where,  for  a  trivial  offence  against 
courtesy  at  most,  because  the  hat  of  a  boorish  looker  on  at  a  church 
ceremonial  had  been  struck  from  his  head  by  an  indignant  witness  of 
his  ill  manners,  it  had  caused  the  secular  papers  of  the  city,  and  the 
occupants  of  its  non-Catholic  pulpits  to  characterize  Catholicity  as 
aggressive  upon  religious  liberty,  and  Catholics  as  dangerous  citizens 
of  the  republic.  A  single  paragraph  from  the  newspaper  report  of 
the  missionary's  address  will  give  the  reader  a  fair  idea  of  its  spirit : 

"  Never  shall  we  forget  the  small,  white  figure  of  the  preacher,  the 
uplifted  hands,  the  tone  of  his  voice,  and  the  look  of  sincerity  and 
candor  with  which  are  associated  in  our  mind  his  spoken  words. 
Said  he :  'I  have  been  forty  years  a  priest,  and  I  can  say  to-day 
what  I  could  have  said  every  day  since  my  ordination  :  I  speak  the 
truth  in  Christ ;  I  lie  not!  Soon,  in  the  ordinary  course  of  nature,  I 
must  be  gathered  to  my  fathers.  My  ashes  may  be  mingled  with  those 
of  the  good  Bishop  Fen  wick,  and  the  pious  Father  Munos,  who  sleep  in 
the  vault  under  this  church.  What  is  reserved  for  me,  I  know  not ;  • 
but  I  must  say  to  you  here,  as  I  hope  to  be  saved  by  the  Just  Judge, 
and  as  I  certainly  shall  be  damned  by  Him  if  I  speak  not  the  truth, 
the  statements  I  have  read  to  you  are  all  calumnies.  I  have  taken  an 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  government  and  constitution  of  the  United 
States.  I  was  an  American  in  feeling  and  conviction,  long  before  I 
became  a  naturalized  citizen  of  the  republic.  I  would  die  with  a 
devotion  next  to  that  I  owe  to  my  God  for  the  country  of  my  choice.  . 
Far  from  being  obliged,  as  some  of  these  lying  statements  assert,  to 
swear  fidelity  to  any  foreign  power  at  his  ordination,  the  Catholic 
priest  fully  understands  that  it  is  his  duty,  natural,  civil  and  religious, 
to  be  true  to  his  country." 

Of  the  details  of  Father  Badin's  labors  among  the  Pottawatomies 
little  is  known  at  the  present  time.  That  his  ministrations  were 
effective  of  manifold  blessings  to  his  charge  is  beyond  question. 
That  his  own  bodily  energies  were  correspondingly  weakened  by  the 

dious  stomach  was  in  open  revolt  against  the  part  he  was  expected  to  take  in 
the  performance.  Observing  his  hesitation.  Father  Badin  said  to  him  :  "Do 
not  irritate  and  insult  the  red  men  ;  we  might  suffer  from  it.  Strip  the  feathers 
from  the  legs  and  you  will  find  them  eatable."  Mr.  Colerick  took  the  priest's 
advice  and  managed  to  escape  censure  for  breach  of  savage  etiquette. 


45^  REV.   S.   T.   BADIN — HIS    LATER    YEARS. 

excess  of  his  labors  is  equally  certain.  After  five  years  of  unremit- 
ting toil,  he  found  himself  in  such  a  state  of  physical  prostration  as 
to  render  him  incapable  of  performing  his  pastoral  duties  with  any 
degree  of  efficiency.  Under  the  circumstances,  he  could  but  ask 
to  be  relieved,  and  his  ordinary  could  do  no  less  than  sanction  his 
retiracy. 

It  was  more  than  ten  years  after  his  withdrawal  from  the  Pottawa- 
tomie mission  that  Father  Badin  was  again  given  charge  over  a  congre- 
gation. It  is  not  to  be  inferred  from  this  fact,  however,  that  he  was 
idle  in  the  interim.  His  history  during  these  years  is  that  of  a  chartered 
peripatetic,  free  to  go  whither  he  would,  to  labor  whenever  and 
wherever  there  was  work  to  be  done,  and  to  nurse  his  infirmities  when 
he  needed  rest.  Now  Ohio  was  the  theatre  of  his  spasmodic  mission- 
ary efforts,  now  Kentucky  and  now  Indiana.  By  the  clergy  every- 
where, both  bishops  and  priests,  he  was  treated  with  marked  consider- 
ation and  respect.  The  same  is  to  be  said  of  the  laity,  and  especially 
of  such  among  them  as  had  formerly  profited  by  his  instructions. 
Restless  by  nature  and  restless  by  force  of  habit,  he  was  at  one  time 
to  be  seen  taking  charge  of  a  congregation  in  the  temporary  absence 
of  the  pastor ;  at  another  dividing  the  labors  of  an  over-taxed  parish 
incumbent,  and,  at  still  another,  rejoicing  the  hearts  of  a  community  of 
religious  by  making  it  possible  for  its  members  to  hear  daily  mass,  for  a 
brief  while  at  least.  He  had  no  need  for  an  introduction,  whether  to 
priests  or  people,  to  the  superiors  of  conventual  houses  or  to  the  heads 
of  establishments  of  learning  or  charity.  No  matter  where  he  was  led 
by  the  spirit  of  unrest  that  seemed  to  govern  all  his  movements,  he 
found  personal  recognition  from  some,  and  hearty  welcome  from  all. 
This  was  especially  the  case  in  Kentucky,  where  many  were  still  living 
to  whom  he  had  formerly  borne  the  relation  of  pastor. 

For  the  greater  part  of  the  year  1836,  and,  most  likely,  for  the  early 
months  of  1837,  Father  Badin's  nominal  residence  was  Cincinnati. 
Among  his  voluntary  labors  for  the  period  indicated,  was  the  inditing  of 
a  series  of  controversial  papers  addressed,  "To  an  Episcopalian  friend," 
which  appeared  in  the  columns  of  the  Catholic  Telegraph.'^ 

Some  time  during  the  year  1837,  through  the  solicitations,  most 
likely,  of  Bishop  Flaget  and  his  coadjutor.  Dr.  Chabrat,  Father  Badin 
renewed  his  connection  with  the  diocese  of  Bardstown,  and  accepted 
at  their  hands  the  position  of  vicar-general.  This  office  was  proffered 
him,  no  doubt,  with  no  idea  that  he  would  be  able  to  attend  to  its 
duties,  but  out  of  regard  for  him  as  a  most  deserving  priest,  and  in 

*One  of  the  papers  referred  to  is  dated:  "  Louisville,  June,  1836."  I 
infer  from  this  fact  that  he  was  at  the  time  a  guest  of  the  then  pastor  of 
St.  Louis,  church,  Louisville,  Rev.  I.  A.  Reynolds.  Looking  over  the  papers 
mentioned  a  short  time  ago,  I  found  myself  involved  in  wonder,  first,  in  respect 
to  the  author's  knowledge  of  the  genius  of  the  language  in  which  he  wrote,  and 
secondly  of  his  felicitous  manner  of  conducting  the  controversy  between  him- 
self and  his  real  or  supposititious  friend.  The  style  is  clear  and  forcible,  and  not 
the  least  verbose.     The  manner  is  suggestive  of  both  charity  and  courtesy. 


CATHOLICITV    IN    KENTUCKY.  459 

recognition  of  his  past  services  to  the  Catholic  people  of  Kentucky.  * 
Up  to  the  date  of  his  relinquishment  of  the  office,  two  years  later, 
his  nominal  residence  was  Bardstown,  but  it  is  doubtful  if,  whether 
during  the  period  named  or  the  six  years  of  his  after  connection  with 
the  diocese,  he  considered  himself  or  was  considered  by  others  a'  resi- 
dent of  any  particular  locality  in  the  State.  Constantly  moving  from 
point  to  point,  he  visited  all  the  prominent  congregations  of  the  dio- 
cese, and  before  most  of  them,  recounted  interesting  incidents  con- 
nected with  their  organization  and  first  membership.  Pastors  of  souls, 
everywhere,  were  pleased  to  do  him  honor.  They  invited  him  to 
preach,  to  sing  high  mass  and  to  visit  with  them  the  leading  members 
of  their  congregations.  It  was  to  be  noticed,  however,  that  he  rarely 
appeared  for  a  second  time  in  any  pulpit.  His  eccentricities  were  too 
palpable,  thought  his  clerical  entertainers,  to  admit  of  further  experi- 
ences of  their  effects  upon  the  minds  of  their  parishioners. 

The  anecdote  that  follows,  which  came  to  me  several  years  ago, 
from  the  lips  of  an  aged  priest  of  the  diocese,  since  deceased,  will  give 
the  reader  an  exaggerated  idea  of  Father  Badin's  pulpit  eccentricities: 
Soon  after  his  return  to  Kentucky,  he  was  called  upon  to  officiate  at  a 
month' s-mind  mass  of  requiem  for  an  aged  member  of  the  congregation 
of  St.  Thomas,  in  Nelson  county.  To  this  request  was  superadded 
the  expressed  desire  of  the  relatives,  that  the  missionary  should  recount 
on  the  occasion,  and  in  their  hearing,  the  virtues  which  had  distin- 
guished the  patriarch  when  living,  whom  he  had  known  when  the  oldest 
among  them  were  but  children.  Having  accepted  the  invitation  and 
appointed  a  future  day  for  the  service,  the  missionary  is  supposed  to 
have  afterwards  conceived  the  idea  that  the  motive  which  had  actuated 
the  relatives  of  the  dead  man  to  have  him  pronounce  his  eulogy  was 
family  pride,  and  that  such  being  the  case,  it  was  his  duty  to  rebuke 
them  for  its  exhibition.  On  the  day  appointed  for  the  service,  the 
church  of  St.  Thomas  presented  a  more  crowded  appearance  than  it 
ordinarily  did  on  Sundays.  When  the  mass  was  finished,  the  celebrant 
turned  to  address  the  assembled  people,  not  one  of  whom  had  other 
thought  than  that  he  was  about  to  hear  a  pleasing  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  the  dead  from  one  who  had  known  him  intimately  in  his  youth  and 
prime.     Imagine  the  surprise  of  all,  and  the  mortification  of  many,  at 

hearing  him  begin .  ' '  And  so,  my  friends,  old  B ky B k  is 

dead!     He  had  not  much  sense,  to  be  sure;  but  we  are  not  to  forget 
that  he  had  all  the  sense  that  God  gave  him." 

The  most  annoying  of  Father  Badin's  eccentricities  was  a  habit  he 
had  of  interrupting  the  thread  of  his  discourse  while  speaking,  by  allu- 
sions to  something  or  other  that  was  taking  place  in  his  sight,  or  that 
had  been  previously  noticed  by  him  as  being  out  of  place  in  the  house 
of  God.     The  coming  into  the  church  after  the  service  was  begun,  or 

*This  is  apparent  from  the  fact  that  an  assistant  was  named  for  him  in  the 
person  of  Rev.  H.  C.  de  Luynes,  than  whom  there  was  not  in  the  diocese  a 
more  profound  theologian. 


460  REV.  S.  T.  BADIN — HIS  LATER  YEARS. 

the  leaving  before  it  was  ended;  the  crying  of  a  child,  or  the  frivolous 
fashion  of  a  dress;  anything,  in  fact,  that  appeared  to  him  offensive  to 
good  manners  or  decorum,  was  seldom  permitted  by  him  to  pass  with- 
out words  of  rebuke  that  were  calculated  to  disturb  individual  sensi- 
bility. The  act  that  was  offensive  to  his  sense  of  propriety  attracted 
his  attention  at  once,  but  he  appeared  to  have  no  consideration  for  cir- 
cumstances and  motives  which,  if  properly  weighed,  would  have  been 
its  excuse,  if  not  its  absolute  justification. 

I  have  no  recollection  of  having  heard  but  one  sermon  from  the  lips 
of  Father  Badin.  That  one  was  delivered  in  the  former  church  of  St. 
Louis,  Louisville,  of  which  Rev.  John  McGill  was  then  pastor,  some- 
time in  November,  1841.  The  weather  was  about  as  bad  as  it  well 
could  be.  A  cold  rain  had  been  falling  from  early  morning,  and  now, 
as  the  last  bell  for  last  mass  was  calling  the  faithful  to  church,  a  driving 
wind  added  to  the  discomfort  of  the  few  plodders  on  the  streets, 
whose  sense  of  duty  was  superior  to  their  love  of  ease  and  their 
fear  of  rheumatic  pains.  Moist  and  chilled,  and  wholly  uncom- 
fortable, fifty  persons,  all  told,  heard  mass  that  morning  in  a  church 
that  had  seating  capacity  for  twenty  times  that  number;  and  these 
afterwards  listened  to  a  sermon  that  must  have  appeared  to  some  of 
them  interminable.  I  will  never  forget  the  opening  sentences  of  the 
old  missionary's  discourse:  "My  dearly  beloved,"  said  he,  "dainty  ser- 
vice is  not  pleasing  to  our  Divine  Lord.  Christian  men  and  women 
who  are  not  willing  to  suffer  something  for  the  sake  of  Him  who  suf- 
fered so  much  for  them,  are  practically  little  better  than  heathens. 
This  church  stands  almost  at  the  very  doors  of  five  hundred  Catholic 
families,  and  I  am  called  upon  to-day  to  preach  to  a  meagre  audience 
of  fifty  persons!  Why  such  a  thing  never  happened  to  me,  when  my 
people  had  to  ride  or  walk  from  three  to  five  miles  to  church,  and  then 
come  fasting.  But  never  mind!  You  who  are  here  have  proved  your- 
selves worthy,  and  I  am  not  going  to  abate  a  jot  of  your  privileges. 
The  sermon  I  had  expected  to  preach  to  the  entire  congregation,  I  am 
going  to  preach  to  you."  And  this  he  did,  little  to  the  profit  of  his 
hearers,  most  likely.  As  for  myself,  for  the  reason,  possibly,  that  my 
physical  discomfort  was  superior  to  any  appreciative  sense  I  had  of 
either  his  complimentary  allusion  or  his  after  discourse,  I  am  obliged 
to  acknowledge  that  the  subject-matter  of  the  latter  has  wholly  escaped 
my  memory. 

We  have  heretofore  seen  that  by  his  own  acknowledgment, 
expressed  in  writing  twenty  years  before,  Father  Badin  had  reason 
to  distrust  his  memory  and  other  superior  faculties.  What  was  at  that 
time  suspected  by  himself,  was  now  apparent  to  his  Kentucky  friends. 
It  was  clear  to  these  that  he  had  reached  that  stage  of  mental  decay 
in  which  sensibility  usurps  the  place  of  reason.  Whereas  he  had 
been  formerly  confiding  withm  the  bounds  of  reason,  he  now  betrayed 
a  tendency  to  unnatural  suspicion.  His  ideas  of  pastoral  efficiency 
were  ah  based  on  the  primitive  experiences  in  the  field  of  missionary 
enterprise,   and  when   the  clergy  of  the  diocese,  with  their  knowl- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  461 

edge  of  the  changed  conditions  of  Catholic  society  and  its  needs, 
found  themselves  unable  to  accept  his  suggestions  as  to  what  was 
proper  for  them  to  do  in  order  to  bring  down  God's  blessing  upon 
their  ministry,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  manifesting  his  displeasure  by 
abruptly  changing  his  quarters.  It  was  the  misfortune  of  pastors  of 
souls  at  the  time  that  they  were  very  generally  misunderstood  by  the 
very  man,  who,  as  they  all  knew,  notwithstanding  his  pronounced 
eccentricities,  was  justly  entitled  to  their  profound  respect  and 
veneration. 

After  his  return  to  Kentucky,  the  first  appearance  of  Father  Badm 
in  the  district  of  country  which,  forty  years  before,  had  furnished  the 
greater  number  of  his  parishioners  of  the  church  of  St.    Ann,   on 
Cartwright's  creek,  Washington  county,  was  on  the  occasion  of  the 
dedication  of  the  church  of  St.  Augustine,  Lebanon,  of  which  Rev. 
Robert  A.  Abell  was  first  pastor.     The  function  of  the  day,  together 
with  the  general  understanding  that  Father  Badin  was  to  be  pres- 
ent, brought  to  the  town  an  immense  concourse  of  people,   mostly 
Catholics,  many  of  whom  had  their  homes  from  five  to  twenty  miles 
away.     Among  these  latter  was  an  aged  widow  who,  when  she  was  a 
young  and  unmarried  woman,  had  notably  exemplified  her  respect  for 
the  tabernacle  of  her  Lord,  pitched  in  the  wilderness,  by  devoting 
her  leisure  hours  to  its  adornment.    In  those  days,  the  sanctuary  floor 
of  the  little  church  of  St.  Ann  was  covered  by  a  carpet  of  her  own 
weaving,   and  under  the  manipulations  of  her  deft  fingers  its  altar 
linen  was  made  to  shine  with  something  of  the  immaculateness  that 
should  characterise  whatever  approaches  Deity.  Mrs.  JuUet  Beaven,* 
though  her  residence   was  distant  fifteen  miles  from   Lebanon,  was 
unable  to  resist  the  impulse  with  which  she  was  seized  to  look  once 
more  upon  the  face  of  her  ancient  pastor.     The  journey  was  made 
on  horseback,  and  when  she  reached  the  church  she  not  only  found 
it  filled  to  overflowing,  but  that  there  were   great  crowds  about  its 
doors  who  were  vainly  striving  to  effect  an  entrance.     Excited  as  she 
was,  the  energies  of  her  youth  appeared  to  revive  in  her,  and  pardy 
by  dint  of  struggling,  and  partly,  no  doubt,  through  the  politeness  of 
those  who,  equally  with  herself,  were  anxious  to  witness  the  ceremony 
of  dedication,  she  managed  at  length  to  set  her  feet  inside  of  the  body 
of  the  church.     Tired  after  her  long  ride,  and  wedged  in  between 
obtruding  elbows,  her  discomfort  was  trying  enough,  but  there  she 
stood  until  the  ceremony  was  finished,  the. mass  begun,  and  from  the 
organ  loft  came  to  her  listening  ears  and  heart  the  words  of  the  Ve»t 
Creator  Spiritiis.     At  that  moment  she  was  attracted  by  the  swaying  of 
the  crowd  immediately  in  front  of  her,  and  this  did  not  cease  until 
she  was  confronted  by  her  old  pastor  in  person.     How  he  had  seen 
and  recognized  her  from  his  place  in  the  sanctuary,  she  could  never 
understand,  but  that  he  had  done  so  was  evident  from  the  words  he 
addressed  to  her.      "Jooly,"   said  he,    "come  up  higher."     "The 

*  Referred  to  in  a  former  Chapter  as  Miss  Juliet  Janes. 


462  REV.  S.  T.   BADIN  -  HIS  LATER  YEARS. 

crowd  is  too  great,  Father,"  she  answered  in  a  whisper.  "  We  will 
manage  it,  Jooly,"  returned  the  priest:  "do  you  take  hold  of  the 
tail  of  my  cassock,  and  I  will  lead  you  to  Heaven."  The  crowd 
opened  before  the  pair,  and  just  as  the  commanding  form  of  Father 
Abell  was  seen  ascending  the  stairs  of  the  pulpit,  she  found  herself 
comfortably  seated  in  full  view  and  hearing  of  the  most  eloquent  of 
the  divines  of  his  day  in  Kentucky.  She  afterwards  liked  to  tell  the 
story  of  that  day's  trials  and  triumphs,  and  her  recitals  always  ended 
with  the  remark  :   "Ah,  child,  it  was  a  sermon  I  heard  that  day."  * 

The  seat  of  diocesan  jurisdiction  was  removed  from  Bardstown  to 
Louisville  in  the  year  1841,  and  with  that  date  began  the  writer's  bet- 
ter knowledge  of  Father  Badin  and  his  peculiarities.  The  Episcopal 
household  at  the  time  was  composed  of  Bishop  Flaget  and  his  coad- 
jutor, Rt.  Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat;  Very  Rev.  I.  A.  Reynolds, 
vicar-general ;  Rev.  John  McGill,  pastor  of  the  congregation ;  Revs. 
Walter  S.  Coomes  and  John  Quinn,  assistants,  and  Rev.  Stephen 
Theodore  Badin,  the  bishop's  guest.  The  latter  was  then  in  his 
seventy-third  year,  and  to  those  who  had  known  him  in  his  prime,  he 
looked  but  the  shadow  of  his  former  self.  His  once  lithe  and  upright 
form  was  now  bent  with  age,  and  his  body  appeared  to  have  outgrown 
his  extremities.  His  gait  was  shambling  and  uncertain.  The  muscles 
of  his  face  had  lost  their  natural  rigidity,  and  the  flesh  around  his  jaws 
hung  in  flaccid  masses.  His  nose  was  sharp  and  pinched,  and  beyond 
a  moderately  thick  and  snow-white  fringe  around  the  base  of  the  skull, 
his  hair  had  all  disappeared.  He  was  suffering,  too,  from  a  partial 
paralysis  of  the  right  forearm  and  hand,  and  he  generally  appeared  with 
his  left  arm  and  hand  caressingly  thrown  around  the  diseased  member. 
But  a  single  one  of  his  features  was  unchanged.  His  eyes  had  lost  none 
of  their  brilliancy.  Ordinarily  cast  downward,  and  shut  in  by  the 
inclosing  lids  till  scarcely  seen  by  the  observer,  it  needed  but  a  signal 
from  the  brain  power  to  cause  them  to  expand  and  to  speak,  as  was 
their  wont,  of  what  was  passing  in  his  mind.  At  times,  and  especially 
when  conversing  with  persons  of  known  intellectual  capacity,  and 
upon  certain  favorite  topics,  he  betrayed  little  weakening  of  the  intel- 
lect. He  had  always  been  given  to  jesting  with  his  friends,  and  there 
was  now  no  indication  that  he  had  conquered  the  propensity.! 

*  Father  Badin  had  been  dead  for  several  years  when  Mrs.  Beaven  was 
called  to  a  better  life  than  this.  One  of  her  last  acts  was  to  send  a  small  sum 
of  money  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  a  friend  at  a  fair  then  being 
held  in  Bardstown,  for  the  benefit  of  the  orphans  of  St.  Thomas'  asylum. 
Then,  as  now,  small  articles  were  disposed  of  by  raffle  on  such  occasions,  and 
it  so  happened  that  her  friend  was  enabled  to  secure  for  her  a  small  sun-picture 
of  Father  Badin.  When  this  was  first  shown  to  her,  she  contemplated  it  for 
some  moments  with  absorbed  interest,  and  then  she  exclaimed:  "  Yes,  it  is 
Father  Badin;   and  he  is  come  to  take  me  to  Heaven." 

t  As  illustrations  of  the  character  and  quality  of  his  jests,  thefollowing  will 
serve  as  specimens.  Shortly  after  Bishop  Flaget  had  taken  up  his  residence  in 
Louisville,  I  called  to  pay  my  respects  to  the  venerable  prelate  after  whom  my 
parents  had  named  me.     I  was  scarcely  seated  before  Father  Badin  entered  the 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  4^3 

For  the  greater  part  of  the  year  1 841, 1  was  most  favorably  situated 
for  observing  the  character,  habits  and  eccentricites  of  Father  Badin. 
With  my  then  small  family,  I  was  living  at  the  time  in  a  house  that  was 
the  property  of  the  diocese,  not  sixty  yards  removed  from  the  Epis- 
copal residence.  From  his  lease  to  me  of  this  house  the  coadjutor 
bishop  had  excepted  a  single  room,  which  was  designed  by  him  for  the 
occupancy  of  such  of  his  guests  as  he  might  not  be  able  to  accom- 
modate with  lodgings  under  his  own  roof.  This  reserved  room  was 
occupied  by  Father  Badin  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year  named.  He 
often  took  his  meals  with  us,  and  it  was  our  habit  to  await  his  leisure 
of  evenings  in  order  to  have  him  give  out  family  prayers  before  retir- 
ing.* . 

Reticence  of  individual  opinion  was  certainly  not  the  most  distm- 
guishing  of  his  characteristics  in  those  days.  On  the  contrary,  he  was 
in  the  habit  of  giving  free  utterance  to  his  thoughts,  without  unchari- 
table intent,  I  am  sure,  but  with  a  blunt  candor  that  was  not  always 
effective  of  happy  results.  As  the  reader  has  already  seen,  there  had 
been  a  time  when  Dr.  G.  I.  Chabrat  and  himself  were  trusted  friends 
of  each  other.  They  had  labored  together  for  the  good  of  the  people 
and  the  welfare  of  the  Church  in  Kentucky,  and  it  was  well  known 
that  the  Gallic  heart  of  each  had  at  one  tmie  gone  out  to  the  other  in 
throbbings  of  mutual  affection.  Which  of  them  was  responsible  for 
the  change,  or  whether  both  and  equally,  is  a  point  that  is  not  now 
determinable;  but  it  is  quite  certain  thq^  they  had  become  very 
much  alienated.  Their  personal  intercourse  was  marked  by  what 
might  be  called  official  reserve  on  the  part  of  the  coadjutor  bishop,  and 
of  complaisance,  that  had  in  it  little  of  warmth  and  no  servility,  on  the 
part  of  his  ancient  co-laborer,  f 

room  ;  and  forgetful,  no  doubt,  that  I  could  not  but  be  well  acquainted  with  his 
visitor,  the  bishop  undertook  to  introduce  us  to  each  other.  Looking  at  me  for 
a  moment,  he  turned  to  the  bishop  and  said  :  "I  know  Mr.  Webb  very  well ! 
Why,  I  married  his  father;" — and  then  pausing  for  a  moment,  he  naively 
added,  "and  his  mother  too  !  " 

One  day,  when  talking  to  me  of  my  parents,  and  especially  of  the  girlhood 
of  my  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Clotilde  Edelin,  he  closed  his  speech 
with  the  somewhat  enigmatical  sentence:  "  Yes,  Cloe  was  a  good  girl,  but  in 
those  days,  she  gave  me  a  world  of  trouble."  Seeing  that  I  was  shocked,  he 
added  with  a  laugh,  "  Yes,  she  troubled  my  confessional  every  time  I  went  to 
the  Creek  (Pottinger's)  ;  it  would  have  been  well  if  all  the  rest  had  been 
as  troublesome." 

*On  one  occasion,  I  remember,  he  had  been  out  to  tea,  and  on  his  return, 
at  about  lO  o'clock,  he  found  us  still  up  and  waiting.  "  I  have  but  just  said 
night  prayers  with  Capt.  Rudd's  family,"  he  remarked,  "  but  I  do  not  suppose 
it  will  hurt  me  to  say  them  over  again."  [Capt.  James  Rudd  was  a  leading 
Catholic  citizen  of  Louisville  at  the  time.  Eight  years  later,  together  with 
Hon.  James  Guthrie,  afterwards  secretary  of  the  treasury  in  the  cabinet  of  Presi- 
dent Pierce,  he  represented  the  city  and  county  in  the  Kentucky  constitutional 
convention  of  1849.] 

t  An  incident  that  took  place  in  1841,  a  few  days  after  he  had  become  a 
lodger  in  the  home  occupied  by  my  family,  as  heretofore  mentioned,  will  give 
the  reader  a  fair  idea  of  Father  Badin's  notions  regarding  Bishop  Chabrat.     He 


464  REV.  S.  T.  BADIN — HIS  LATER  YEARS. 

As  has  been  stated  in  the  sketch  heretofore  given  of  the  life  of  Dr. 
Chabrat,  there  had  been  opposition  to  his  appointment  to  the  office  of 
coadjutor-bishop  on  the  part  of  the  greater  number  of  the  clergy  of 
Kentucky.  After  his  consecration,  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that  his  inter- 
course with  more  than  one  of  his  priests  was  marked  by  no  little 
arbitrariness,  and  that  the  relations  between  these  and  himself  were  far 
from  cordial.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  Father  Badins'  sympathies  were 
with  individual  members  of  the  clerical  body  who  were  complaining  at 
the  time  of  grievances  suffered  by  them  at  the  hands  of  their  ordinary. 
This  circumstance,  taken  by  itself,  would  explain  the  breach  of  mutual 
affection  which  had  formerly  characterized  the  intercourse  of  the  two. 
By  some,  however,  it  was  attributed  to  their  divergent  views  respect- 
ing the  proper  disposal  of  a  remnant  of  real  estate,  situated  in 
Louisville,  and  still  owned  by  Father  Badin.  It  was  the  belief  of  these 
that  Dr.  Chabrat  had  tried  to  induce  the  aged  missionary  to  give  title 
to  this  property  to  the  diocese,  and  that  the  latter,  taking  offence  at  his 
persistency,  had  answered  him  7iay,  in  terms  that  were  more  peremp- 
tory than  polite.  This  was  regarded  as  speculative  at  the  time,  and 
is  still  so  regarded.  Years  afterwards,  and  long  after  Dr.  Chabrat  had 
resigned  his  office  and  returned  to  France,  the  property  alluded  to  was 
deeded  by  Father  Badin  to  Rev.  E.  J.  Sorin,  for  the  benefit  of  Notre 
Dame  college,  South  Bend,  Indiana. 

My  personal  recollections  of  Bishop  Chabrat  are  all  pleasant.  At 
one  time,  I  had  frequent  opportunities  of  witnessing  his  manner  of 
address  and  bearing  towards  individual  members  of  his  clergy ;  and, 
saving  in  a  single  instance,  I  can  bring  to  mind  no  occasion  upon  which 
discourtesy  or  unkindness  in  their  regard  could  be  laid  to  his  charge, 
even  by  implication.  The  excepted  case  may  point  a  moral,  and  for 
that  reason,  it  is  here  given.  In  January  1841,  in  order  to  be  near  the 
then  newly  appointed  editor  of  the  Catholic  Advocate,  Rev.  John 
McGill,  who  was  pastor  of  St.  Louis  church,  Louisville,  I  transferred 
the  office  of  publication  of  the  paper  from  Bardstown  to  that  city. 
Dr.  McGill  was  my  wife's  elder  brother,  and  between  the  two  an 
arrangement  had  been  made  whereby  the  latter  had  agreed  to  take 
temporary  charge  of  the  pastoral  residence,  and  to  provide  whatever 
was  needful  for  the  comfortable  maintenance  of  the  household.  Dr. 
McGill's  church  assistants  at  the  time  were  Rev.  Walter  S  Coomes 
and  Rev.  John  Quinn,  both  long  since  deceased.  The  last  named, 
though  then  fully  forty  years  of  age,  had  been  but  recently  ordained. 

came  into  the  hall  one  day,  dragging  after  him  a  tow-linen  bag,  tightly  packed 
with  shavings.  "  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that,  Father  Badin  ?  "  asked 
my  wife.  "  With  your  assistance,"  he  answered,  "  I  am  going  to  convert  it  into 
a  pillow  for  my  bed.  I  cannot  sleep  with  my  head  on  a  level  with  my  heels, 
and  his  little  Lordship  has  furnished  my  couch  with  only  a  thin  affair  that 
amounts  to  nothing."  My  wife  easily  induced  him  to  transfer  to  her  keeping 
his  acquisition  of  wooden  fiber,  and  she  had  but  to  hint  of  the  affair  to  the  bis- 
hop's housekeeper  to  secure  for  her  independent  lodger  a  pillow  of  more  suit- 
able material. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  465 

He  was  a  conscientious,  pains-taking  priest,  and  I  never  knew  another 
who  was  more  prompt  in  the  discharge  of  his  pastoral  obhgations.  On 
Ash-wednesday,  of  the  year  named,  Father  Quinn  signified,  in  the 
presence  of  Mrs.  Webb,  that  it  was  his  intention  to  refrain  from 
animal  food  during  the  entire  lenten  season.  My  wife  well  understood 
that  this  announcement  meant  for  her  no  little  of  extra  trouble,  and  a 
modicum  of  extra  expense.  She  said  nothing,  however,  and  did 
thereafter  what  she  could  to  prevent  evil  consequences  from  following 
the  good  priest's  whim  of  supererogation.  On  Saturday  of  the  second 
week  of  lent,  Bishop  Chabrat  reached  Louisville,  and  became  a  guest 
of  the  house.  Without  other  knowledge  of  the  case  than  he  was  able 
to  draw  from  his  own  observation  at  the  table,  he  soon  appeared  to  be 
familiar  with  the  least  and  greatest  of  its  merits.  On  the  Monday  fol- 
lowing, while  seated  at  dinner,  the  dialogue  that  ensues,  in  substance, 
at  least,  took  place  between  the  bishop  and  his  subaltern  : 

Bishop. — "  I  noticed  yesterday,  Mr.  Quinn,  that  you  ate  no  meat 
at  dinner;  and  I  observe  that  you  are  abstaining  again  to-day.  Does 
your  stomach  rebel  against  animal  food  ?  " 

Fr.  Quinn. — "  Oh !  no,  Bishop,  I  am  only  trying  do  what  so  many 
of  the  saints  have  done,  and  what  I  have  known  good  people  to  do  in 
Ireland." 

Bishop. — *' Ah;  I  understand!  But  has  it  never  occurred  to  you 
that  the  virtue  of  self-denial,  to  be  of  any  worth  to  the  soul,  should  be 
practiced  at  one's  own  cost  of  trouble  and  expense?  Should  not 
your  common  sense  tell  you  the  pastor's  sister,  here  present, 
must  find  her  woman's  work  doubly  irksome  by  reason  of  your  self-im- 
posed abnegation  in  respect  to  animal  food?  Mortification  is  a  great 
virtue,  Mr.  Quinn,  and  God  forbid  that  I  should  discountenance  its 
practice,  whether  by  my  priests  or  people.  The  saints  of  whom  you 
speak  were  all  mortified  men  and  women ;  but  the  idea  is  inconceiva- 
ble that  any  one  of  them  ever  knowingly  and  wilfully  imposed  burdens 
on  others  by  reason  of  their  mortifications.  We  will  have  done  with 
this  thing,  if  you  please,  Mr.  Quinn.  If  you  may  do  so  lawfully  and 
without  detriment  to  your  health,  I  will  have  you  eat  hereafter  of  the 
food  that  shall  be  placed  before  you." 

In  the  spring  of  1841,  Father  Badin's  paralyzed  arm  became  to 
him  a  source  of  much  uneasiness.  He  began  to  fear  that  the  disease 
would  eventually  prevent  him  from  saying  mass.  Eschewing  all  med- 
icaments, as  had  been  the  habit  of  his  life,  he  sought  relief  through 
the  medium  of  friction,  applied  by  rubbing  with  the  open  palm.  The 
homes  visited  by  him  at  this  time  were  principally  those  in  which  there 
were  idle  hands,  and  for  these  he  provided  labor  that  many  of  their 
owners  found  sufficiently  trying.  * 

*With  that  shrivelled  arm  and  hand  of  his,  Father  Badin  struck  hard  at 
the  daintiness  of  many  a  one  of  his  female  acquaintances  of  that  day.  His 
rule  for  these  was,  prayer  conjoined  with  labor;  an  hour's  rubbing,  lightened 
by  an  hour's  recitation  of  the  rosary.  Some  of  the  delicate  young  ladies  of 
the  time — I  have  since  heard  them  laugh  over  the  remembrance — were  in  the 

30 


4^6  REV.  S.  T.   BADIN — HIS    LATER    YEARS. 

t 

Father  Badin  was  an  ardent  admirer  of  the  ancient  classic  poetry, 
and  it  is  doubtful  if  another  American  citizen  has  exhibited  so  won- 
derful a  talent  in  the  production  of  poetical  compositions  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Horace  and  Virgil.  A  number  of  his  compositions  are 
in  print,  here  and  there ;  but,  constant  as  he  was  to  his  muse,  and 
regardless  as  he  certainly  was  of  fame,  whether  contemporaneous  or 
posthumous,  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  he  wrote  much  that  was 
worthy  of  preservation  and  has  been  lost  to  the  literature  of  the 
country. 

While  he  roomed  in  the  house  occupied  by  my  family,  in  1841,  he 
spent  many  hours  over  the  construction  of  a  poem  upon  which  he 
was  then  engaged.  The  interest  he  took  in  his  work  will  appear  from 
the  following  incident :  One  night  we  were  awakened  by  a  noisy 
demonstration  at  our  chamber  door,  and  this  was  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  a  demand  in  the  easily  recognized  voice  of  our  upstairs 
lodger:  "Are  you  all  dead,  or  so  dead  asleep  that  you  cannot  hear 
me?"  "What  is  it,  Father  Badin?"  I  asked.  "I  want  alight," 
said  he;  "I  have  got  an  idea  and  I  want  to  put  it  down  before  I 
forget  it." 

On  the  3d  day  of  October,  1841,  Father  Badin  was  present  at  the 
solemn  dedication  of  the  church  of  Our  Lady,  in  the  town  of  Port- 
land, which  was  then  a  suburb  of  the  city  of  Louisville.  The  estab- 
lishment of  a  congregation  at  this  point  had  been  considered  by  him 
long  before  his  visit  to  Europe  in  181 9,  and  upon  his  return  to  the 
diocese,  in  1837,  he  labored  to  that  end  with  such  zeal  as  to  secure 
for  the  people  of  the  town,  mostly  emigrants  from  France  and  their 
progeny,  the  appointment  of  a  pastor  in  the  person  of  Rev.  Napoleon 
J.  Perche,  late  archbishop  of  New  Orleans,  to  whom  was  given 
authority  to  organize  a  congregation  and  to  build  a  church.  He  had 
long  been  the  owner  of  a  plot  of  ground  in  the  town,  that  was  entirely 
suitable  as  a  site  for  the  proposed  edifice,  and  of  this  he  made  a  deed 
of  gift  to  the  congregation,  providing  only,  "  that  no  clergyman  shall 
ever  officiate  in  the  church  to  be  built  on  the  lot  granted,  without  the 
approbation  of  the  ordinary  having  jurisdiction  in  the  diocese  of 
Bardstown,  according  to  the  faith  and  discipline  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic church." 

Though  he  was  just  as  equal  as  he  had  ever  been  to  intelligent 
disquisition  on  topics  that  had  interested  him  at  any  previous  epoch  of 
his  life,  it  was  now  perceptible  to  his  friends  that  his  memory  had  ceased 

habit  of  hiding  themselves  away  when  they  saw  the  good  priest  approaching. 
His  infirmity  never  left  him,  but  it  did  not  prevent  him  at  any  time  from  saying 
mass.  As  late  as  1849,  as  I  learn  from  a  clerical  friend  of  the  archdiocese  of 
Cincinnati,  who  was  then  one  of  the  servers  of  mass,  at  the  cathedral  of  St. 
Peter,  he  still  had  recourse  to  the  only  agency  he  had  ever  used  for  the  allevi- 
ation of  his  ailment.  Says  my  correspondent :  "I  was  at  that  time,  in  some 
sense  intimate  with  him,  from  the  fact  that  he  employed  me,  not  unfrequently, 
to  rub  his  diseased  arm  and  to  say  the  beads  with  him  at  the  same  time.  Boy- 
like, I  felt  that  the  occupation  was  rather  laborious.  I  am  afraid  that  the 
fervor  of  piety  was  lost  in  the  fervor  of  rubbing  the  old  priest's  arm." 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  467 

to  take  lasting  impressions  of  events  that  were  of  recent  occurrence. 
This  was  to  be  perceived  in  his  halting  manner  in  the  company  of 
newly-made  acquaintances,  and  when  subjects  were  being  discussed 
in  his  presence,  that  owed  all  their  significance  to  contemporaneous  cir- 
cumstance and  popular  sentiment.  His  infirmity  was  as  palpable  to 
himself  as  it  was  to  others,  and  the  annoyance  it  gave  him  arose  prin- 
cipally from  his  inabihty  to  account  for  things  lost  or  mislaid.  * 

From  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1842  to  the  fall  of  1846,  though 
nominally  attached  to  the  diocese  of  Louisville,  Father  Badin  spent 
most  of  his  time  in  Indiana,  Ohio,  Michigan  and  Illinois.  He  made 
long  visits  to  South  Bend,  and  to  other  towns  and  villages  contiguous 
to  the  great  northern  lakes.  It  was  noticed  of  him  during  theseyears 
that  his  most  lengthened  sojourns  were  at  points  where  the  vernacular 
of  the  inhabitants  was  French.  In  one  respect  at  least,  he  had 
become  a  child  again,  and  the  liquids  of  his  mother  tongue  formed 
for  him  a  lullaby.  It  was  for  the  reason  implied,  no  doubt,  that  he 
spent  so  much  of  his  time  during  these  years  in  the  diocese  of  Vin- 
cennes,  where  most  of  the  pastors  were  natives  of  France,  and  where 
many  of  the  congregations  were  largely  composed  of  emigrants  from 
the  same  country. 

Three  years  before  the  earliest  date  named  in  the  above  paragraph. 
Father  Badin  had  made  a  lengthened  visit  to  Vincennes,  of  which 
See  the  bishop  and  his  entire  household  were  French.  Of  this  visit 
an  amusing  anecdote  is  told  by  a  venerable  ecclesiastic  of  that  dio- 
cese, still  living,  who  vouches  for  the  correctness  of  the  recital :  At 
Corydon,  Indiana,  on  his  road  to  Vincennes,  Father  Badin  fell  in 
with  General  William  Henry  Harrison,  who,  a  little  more  than  a  year 
afterwards,  was  elected  president  of  the  United  States.  The  old  per- 
sonal friendship  that  had  existed  between  the  two  before  and  after  the 
war  of  181 2,  was  here  renewed,  and  as  they  were  both  going  to  Vin- 
cennes, the  after  journey  to  that  point  was  made  in  each  other's  com- 
pany. On  their  road,  they  stopped  over  night  at  a  wayside  tavern, 
where  they  occupied  the  same  room.  As  a  preliminary  to  bed,  the 
general  attempted  the  removal  of  his  boots,  but  he  could  not  get 
them  off".  He  called  for  a  boot-jack,  but  only  to  learn  that  there  was 
no  such  article  of  chamber  furniture  in  the  house.  After  repeated 
and  ineffectual  efforts  to  disengage  his  extremities  from  their  leather 
thraldom,  the  future  president  of  the  country  began  to  curse  and 
swear  with  a  vehemence  that  caused  his  companion  to  shiver  with 

♦The  number  of  the  Catholic  Advocate  for  October  15,  1842,  contains  the 
following  notification:  '■^Stephen  Theodore  Badin  to  his  friends,  greeting:  As 
old  age  renders  me  forgetful,  and  as  I  frequently  leave  at  places  where  I  may 
happen  to  be,  books  and  various  articles  of  clothing,  and  as  many  books  which 
I  have  loaned  have  not  been  returned,  I  do  hereby  give  such  friends  an  invita- 
tion to  forward  such  articles,  especially  my  cloak,  to  the  nearest  residing  cler- 
gyman, requesting  him  to  have  them  delivered  to  me  as  soon  as  will  be  con- 
venient. Reader,  be  not  surprised  at  this  request ;  the  Apostle  made  a  simi- 
lar one.    See  Second  Timothy,  iv:  13." 


468  REV.    S.    T.    BADIN HIS    LATER    YEARS. 

affright.      "Look  here,  General,"  said  the  priest  at  last,   "you  must 
stop  that!   If  you  do  not,  I  won't  give  you  absolution." 

On  the  25th  day  of  May,  1843,  fifty  years  from  the  date  of  his 
ordination,  Father  Badin  celebrated  his  golden  jubilee  in  the  city  of 
Lexington,  where,  in  the  first  year  of  his  priesthood,  he  offered  up  the 
holy  sacrifice  of  the  mass  for  the  first  time  in  Kentucky. 

In  September,  1846,  the  aged  missionary  again  severed  his  con- 
nection with  the  Kentucky  mission,  by  his  acceptance  at  the  hands  of 
Rt.  Rev.  W.  J.  Quarter,  bishop  of  Chicago,  of  the  pastorship  of  the 
congregation  of  Bourbonnais  Grove,  Kankakee  county,  Illinois,  com- 
posed almost  wholly  of  French  Canadians.  * 

With  a  frame  much  enfeebled  by  age,  Father  Badin  returned  to 
Kentucky  some  time  in  the  winter  of  1848-49.  His  idea,  it  is  gener- 
ally supposed,  was  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life  where  he  had 
achieved  the  greatest  of  his  missionary  triumphs.  To  the  venerable 
Bishop  Flaget,  who  was  now  an  invalid,  and  evidently  nearing  the  end 
of  his  days  on  earth,  the  presence  of  his  ancient  friend  was  a  source 
of  great  joy  and  profound  thankfulness  to  God.  Both  himself  and  his 
coadjutor,  Rt.  Rev.  Martin  John  Spalding,  took  infinite  pains  to  show 
how  much  they  felt  themselves  honored  through  his  coming,  and  the 
latter  was  especially  earnest  in  his  endeavors  to  render  his  condition 
altogether  pleasant  and  comfortable.  He  had  a  room  fitted  up  for  him 
in  the  bishop's  house,  and  another  in  that  of  his  fast  friend,  Charles 
Maquaire,  Esq.,  in  Portland,  and  for  several  months  of  the  winter  of 
1848-49,  his  time  was  about  evenly  taken  up  with  light  labors  between 
the  city  and  that  suburb. 

Wishing  to  go  to  Portland  at  a  very  cold  period  of  the  winter 
named,  a  young  priest  of  the  cathedral  insisted  on  bearing  him  com- 
pany. The  town  was  reached  without  accident,  and  there  remained 
but  a  street  to  cross  to  bring  them  to  the  hospitable  home  which  was 
their  destination.  But  in  addition  to  the  fact  that  the  road-way  was 
much  inclined,  it  was  one  sheet  of  ice  from  curb  to  curb.  Before 
attempting  the  dangerous  passage,  the  younger  priest  said  to  the  older, 
'•^Take  my  arm.  Father  Badin,  the  crossing  looks  dangerous." 
DecUning  his  proffered  help  with  an  impatient  gesture,  the  veteran 
exclaimed :  "Go  on.  Sir  !  I  can  get  across  the  street  as  well  as  you 
can  !  "  His  young  companion  did  as  he  was  bidden,  but  scarcely  had 
he  reached  the  sidewalk  on  the  other  side  before  he  was  recalled  by  a 
cry  for  help  from  Father  Badin,  who  was  now  lying  on  the  flat  of  his 
back  in  the  middle  of  the  street.  Having  been  lifted  to  his  feet,  he 
wanted  to  know  why  the  young  priest  had  not  offered  him  his  arm. 
"  I  did  offer  it  to  you,"  replied  his  companion  meekly,  "but  you  said 

*  Though  Father  Badin's  pastorship  at  the  point  named  continued  for 
more  than  two  years,  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  any  of  its  details.  In 
1846,  he  was  provided  with  an  assistant,  Rev.  M.  Courjoult,  who  succeeded  to 
the  pastorate  about  the  close  of  that  year.  Bourbonnais  Grove  is  now 
attached  to  the  diocese  of  Peoria,  and  it  is  the  seat  of  a  flourishing  institution 
of  learning  known  as  St.  Viateur's  college. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  4^0 

you  could  get  along  as  well  as  I  could. "    ' '  But  why  did  you  not  tell  me 
that  I  might  fall  ?  "  demanded  Father  Badin.     "  I  did  intimate  to  you 
that  there  was  danger  of  that  precise  contingency,"  replied  his  volun- 
teer guide, ' '  but  you  would  not  listen  to  me."     Self-convicted  of  unrea- 
sonableness, it  is  to  be  presumed,  the  aged  missionary  held  his  peace. 
Unfortunately  for  his  notion,  if  he  really  entertained  it,  of  reniain- 
ing  in  Kentucky  to  the  end  of  his  days.  Father  Badin's  old  habit  of 
volunteering  advice  that  was  rarely  acceptable,  followed  by  exhibitions 
of  displeasure  when  attention  was  not  paid  to  his  suggestions,  very  soon 
raised  up  between  himself  and  Bishop  Spalding,  bars  of  mutual  dissent 
that  determined  him  to  escape  the  scene  of  their  recurrence.     The 
bishop  coadjutor  was  engaged  at  the  time  in  two  projects  for  the  sup- 
posed welfare  of  the  church  in  Louisville,  against  both  of  which  Father 
Badin  evinced  strong  opposition.     The  first  of  these  had  reference  to 
the  lease  for  secular  uses,  of  the  plot  of  ground   upon  which   had 
formerly  stood  the  old  (first)  church  of  St.  Louis,  built  under  the  pas- 
torship of  the  missionary  himself.       Involving  as  this  project  did  the 
removal  and  reinterment  elsewhere  of  the  dead  of  a  former  generation 
of  Catholics,  whose  bodies  had  found  rest  in  the  shadow  of  the  old 
church,  it  will  surprise  no  one  to  learn  that  it  was  regarded  by  him  as 
a  species  of  profanation.*      He  was  equally  opposed  to  Bishop  Spald- 
ing's then  avowed  purpose  of  building  his  cathedral  on  the  site  occupied 
by  the  second  church  of  St.  Louis.     He  protested  against  the  destruction 
of  a  church  building  that,  if  permitted  to  stand,  would  long  remain 
serviceable,  and  he  argued  that  it  would  be  more  economical  to  pur- 
chase a  site  for  the  proposed  cathedral,  farther  away  from  the  din  and 
hurry  of  business  life  and  its  continually  widening  theatre.     Finding 
that  his  protestations  were  to  be  disregarded,  he  made  up  his  mind  to 
leave  the  diocese,  f 

*  It  is  but  just  to  the  memory  of  Bishop  Spalding  to  say,  that  the  resident 
Catholic  population  of  the  city  at  the  time,  raised  no  opposition  whatever  to 
his  action.  The  plot  of  ground,  hemmed  in  as  it  was  by  unsightly  buildings, 
had  become  wholly  unsuited  to  purposes  that  were  even  remotely  connected 
with  religion  ;  there  had  not  been  a  burial  in  it  in  twenty  years,  and  the  few 
still  living  of  the  relations  of  those  interred  therein  were  well  pleased  to  have 
their  bones  removed  to  the  more  suitable  grounds  of  St.  Louis  cemetery.  This 
was  done  at  the  expense  of  the  ordinary,  as  well  for  the  unknown  dead  as  the 
known,  and  since  that  time,  the  lots  first  acquired  by  the  Church  m  Louisville, 
have  been  a  source  of  some  small  revenue  to  the  diocese. 

t  Excuses  for  his  action  on  this  and  other  occasions,  when  he  showed  irrita- 
bility of  temper,  should  not  be  wanting  to  those  who  are  the  least  familiar  with 
the  construction  of  his  mind,  and  the  habits  formed  therein  by  stress  of  circum- 
stances. Without  companionship  in  his  ministry  for  many  years,  he  had 
become  habituated  to  reliance  upon  his  own  judgment  in  every  exigency  affect- 
ing the  welfare  of  the  Church  in  Kentucky.  His  decisions  had  been  without 
contradiction  and  without  appeal.  Circumstances  had  made  him  an  autocrat, 
and  when  the  modification  of  these  took  from  him  all  controlling  power  oyer 
them  and  their  results,  it  is  not  unnatural  that  he  should  have  assumed  to  hini- 
self  the  privilege  of  giving  advice.  Disregarded  as  a  counsellor,  his  suscepti- 
bility was  wounded,  and  he  felt,  quite  naturally,  that  his  usefulness  as  a  priest 
in  the  mission  he  had  founded  was  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  that  the  best  thing 
be  could  do  would  be  to  seek  elsewhere  the  hospitality  of  a  grave. 


47 O  REV.  S.  T.  BADIN  — HIS  LATER  YEARS. 

Except  at  the  funeral  of  Bishop  Flaget,  a  year  later,  Father 
Badin's  last  public  appearance  in  Louisville  was  on  the  15th  of 
August,  1849,  on  the  occasion  of  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of 
the  cathedral  of  the  Assumption,  against  the  erection  of  which,  on  the 
spot  it  now  occupies,  he  had  vainly  protested.  He  might  have  been 
made  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  ceremonial  of  the  day,  but  he  was 
not;  and  for  the  reason,  as  is  supposed,  that  he  did  not  wish  to  be 
regarded  as  friendly  to  an  undertaking  which  he  looked  upon  as  a  blun- 
der. When  the  function  was  over,  however,  and  the  majority  of  those 
who  had  witnessed  it  had  left  the  grounds,  another  ceremonial  took 
place,  that  was  altogether  novel  and  unexpected,  and  in  this,  the  proto- 
sacerdos  was  the  only  actor.  Bareheaded,  surpliced  and  with  book  in 
hand,  he  slowly  paced  along  the  foundations,  and  in  tones  that  were 
now  a  chant  and  now  a  mumble,  recited  as  he  went  the  Miserere. 

A  few  days  later,  he  astonished  his  friends,  both  of  the  clergy  and 
the  laity,  by  taking  leave  of  them  and  of  the  diocese.  In  his  Sketches 
of  Kentucky,  Dr.  Spalding  says  of  Father  Badin  that  his  first  journey 
on  the  soil  of  the  State — from  Maysville  to  Lexington,  a  distance  of 
sixty-five  miles — was  prosecuted  "on  foot."  While  the  manner  of  his 
final  exit  from  the  State  was  even  less  dignified,  it  was  more  indepen- 
dent. Seated  upon  his  box  of  chattels,  which  had  been  placed  upon 
a  dray,  he  was  drawn  from  his  lodgings  in  the  bishop's  house  to  the 
river  front,  where,  so  to  speak,  he  shook  from  his  feet  the  dust  of  his 
adopted  State,  and  surrendered  himself  to  the  hospitable  care  of 
Captain  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  of  the  Cincinnati  and  Louisville  mail 
steamer  service.* 

The  last  three  years  of  the  life  of  Father  Badin  were  passed  in  the 
present  archdiocese  of  Cincinnati,  where  for  much  of  the  term  indi- 
cated, he  was  the  honored  guest  of  Most  Rev,  John  B.  Purcell.  With 
no  obligation  to  labor  at  all,  and  incapable,  indeed,  by  reason  of  age 
and  infirmity,  of  attending  to  the  wants  of  a  congregation,  he  showed 
himself  ready,  nevertheless,  to  prosecute  any  special  work  that 
promised  in  any  wise  to  lessen  the  burdens  of  the  local  pastors. 
Though  he  was  nominally  an  attache  of  the  cathedral,  his  restless 
nature  propelled  him  often  in  other  directions.  Now  he  was  the  guest 
of  Father  J.  H.  Luers  of  St.  Joseph's,  now  of  Father  Ferneding  at  St. 
Paul's,  and  now  of  the  Jesuit  fathers  at  St.  Francis  Xavier's.  Becom- 
ing wearied  of  the  city,  it  was  his  habit  during  these  years,  to  make 
short  visits  to  the  country  parishes,  more  particularly  to  those  of  Hamil- 
ton, Columbus,  ChilHcothe,  Somerset,  Zanesville,  and  the  French  set- 
tlements of  Shelby  and  Darke  counties,  f 

*  Captain  Fitzgerald  was  a  liberal  and  fairly  educated  Irish  gentleman  of 
the  old  school.  He  may  have  been  a  little  off  at  the  time  in  the  matter  of  prac- 
tical religion,  but  he  had  a  warm  spot  in  his  heart  for  the  old  faith  and  its 
ministers.  He  was  not  only  never  known  to  collect  passage-money  from  a 
priest,  but  if  such  a  one  happened  to  have  a  want,  there  was  no  one  more 
ready  than  he  to  supply  it. 

fOn  one  occasion,  he  made  a  somewhat  extended  visit  to  Fort  Wayne,  Indi- 
ana, where  the  pastor,  Very  Rev.  J.  Benoit,  was  his  warm  friend  and  fellow- 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  4^1 

Toward  the  close  of  the  year  1852,  he  became  the  companion, 
and,  in  some  sort,  the  assistant  of  Rev.  R.  J.  Lawrence,  pastor  of 
St.  Patrick's  church.  Here  he  remained  until,  utterly  broken  down, 
he  felt  that  his  end  was  approaching.  A  room  was  promptly  prepared 
for  him  in  the  Episcopal  mansion,  where,  it  is  needless  to  say,  every- 
thing was  done  for  his  comfort  that  sympathy  could  suggest.  * 

The  annexed  most  interesting  account  of  Father  Badin's  last 
illness  and  death  is  from  a  distinguished  ecclesiastic  of  the  archdio- 
cese of  Cincinnati:  f 

' '  I  have  been  asked  to  give  the  particular  incidents  attending  the 
last  days  of  Rev.  Stephen  Theodore  Badin.  For  years  before  his 
death,  he  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  house  of  Archbishop  Purcell, 
where  he  was  always  a  welcome  guest.  The  last  five  months  of  his 
life  were  spent  there  almost  continuously.  The  many  years  of  ardu- 
ous labor  to  which  he  had  been  subjected  had  evidently  exhausted  his 
physical  strength,  and  though  suffering  from  no  disease,  he  was  seen 
to  decline  from  day  to  day.  To  the  very  last,  his  mind  was  clear  and 
even  vigorous,  in  the  expression  of  his  great  faith  in  God  and  grati- 
tude to  those  from  whom  he  received  either  favors  or  attentions.  In 
fact,  his  death  was  like  that  of  all  the  first  missionary  priests  of  the 
West.  They  were  grand  old  men,  and  when  they  yielded  to  death, 
it  was  not  in  consequence  of  disease,  but  of  the  great  labors  by  which 
they  had  been  oppressed. 

"All  who  knew  Father  Badin  were  more  or  less  acquainted  with 
his  eccentricities.  When  he  was  in  vigorous  health,  so  unusual  did 
these  appear  to  me,  that  I  was  inclined  to  the  belief  that  they  were 
assumed;  but  the  last  days  of  his  life  convinced  me  that  they  were 
due  to  the  natural  exuberance  of  his  character.     One  day,   I  remem- 

countryman.  One  day  while  engaged  about  the  house,  Father  Benoit  was  dis- 
turbed by  sounds  of  continuous  knocking,  which  appeared  to  come  from  the 
belfry  of  his  little  church.  Hastily  going  out  and  looking  upward,  he  was  sur- 
prised and  not  a  little  indignant  at  seeing  his  ancient  friend,  with  hatchet  in 
hand,  busily  employed  in  knocking  away  the  lattice  work,  by  which  the  space 
occupied  by  the  bell  was  surrounded.  "What  are  you  doing  there.  Father 
Badin?"  shouted  the  pastor  in  a  voice  that  was  indicative  of  his  displeasure. 
"  Don't  you  want  your  bell  to  be  heard  ?  "  demanded  the  missionary  by  way  of 
answer ;  •'  and  if  you  do,  "  he  continued,  "  why  do  you  crib  up  the  sound  with 
these  painted  boards  ?  "  There  was  a  modicum  of  both  wit  and  reason  in  this 
reply,  and  Father  Benoit  was  at  once  mollified.  He  put  an  end  to  the  proceed- 
ings aloft,  however,  without  absolutely  breaking  with  his  friend;  but  he  took 
good  care  to  keep  his  tool-chest  locked  during  the  remainder  of  his  visit. 

*The  clergy  of  the  cathedral  of  St.  Peter  comprised  at  the  time:  Most 
Rev.  John  B.  Purcell,  Very  Rev.  E.  T.  Collins,  Very  Rev.  Edward  Purcell, 
Rev.  David  Whelan,  and  Rev.  James  F.  Wood,  the  late  archbishop  of 
Philadelphia. 

t  My  surmise  may  be  a  mistaken  one,  but  I  have  strong  motives  for  believ- 
ing that  this  account  is  from  the  dictation  of  Archbishop  Purcell  himself. 
Saving  that  venerable  prelate  and  Dr.  Wood,  then  archbishop  of  Philadel- 
phia, there  were  none  alive  at  the  time  it  was  sent  me  who  could  have  knowl- 
edge of  the  facts  and  incidents  related,  and  these  two  honored  dignitaries  have 
since  passed  to  their  eternal  reward. 


472  REV.  S.  T,  BADIN — HIS  LATER  YEARS. 

ber,  he  described  to  me  in  his  inimitable  way  his  journey  to  Europe  in 
1 819,  and  his  efforts  while  there  to  secure  for  himself  the  place  of  coad- 
jutor to  the  bishop  of  Bardstown.  This  was  within  a  week  of  his 
death,  and  yet  his  recollection  was  so  vivid  and  his  fancy  so  engaging 
that  he  kept  those  who  were  sitting  around  his  bed  constantly  smiling, 
and  sometimes  breaking  into  fits  of  laughter.  '  It  was  a  very  good 
thing,  sir,'  said  he,  'that  I  did  not  succeed;  had  I  done  so,  I  would 
have  plagued  myself,  plagued  my  clergy,  and  plagued  my  people.  I 
thought  at  the  time  that  I  was  wise,  but' — and  this  was  added  with 
a  laugh — '  our  Lord  was  wiser  than  Father  Badin ! ' 

"  One  day,  he  left  his  bed  for  the  last  time,  and  to  the  surprise  of 
the  archbishop  and  those  who  were  at  the  table  with  him,  entered  the 
dining-room.  We  all  rose  to  receive  him,  and  he  was  given  a  com- 
fortable place.  '  I  have  come,  sir,'  said  he  addressing  himself  to 
the  archbishop,  'to  have  a  last  talk  with  you  and  your  priests.'  In 
the  course  of  the  conversation  that  followed,  he  alluded  to  his  fond- 
ness for  the  Latin  poets,  and  he  and  the  archbishop  quoted  from  the 
odes  of  Horace.  All  were  astonished  at  the  wit  he  displayed,  and 
they  were  charmed  as  well  at  the  happy  application  he  made  of  the 
poet's  words  to  what  was  passing  at  the  moment.  At  this  same  time, 
his  appearance  was  that  of  a  corpse.  He  concluded  by  wishing  us  all 
farewell ;  and  so  feelingly  spoken  was  his  short  address  to  the  arch- 
bishop, that  all  present  were  affected  beyond  measure. 

"That  same  night,  it  was  thought  advisable  to  give  him  the  sacra- 
ment of  extreme  unction,  which  was  administered  by  Very  Rev.  E.  T. 
Collins.  Father  Collins  was  as  slow  and  methodical  as  Father  Badin 
was  quick  and  impulsive,  and  while  the  former  was  administering  the 
sacrament,  the  dying  priest  sank  into,  and  waked  from  unconscious- 
ness more  than  once.  The  last  of  these  fitful  awakenings  was 
phenomenal.  Coming  to  himself,  and  finding  Father  Collins  still 
engaged  in  rubrical  work,  he  exclaimed:  *Is  it  possible  you  haven't 
got  through  yet ! '  The  attempt  to  keep  serious  under  such  provoca- 
tion was  manifested  most  ludicrously  on  the  faces  of  the  attendants. 
*  Ah,'  he  exclaimed,  '  the  poor  Protestants  have  no  such  sacrament  as 
this  to  prepare  them  for  eternity.  I  told  the  Kentuckians  so  many  a 
time,  but  they  did  not  believe  me." 

*'  As  was  usual  with  me,  since  he  had  been  confined  to  his  bed,  I 
called  to  see  him  next  morning ;  observing  me,  he  said  with  a  smile : 
'Here  I  am  yet,  sir!  Could  you  not  give  me  a  push  around  the 
corner?'  Almost  immediately  afterwards  he  exclaimed:  'Oh,  God, 
have  mercy  on  us!'  and  these  were  his  last  words  on  earth.  Soon 
after  he  fell  into  his  agony,  and  for  five  days,  he  was  wholly  uncon- 
scious. I  have  seen  many  die,  but  not  one  who  struggled  so  long  with 
death.  On  the  morning  of  his  death.  Archbishop  Purcell  and  the 
priests  in  his  house  were  summoned  to  his  sick  chamber,  and  while  they 
were  kneeling  beside  his  bed,  a  thunder-storm  swept  over  the  city. 
When  the  skies  became  again  serene,  it  was  observed  that  the  spirit 
of  xht proto-priest  and  great  missionary  had  passed  away." 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  473 

In  an  address  delivered  by  him  in  the  former  cathedral  of  Cincin- 
nati, a  quarter  of  a  century  before  the  date  of  his  death — April  21, 
1853 — Father  Badin  had  alluded  to  the  possibility  that  his  own  ashes 
might  one  day  rest  beside  those  of  Dr.  Fenwick,  first  bishop  of  the 
See,  beneath  the  altar  upon  which  he  had  that  day  offered  up  the  sacri- 
fice of  the  mass.  What  he  then  referred  to  as  a  possible  contingency, 
became  now  well-nigh  a  reality.  The  venerable  prelate  who  had  given 
honor  and  protection  to  him  living,  was  pleased  to  grant  an  honorable 
resting-place  to  his  bones  under  the  chancel  of  his  own  metropolitan 
church.* 

*The  crypts  of  the  cathedral  of  St.  Peter  are  back  of  the  altars.  The  body 
of  Father  Badin  and  that  of  Rt.  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick  occupy  spaces  on 
opposite  sides  of  an  archway  that  leads  from  the  rear  of  the  church. 


474  RT.    REV.    MARTIN   JOHN   SPALDING. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

RT.    REV.    MARTIN   JOHN    SPALDING. 

The  task  of  reviewing  the  life  of  this  Kentucky  priest,  bishop  and 
archbishop  of  the  American  Church,  has  been  rendered  wholly- 
unnecessary  by  the  thoughtful  consideration  of  his  nephew,  Rt.  Rev. 
John  Lancaster  Spalding  whose  memoir  of  his  illustrious  relative  has 
long  been  familiar  to  Catholic  readers  all  over  the  country. 

It  is  only  with  the  gleaner's  idea,  that  something  worthy  of  pres- 
ervation may  have  escaped  the  notice .  of  his  biographer,  that  the 
writer  has  been  influenced  to  make  here  more  than  a  simple  reference 
to  the  already  published  "Life  of  Archbishop  Spalding."  Martin 
John  Spalding  was  born  in  Washington,  now  Marion  county,  on  the 
23d  of  May,  1 810.  His  father  was  Richard,  eldest  son  of  Benedict 
Spalding,  who  removed  from  Maryland  and  setded  on  the  Rolling 
Fork  in  1790,  and  his  mother  was  Henrietta,  daughter  of  Leonard 
Hamilton,  likewise  from  Maryland,  who  came  to  Kentucky  a  year 
later.  The  child  was  delicate,  and  in  this  he  resembled  his  mother,  as 
he  did  also  in  the  gendeness  of  his  disposition.  When  not  yet  six 
years  old,  he  lost  his  mother,  and  from  that  time  he  was  cared  for, 
principally,  at  least,  by  his  grandmother,  Alethia  Abell  Spalding,  a 
daughter  of  Ellen  O'Brien  Abell,  to  whom  creditable  reference  has 
been  already  made.  Not  less  valorous  in  the  service  of  God  than 
was  her  own  mother,  this  grandmother  of  the  future  metropolitan  of 
the  American  Church  Catholic,  brought  to  bear  upon  her  young  charge 
every  influence  for  good  of  which  her  heart  and  mind  were  capable. 
In  his  regard,  other  ambition  she  had  none  than  that  he  might  become 
rich  in  virtue,  and  thereby  sanctified  for  heaven.  At  times,  to  be 
sure,  she  called  him  her  "little  bishop,"  but  this  she  did  in  order  to 
stimulate  in  him  an  inclination  to  piety,  and  to  accustom  his  mind  to 
the  thought  that  it  is  only  through  the  practice  of  virtue  that  one  may 
hope  to  accomplish  anything  in  this  world  that  is  worthy  of  God's 
approval. 

Martin  Spalding  was  sent  to  a  country  school  when  he  was  eight 
years  of  age,  and  he  was  but  ten  when  he  made  his  first  communion. 
In  1 82 1,  being  then  in  his  twelfth  year,  he  and  two  of  his  brothers 
became  pupils  of  Rev.  William  Byrne  at  his  school  of  St.  Mary's,  the 
embyro  of  the  after  famous  college  of  that  name,  which  was  but  that 
year  opened  for  the  reception  of  learners.  He  spent  five  years  in  this 
institution,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1826.     In  September  of  the 


CATHOLICITY   IM   KENTUCKY.  475 

same  year,  having  determined  to  study  for  the  priesthood,  he  entered 
the  diocesan  seminary  at  Bardstown,  where,  for  four  years,  his.  progress 
was  such  as  to  crown  with  fruition  the  hopes  entertained  of  hmi  by  his 
leading  instructors.  Bishop  John  B.  David  and  Rev.  Francis  P.  Ken- 
rick.  In  April,  1830,  in  company  with  James  M.  Lancaster,  he  set 
out  for  Rome,  where  both  soon  afterwards  entered  the  renowned  col- 
lege of  the  Propaganda.  His  first  year  of  student's  life  in  Rome  was 
one  of  peril  to  himself  from  serious  illness,  but  he  recovered  finally, 
and  the  remainder  of  his  term  of  four  years  at  the  Propaganda  was 
spent  in  studious  endeavor  to  acquire  that  proficiency  of  knowledge  of 
the  divine  science  which  would  enable  him  to  labor  with  greater  effici- 
ency in  the  holy  calling  upon  which  his  heart  had  been  set  from  the 
days  of  his  youth.  In  the  closing  scenes  of  his  college  career  in 
Rome  the  part  taken  by  him  was  in  the  highest  degree  creditable  to  the 
young  ecclesiastic,  and  it  may  be  said  that  he  left  the  venerable  insti- 
tution with  a  reputation  already  made  and  already  enviable. 

Writing  to  Bishop  Flaget,  he  says:  "After  my  public  disputation, 
I  entered  into  a  retreat  which  lasted  two  weeks  to  prepare  myself  for 
the  reception  of  holy  orders.  I  was  ordained  sub-deacon  on  the  3d, 
deacon  on  the  loth,  and  priest  on  the  13th  of  August,  (1834)  by  a 
special  dispensation  of  the  Holy  Father,  which  I  asked  myself,  and  on 
the  15th  I  started  on  my  journey  homeward."  His  first  sermon  in 
America  was  preached  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  had  for  a  listener  the 
bishop  of  the  See,  Dr.  F.  P.  Kenrick,  under  whose  tutelage  he  had 
passed  four  years  of  his  life  in  the  seminary  at  Bardstown.  On  reach- 
ing home,  he  was  charged  with  the  pastorship  of  the  cathedral  church 
and  congregation,  Bardstown,  and  also  with  the  professorship  of  phil- 
osophy in  the  diocesan  seminary. 

He  took  hold  of  his  work  with  creditable  zeal,  and  he  prosecuted  it 
with  laborious  earnestness.  His  greatest  danger  from  the  first  was  from 
excess  of  popularity;  but  happily  for  him,  there  were  wise  and  experi- 
enced men  among  his  clerical  associates  of  the  college  of  St.  Joseph, 
of  which  he  was  himself  a  trustee,  whose  influence  over  him  was  great, 
and  who  feared  not  to  use  that  influence  aright  for  the  preservation  of 
his  humility.  He  could  not  repress,  however,  his  desire  to  be  useful 
to  the  Church  as  a  writer.  It  was  well  for  Catholicity  in  the  United 
States  that  such  was  the  case.  The  establishment  of  the  Catholic  Advo- 
cate in  1836,  opened  to  him  a  field  of  industrious  research  and  of  dis- 
criminating criticism,  of  which  he  availed  himself  eagerly.* 

*The  editorial  control  of  the  Advocate  had  been  assigned  by  the  bishop 
coadjutor  of  the  diocese  to  a  committee  ot  clergymen  composed  of  Rev.  M.  J. 
Spalding,  Rev.  George  A.  M.  Elder,  Rev.  H.  C.  De  Luynes  and  Rev.  William 
E.  Clarke.  Of  these  writers,  by  far  the  most  prolific  was  Dr.  Spalding.  He 
wrote  with  astonishing  facility,  too  great,  as  I  thought  at  the  time,  for  perfec- 
tion in  the  use  of  his  own  vernacular.  In  the  columns  of  the  Advocate  for 
1836  and  1837,  the  discriminating  reader  will  find  many  articles  written  by  Dr. 
Spalding  in  which  subjects,  there  cursorily  treated,  are  now  to  be  found  fully 
elaborated  in  one  or  another  of  his  later  contributions  to  the  Catholic  literature 
of  the  country.     Even  at  that  day,  and  still  more  so  at  a  later  period  of  his  life, 


47<5  RT.  REV.  MARTIN   JOHN   SPALDING. 

After  four  years,  Dr.  Spalding's  pastorate  of  St.  Joseph's  ended 
with  his  call  to  the  presidency  of  St.  Joseph's  college,  vacated  in  1838 
by  the  lamentable  death  of  the  founder  of  the  institution,  Rev. 
George  A,  M.  Elder.  He  remained  in  this  position  but  two  years, 
when  he  was  sent  to  Lexington  to  assume  the  pastorship  of  St. 
Peter's  church  in  that  city.  Upon  the  transfer  of  the  See  to  Louis- 
ville in  1 84 1,  he  was  brought  back  to  Bardstown,  where  it  was  thought 
that  his  presence  would,  in  some  measure,  reconcile  the  congregation 
to  a  change  that  was  singularly  distasteful  to  nine  out  of  ten  of  its 
members.  Having  remained  in  Bardstown  for  three  years,  he  was 
called  by  Bishop  Flaget  to  Louisville  in  1844,  to  fill  the  post  of  vicar- 
general,  vacated  by  the  appointment  of  Dr.  I.  A.  Reynolds  to  the 
See  of  Charleston.  Here,  almost  immediately,  began  the  admin- 
istrative work  that  engaged  his  thoughts  and  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  for  the  remaining  years  of  his  life.  For  very  much  of  this  work 
Bishop  Flaget  was  incapacitated  by  reason  of  age  and  infirmity,  and  his 
coadjutor  being  at  once  ill  and  absent,  the  new  vicar  found  that  there 
was  little  spare  time  on  his  hands.  This  year,  1844,  he  gave  to  the  pub- 
lic his  admirable  "Sketches  of  Kentucky,"  written  and  compiled  by 
him,  for  the  most  part,  at  least,  as  early  as  1839.  But  Dr.  Spalding, 
in  addition  to  the  fact  that  he  was  at  once  facile  and  industrious,  was 
possessed  of  an  orderly  mind,  and  he  readily  accomplished  tasks 
that  others  would  have  regarded  as  insuperable.  Three  years  before, 
he  had  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  which 
were  esteemed  by  even  non-Catholics  as  exceptionally  interesting.  He 
lectured  often  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Louis,  Louisville,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  he  accepted  invitations  to  deliver  lectures  in  other  cities  of  the 
country.  * 

there  were  those  who  regarded  him  as  an  aspirant  for  fame.  All  these,  as  I 
think,  misjudged  him.  Men  are  so  constituted  as  to  render  it  almost  impossible 
to  find  one  who  is  utterly  callous  to  the  good  or  bad  opinions  of  his  fellows. 
Is  it  to  be  supposed  that  the  "valiant-woman  "  of  holy  writ  was  wholly  indif- 
ferent to  the  praises  of  those  whom  she  had  benefitted  ?  Whatever  a  man  does, 
one  has  to  look  for  the  motive  that  actuates  him  to  discover  whether  or  not  he 
be  worthy  of  praise  or  blame.  Will  any  one  say  that  a  man  shall  hide  the 
talent  entrusted  to  him  by  his  Heavenly  Father  because  its  use  and  fructification 
will  subject  him,  in  addition  to  his  Divine  Master's  approval,  to  the  praises  of 
men?  And  may  he  not,  however  honors  may  fall  thick  and  fast  upon  him  in 
this  life,  because  of  the  great  public's  recognition  of  the  value  of  his  labors, 
whatever  these  may  be,  be  really  fulfilling,  and  in  all  singleness  of  purpose,  the 
least  and  greatest  of  his  obligations  to  God?  I  knew  Dr.  Spalding  most  inti- 
mately, and  without  saying  that  his  judgment  was  never  at  fault,  and  much 
less,  that  he  was  indifferent  to  human  praise,  I  can  here  record  my  conviction 
that  he  was  singularly  conscientious,  and  that,  from  first  to  last,  and  in  every- 
thing he  did  or  said  or  wrote,  his  primary  motive  was  the  greater  glory  of  God 
and  the  better  knowledge  among  men  of  His  will  in  their  regard. 

*  To  the  present  day  I  have  not  known  another  who  had  a  better  art  of 
pleasing  his  Catholic  auditors  in  the  special  field  referred  to  in  the  text  than 
had  Dr.  Spalding.  I  do  not  speak  here  of  his  powers  as  a  logician,  and 
neither  do  I  of  any  ability  displayed  by  him  in  the  domain  of  fancy.  I  do 
not  remember  to  have  ever  heard  him  even  attempt  the  imaginative  or  the 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  477 

CONSECRATED   COADJUTOR   BISHOP. 

In  1847,  Rt.  Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat,  coadjutor  to  Bishop 
Flaget,  who  had  been  in  France  for  several  years  in  the  vain  hope  of 
recovering  his  lost  eyesight,  resigned  the  position  he  had  occupied  in 
the  Church  in  Kentucky,  and  on  the  loth  of  August,  1848,  Dr. 
Spalding  received  from  Rome  the  bulls  appointing  him  to  the  vacated 
post.  One  month  afterwards,  on  the  feast  of  the  Holy  Name  of  Mary, 
he  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Flaget,  assisted  by  Rt.  Rev.  Francis 
P.  Kenrick,  bishop  of  Philadelphia,  and  Rt.  Rev.  Richard  P.  Miles, 
bishop  of  Nashville.  The  sermon  on  the  occasion  was  preached  by 
Rt.  Rev.  P.  R,  Kenrick,  of  St.  Louis.  From  this  time  to  the  date 
of  his  death,  which  took  place  on  February  11,  1850,  Bishop  Flaget 
concerned  himself  no  more  with  diocesan  affairs.  It  had  been  with 
extreme  difficulty  that  he  had  finished  his  last  rubrical  work,  the  invest- 
ing of  his  coadjutor  with  power  to  perform  his  functions,  and  now 
his  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  fast  approaching  shadow  of  death,  and  his 
mind  on  the  things  that  concerned  his  eternity.  Whatever  was  pos- 
sible, was  now  done  by  the  coadjutor  bishop  to  consolidate  his 
resources  and  render  them  fruitful  of  benefits  to  his  people.  Without 
unnecessary  delay,  he  set  out  upon  his  visitation  of  the  diocese — first 
its  schools  for  both  sexes,  and  afterwards  its  widely  separated  congre- 
gations. The  subject  of  christian  education  interested  him  above  all 
others.  Already  he  had  seen  that  education  without  God  and  religion 
is  as  powerless  to  promote  civilization  as  it  is  to  add  anything  to  the 
sum  of  human  happiness.  On  this  subject  he  afterwards  wrote : 
"  Education  without  religion  is  the  body  without  the  soul,  the  build- 
ing without  the  foundation,  philosophy  without  fundamental  princi- 
ples." In  visiting  first  the  educational  establishments  of  the  diocese, 
his  leading  object,  in  the  opinion  of  the  writer,  was  to  secure  the  aid 
of  their  conductors  in  the  foundation  of  parochial  schools  wherever 
they  were  most  needed.  Returning  from  his  visitation,  he  assembled 
his  clergy  in  spiritual  retreat  at  the  old  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  where 
he  was  himself  the  conductor  of  the  exercises.  At  its  close  bishop  and 
priests  were  of  one  mind,  each  and  all  determined  to  give  themselves 
up  to  God  and  to  His  work  among  His  own  people. 

rhetorical  in  any  one  of  his  lectures.  He  dealt  in  facts,  and  these  were  so 
arranged  by  him  as  to  present  a  picture  that  was  to  be  seen  by  all.  His  mean- 
ing was  never  misapprehended,  for  the  terms  he  used  were  those  with  which 
all  were  familiar.  His  personal  appearance  was  much  in  his  favor.  He  looked 
the  man,  and  he  looked  the  priest.  Fairly  tall,  and  with  a  good  expanse  of 
chest,  bearing  himself  erectly,  and  withal  gracefully  ;  his  face  healthfully  full 
and  of  a  rounded  oval,  and  with  no  single  feature  that  was  not  engaging ; 
informal  in  manner,  and  at  all  times  self-possessed,  he  seemed  to  personify  the 
expectancy  of  the  auditory  before  which  he  stood.  Then  his  voice  was  of  that 
full  and  rounded  character  that  men  listen  to  with  pleasure  the  world  over. 
Without  the  least  straining  effort,  he  made  himself  heard  and  understood,  no 
matter  what  were  the  dimensions  of  the  hall  or  church  in  which  he  spoke.  In 
addition  to  all  this,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  choosing  subjects  for  his  lectures 


^•jS  RT.   REV.   MARTIN    JOHN   SPALDING. 

Within  two  years  from  the  date  of  his  consecration,  Bishop  Spald- 
ing, with  the  assistance  of  his  clergy  and  faithful  people,  had  estab- 
lished an  orphan  asylum  for  boys  at  St.  Thomas',  one  for  boys  and 
girls  of  German  parentage,  in  Louisville,  and  had  laid  the  foundations 
of  a  grand  cathedral  in  his  episcopal  city. 

THE    CATHEDRAL    OF    THE    ASSUMPTION. 

After  the  consecration  of  Rt.  Rev.  John  McGill  for  the  See  of 
Richmond,  in  1850,  Bishop  Spalding  brought  to  Louisville  his  brother, 
Rev.  Benedict  J.  Spalding,  up  to  that  time  pastor  of  the  former  cathe- 
dral of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown,  and  constituted  him  his  vicar-general. 
To  this  very  able  administator  of  temporalities  is  due  the  principal 
credit  for  the  successful  issue  of  his  Rt.  Rev.  brother's  undertaking  in 
respect  to  the  erection  of  a  cathedral  in  Louisville.  Father  Ben, 
Spalding,  as  he  was  called,  was  in  those  days  a  man  of  wonderful 
determination,  and  of  business  capabilities  almost  as  wonderful. 
Under  an  exterior  that  was  mistaken  by  many  for  stolidity,  his 
resources  of  mind  were  not  dwarfed  by  those  of  another  priest  in  the  dio- 
cese. He  wasalmost  intuitive  in  his  perceptions  of  truth  and  accuracy  in 
anything,  and  no  one  ever  had  occasion  to  doubt  the  absolute  correct- 
ness of  his  judgment  in  matters  of  mere  propriety.  When  he  took 
charge  of  the  enterprise  to  which  I  have  referred,  there  were  those 
who  doubted  his  ability  to  carry  out  the  grand  design  with  the  limited 
means  at  his  disposal.  But  he  never  faltered  in  his  work,  and  he  was 
himself  never  discouraged.  Finished  at  length,  solidly  and  artistically, 
and  in  all  its  grand  proportions,  he  gave  to  himself  a  season  of  rest, 
and  to  others  a  subject  of  wonder  that  he  should  have  put  up  so  mag- 
nificent a  temple  at  so  small  a  cost  of  money. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  cathedral  was  laid  on  the  feast  of  the 
Assumption,  1849,  and  the  ceremony  was  witnessed  by  Bishop  Flaget 
from  the  porch  of  his  residence  that  overlooked  the  scene.  On  the 
feast  of  the  Holy  Rosary,  October  3d,  1852,  it  was  solemnly  conse- 
crated by  Most  Rev.  John  B.  Purcell,  archbishop  of  Cincinnati,  in 
the  presence  of  a  larger  number  of  bishops  and  priests  than  had  ever 
before  assembled  in  Kentucky.  The  sermon  on  the  occasion  was 
preached  by  Rt.  Rev.  John  McCloskey,  then  bishop  of  Albany,  and 
at  this  writing  cardinal  archbishop  of  New  York. 

CLERICAL    AID    FROM    ABROAD. 

From  the  beginning  of  his  administration  of  diocesan  affairs,  it  had 
been  plain  to  Bishop  Spalding  that  the  resources  of  his  own  little  semi- 
nary were  not  adequate  to  the  wants  of  his  diocese  in  respect  to 
clerical  aid.  The  only  remedy  for  this,  as  he  thought,  would  be  fur- 
about  which  people  were  naturally  curious,  Protestants  scarcely  less  so  than 
Catholics.  It  was  for  this  reason,  no  doubt,  that,  wherever  he  lectured,  so 
many  of  his  hearers  were  non-Catholics, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  479 

nished  by  the  friends  of  the  missions  beyond  seas,  and  especially  in 
France  and  Belgium.  With  this  idea  uppermost  in  his  mind,  and  in 
company  with  the  late  Rev.  D.  A.  Deparcq,  he  started  for  Europe  in 
the  early  winter  of  1852-3.  He  met  with  little  success  in  either  coun- 
try named,  but  on  proceeding  to  Holland,  he  was  encouraged  by  find- 
ing there  a  spirit  of  missionary  enterprise  among  the  young  levites  of 
die  seminaries,  and  especially  in  that  of  Haaven,  in  the  diocese  of  Bois- 
le-duc.  North  Brabant,  that  argued  for  him  a  fortunate  ending  to  his 
long  continued  search  for  missionary  recruits.  Bearing  a  letter  from 
the  archbishop  of  the  See,  Most  Rev.  John  Swysen,  authorizing  the 
acceptance  of  Bishop  Spalding's  overtures,  should  any  of  his  semina- 
rians feel  inclined  to  devote  their  lives  to  the  foreign  missions,  he  and 
his  companion  were  warmly  received  by  the  president  of  the  institution, 
and  given  every  facility  of  intercommunication  with  the  students  of  the 
seminary.  These  were  addressed  by  the  bishop,  in  both  French  and« 
Latin,  and  Father  Deparcq  spoke  to  them  in  his  native  Flemish,  which 
all  understood.  "Let  no  one,"  said  the  bishop,  " suppose  that  his 
comforts  will  be  increased,  and  his  worldly  interests  advanced,  by  his 
assumption  of  the  duties  of  a  missionary  in  America.  On  the  contrary, 
the  priest  has  there  to  look  for  much  that  is  not  pleasing  to  the  natural 
man.  He  has  few  luxuries,  and  his  labors  are  often  exacting.  But 
of  one  thing  I  can  assure  you,"  he  added,  "  he  can  save  souls,  and 
that,  you  all  know,  is  a  priest's  mission  on  earth,  and  his  glory  in  the 
sight  of  heaven." 

Eventually,  he  secured  five  ecclesiastics  in  priest's  orders,  four 
who  were  deacons,  and  one,  a  subdeacon.  The  priests  were :  Rev. 
John  H.  Bekkers,  Rev.  John  Van  Luytelaar,  Rev.  Francis  Wuyts  and 
Rev.  Lawrence  Bax ;  the  deacons.  Rev.  Martin  Chazal,  Rev.  Michael 
Bouchet,  Rev.  Francis  X.  Van  Deutekom  and  Rev.  Francis  W. 
Van  Emstede;  and  the  subdeacon  was  Rev.  Joseph  De  Vries.  With 
the  exception  of  Fathers  Chazal  and  Bouchet,  all  named  were  natives  of 
Holland.  The  exceptions  were  Frenchmen.  It  will  be  interesting  to 
the  reader  to  learn  something  of  the  after  lives  of  the  ecclesiastics 
named. 

Of  the  late  Rev.  John  H.  Bekkers,  nothing  need  here  be  said, 
since  his  remarkable  career  as  a  missionary  priest  in  Kentucky  has 
already  formed  the  subject  of  a  sketch  in  connection  with  the  church 
at  Lexington. 

Father  John  Van  Luytelaar,  with  the  consent  of  Bishop  Spalding, 
and  at  the  earnest  entreaty  of  Rt.  Rev.  J.  B.  Purcell,  of  Cincinnati, 
remained  in  the  city  named,  where  he  served  for  a  while  a  small  con- 
gregation of  his  own  countrymen,  then  but  recently  organized.  He 
afterwards  became  a  member  of  the  order  of  the  Most  Holy  Redeemer, 
and  is  now  attached  to  the  house  of  the  order  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

Rev.  Francis  Wuyts  was  first  sent  to  Holy  Mary's,  as  an  assistant  to 
Rev.  A.  A.  Aud.  In  1854,  he  was  transferred  to  Loretto,  where,  in 
addition  to  his  chaplaincy  over  the  institution,  he  was  charged  with  the 
pastorship  of  Holy  Cross  and  St.  Vincent's  churches.    He  also  had  care 


480  RT.   REV.   MARTIN    JOHN    SPALDING. 

of  the  Station  at  Chicago,  where  he  afterwards  built  the  church  Of  St. 
Francis.  Upon  the  death  of  the  venerable  and  very  Rev.  D.  A. 
Deparcq,  in  1866,  he  was  appointed  superior  of  the  community  of 
Loretto,  in  which  responsible  post  he  is  still  finding  exercise  for  his 
rare  capabilities  as  an  earnest,  enlightened  and  prudent  director. 
Father  Wuyts  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  learned  theologians  in 
the  diocese. 

Rev.  Lawrence  Bax  was  first  given  a  position  in  the  preparatory 
seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  where  he  taught  philosophy  for  three  years. 
He  was  then  transferred  to  Louisville  and  to  the  pastorship  of  the  then 
newly  organized  congregation  of  St.  John.  This  is  still  his  position 
in  this  year  of  grace,  1884,  and  to  all  appearance,  the  energies  that 
have  built  up  one  of  the  most  compact  and  well  ordered  congregations 
in  the  city,  show  as  little  strain  to- day  as  when  he  first  began  his  labors, 
just  twenty-eight  years  ago. 

Rev.  F.  X.  Van  Deutekom  remained  at  the  cathedral  of  the 
Assumption,  where  he  was  soon  afterwards  advanced  to  priest's  orders, 
and  appointed  assistant  to  Rev.  Charles  J.  Boeswald  in  the  pastorate  of 
the  church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  Louisville.  After  the  death 
of  that  admirable  pastor  of  souls,  in  1855,  he  succeeded  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  church.  In  1S74,  owing  to  ill  health,  he  resigned  his  position 
and  returned  to  his  native  country,  where  he  now  holds  the  office  of 
chaplain  in  a  community  of  religious.  Father  Van  Deutekom  was 
much  esteemed  by  his  clerical  brethren,  and  still  more,  if  possible,  by 
the  members  of  his  congregation. 

Others  of  the  ecclesiastics  above  named  entered  the  diocesan  semi- 
nary, preparatory  to  priestly  ordination,  and  the  younger  of  the  five. 
Rev.  Joseph  De  Vries,  was  ordained,  together  with  the  late  Rev.  M. 
Power,  on  the  15th  of  July,  1855,  by  Rt.  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding,  in  the 
cathedral  of  the  Assumption,  Louisville. 

Rev.  Francis  W.  Van  Emstede,  soon  after  his  ordination,  became 
a  member  of  the  congregation  of  the  Most  Holy  Redeemer,  and  he  is 
at  present  attached  to  the  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart  in  Baltimore. 

Rev.  Martin  Chazal,  ordained,  together  with  Rev.  M.  Bouchet,  in 
the  cathedral  of  the  Assumption,  Louisville,  by  Rt.  Rev.  M.J.  Spalding, 
on  the  23d  of  September,  1853,  was  appointed  by  his  ordinary  a  profes- 
sor in  the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  where  he  was  employed  uninter- 
ruptedly, and  most  profitably  for  the  students  of  the  institution,  till 
the  year  1866,  when  he  returned  to  France. 

Rev.  Michael  Bouchet's  first  mission  was  that  of  Union  county, 
where  he  labored  for  three  years  as  the  assistant  of  Rev.  E.  J.  Dur- 
bin.  In  1857,  he  was  removed  to  St.  Gregory's,  Deatsville,  whence  he 
attended  a  number  of  churches  and  stations  in  Nelson,  Bullitt  and 
Hardin  counties.  In  i860,  he  was  removed  to  Louisville  and  has  ever 
since  been  attached  to  the  cathedral  of  the  Assumption.  For  more 
than  twelve  years  he  has  filled  the  office  of  vicar-general  to  Rt.  Rev. 
William  McCloskey  present  occupant  of  the  See. 

Rev.    Joseph  De  Vries,   immediately  after  his  ordination,    was 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  48 1 

appointed  assistant  to  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell,  with  residence  at  New- 
Haven.  He  was  afterwards  removed  to  Hodgensville,  where  he  built 
the  church  of  our  Lady  of  Mercy.  In  1859  he  was  appointed  to  the 
care  of  the  scattered  Catholic  people  living,  or  temporarily  laboring, 
along  the  proposed  Louisville  and  Nashville  railroad,  beyond  Elizabeth- 
town,  to  the  borders  of  Tennessee.  He  built  the  church  of  St. 
Joseph,  Bowling  Green,  of  which  he  has  been  the  resident  pastor  for 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.* 

THE   ST.    VINCENT    DE    PAUL   SOCIETY. 

In  1854,  soon  after  Bishop  Spalding's  return  from  Europe,  he 
established  in  the  cathedral  congregation  a  conference  of  the  organiza- 
tion named  above — one  of  the  most  meritorious  of  the  many  societies 
blessed  by  the  approval  of  the  Church  for  specific  works  of  christian 
charity,  t  The  good  bishop  had  taken  note  of  the  admirable  results 
that  had  followed  the  establishment  of  conferences,  or  branches,  of  the 
society  in  the  various  cities  of  Europe,  in  which  he  had  temporarily 
sojourned.  Everywhere  he  had  been  told  that  the  conferences  were 
not  only  taking  care  of  the  poor,  but  that  they  were  working  wonders 
in  the  reclamation  of  the  vicious,  and  in  establishing  more  confirmed 
habits  of  practical  piety  in  the  families  of  its  members.  He  found 
that  the  aim  of  those  who  had  given  form  to  the  organization  was,  first, 
to  elevate  its  individual  members;  second,  to  furnish  relief  to  the 
poor;  third,  to  educate  poor  youth,  and  fourth,  to  diffuse  Catholic 
truth.  Naturally,  he  felt  interested  in  a  society  that  had  already  been 
effective  of  so  much  good  in  the  old  world,  and  which,  he  could  but 
see,  if  established  in  his  diocese,  would  be  the  means  whereby  results 
equally  beneficial  would  be  brought  to  his  own  people.  The  confer- 
ence of  the  cathedral  of  the  Assumption  was  soon  followed  by  those 
of  St.  John's  and  St.  Patrick's,  after  which  was  organized  a  Particular 
Council  of  the  society,  of  which  the  writer  was  first  president.  % 

*If  Bishop  Spalding  had  done  nothing  else  for  Catholicity  in  Kentucky 
than  the  introduction  into  the  State  of  the  ecclesiastics  referred  to  in  the  text, 
he  would  still  be  deserving  of  the  thanks  of  thousands  who  were  afterwards 
benefitted  by  their  ministry. 

t  The  new  organization  took  the  place  of  one  that  had  been  established  as 
early  as  1841  by  Rev.  John  M'Gill,  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  of  the  parish, 
under  the  title  of  The  Catholic  Benevolent  society. 

X  The  officers  elected  at  the  organization  of  the  Cathedral  Conference,  in 
i8*54,  were:  Ben.  J.  Webb,  president;  Michael  Cody,  vice  president;  Patrick 
M.  Kirwan,  secretary,  and  F.  X.  Marchand,  treasurer.  The  presidents  of  the 
Particular  Council  of  the  local  society  have  been  Ben.  J.  Webb,  Dr.  J.  C. 
Metcalf,  John  McAteer,  Richard  Slevin,  and  Daniel  E.  Doherty,  the  present 
head  of  the  Louisville  organization.  Since  the  establishment  of  the  conference 
of  St.  John,  of  which  B.  E.  Cassilly  was  first  president,  and  that  of  St.  Patrick 
of  which  James  McSorley  was  first  president,  there  have  been  aggregated  to  the 
society  in  Louisville  five  other  conferences,  viz  :  those  of  St.  Michaels',  St.  Louis 
Bertrand's,  St.  Bridgets',  St.  Cecilia's  and  that  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  The 
presidents  of  the  several  conferences  at  the  present  time  are:  Cathedral,  G.  W. 

31 


482         •  RT.   REV.   MARTIN    JOHN    SPALDING. 

THE    AMERICAN    COLLEGE    AT    LOUVAIN. 

Bishop  Spalding  took  unbounded  interest  in  the  establishment  of 
the  American  college  at  Louvain.  He  was  the  first,  indeed,  of  the 
entire  body  of  the  American  episcopacy,  to  conceive  the  idea  of  the 
possibility  of  such  an  establishment,  and  from  the  moment  of  its 
inception,  he  ceased  not  to  labor  for  its  realization.  His  first  steps  in 
this  direction  were  taken  in  the  year  1852,  when,  as  has  been  related, 
he  visited  Europe  with  the  hope  of  attracting  clerical  recruits  to  his 
diocese.  He  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure  to  the  enterprise  the  appro- 
bation and  active  influence  of  the  late  Cardinal  Sterckx,  archbishop 
of  Mechlin.  It  was  not  until  1857,  however,  that  he  was  enabled  to 
attract  the  attention  of  his  episcopal  brethren  of  the  United  States  to 
a  matter  that  has  since  served  so  greatly  in  providing  for  the  country 
a  well  trained  and  able  body  of  pastors.  The  establishment  at  Lou- 
vain, begun  in  1857,  had  sent  to  the  missions  of  the  United  States, 
up  to  the  year  1884,  no  fewer  than  three  hundred  and  one  priests.  Of 
these,  one  became  an  archbishop,  and  five,  bishops.  The  contribu- 
tions made  by  the  American  college  to  the  clerical  working  force  of 
the  Church  in  Kentucky,  as  well  in  their  extent  as  in  their  character, 
will  astonish  Catholics  now-a-days  who  have  given  no  thought  to  the 
subject.  Let  such  look  over  the  list  that  follows,  of  priests  sent  thence 
to  the  State,  and  learn  to  admire  the  intelligent  efforts  made  by  Bishop 
Spalding  to  render  the  institution  a  source  of  real  blessing  for  the 
whole  country  : 

Rev.  P.  de  Fraine.*  Rev.  David  Russell. 

Rev.  Francis  De  Meulder,*  Rev.  A.  M.  Coenan. 

Rev.  Polydore  Fermont.*  Rev.  E.  M.  Crane. 

Rev.  J.  B.  Vandemergel.*  Rev.  Dominic  Crane. 

Rev.  W.  J.  Wiseman.  Rev.  H.  Mertens. 

Rev.  Charles  Eggermont.  Rev.  P.  Carmans. 

Rev.  Leopold  Walterspiel.  Rev.  T.  Kellenaers. 

Rev.  P.  Volk.  Rev.  William  Vanderhagen 

Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding.  Rev.  B.  J.  Spalding. 

Rev.  G.  A.  Vantroostenberghe.  Rev.  S.  B.  Spalding. 

Rev.  M.  L.  Brandt.  Rev.  Ferd  Brossart.  f 

Rev.  T.  J.  Jenkins.  Rev.  H.  Plaggenborg. 

Rev.  M.  Oberlinkels.  Rev.  E.  Breen. 

Rev.  C.  J.  O'Connell.  Rev.  H.  Westermann. 

Rev.  Edward  Vantroostenberghe.  Rev.  William  P.  Mackin.;}: 

Smith;  St.  John's,  John  Murray;  St.  Michael's,  Cornelius  Savage;  St.  Louis 
Bertrand,  Joseph  Cole;  St.  Patrick's,  W.  C.  Lincoln;  St.  Bridget,  vacant; 
Sacred  Heart,  vacant. 

*The  first  four  named  were  priests  when  they  entered  the  college,  and  their 
stay  there  was  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  English  language. 

t  Father  Brossart  entered  the  institution  for  the  diocese  of  Covington.  He 
is  now  pastor  of  the  church  of  St.  Paul,  Lexington. 

JOf  the  thirty  priests  whose  names  appear  in  the  above  list,  one  (Rev.  J. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  483 

THE    "KNOW-NOTHING   CONSPIRACY." 

Up  to  the  year  1854,  there  was  no  apparent  obstacle  to  healthful 
progress  in  Catholic  affairs  in  Kentucky.  But  long  before  that  time,  in 
other  States  of  the  Union,  there  had  been  displayed  a  devilish  popular 
spirit  that  argued  for  the  children  of  the  Church  a  likelihood  of  coming 
trouble.  For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  government  the  ques- 
tion of  religion  was  foisted  into  party  poHtics.  Careful  observers  of  this 
movement,  from  its  inception  to  its  last  feeble  struggle  for  existence, 
ascribe  it  not  so  much  to  popular  religious  prejudice  as  to  disap- 
pointed political  ambitio>n.  The  government  and  its  offices  had  been 
in  the  hands  of  the  Democrats  for  years,  and  it  became  apparent  to  at 
least  the  more  unscrupulous  of  the  Whig  party,  that  their  only  chance 
of  victory  in  the  coming  elections  would  be  through  the  demoraliza- 
tion of  their  opponents.  At  the  time,  and  for  the  most  part,  the 
foreign-born  Catholic  population  of  the  United  States  was  democratic 
in  its  political  tendencies.  There  was  then,  too,  much  more  than  now, 
very  great  ignorance  among  the  uneducated  class  of  non-Catholics, 
concerning  the  church  and  its  adlierents.  The  idea  of  the  political 
tricksters  who  inaugurated  the  movement  was  to  arouse  popular  pre- 
judice against  Catholics,  whether  native  or  foreign-born,  on  the  plea 
that  the  Church  to  which  they  were  attached  had  no  sympathy  with 
free  government.  The  implied  corollary  was,  that  in  attaching  them- 
selves so  generally  to  the  Democratic  party.  Catholics  were  but  making 
choice  of  a  political  organization  that  was  most  in  accord  with  their 
fancied  hostility  to  republican  institutions.  Their  idea  was  to  work  in 
the  dark  through  the  institution  of  a  secret  order,  with  ramifying 
branches  all  over  the  country,  whose  leading  principle  should  be  hos- 
tility to  Catholics  as  such,  and  whose  entire  efforts  were  to  be  exerted 
in  opposition  to  the  political  party  then  in  power.  The  first  lodges  of 
this  obnoxious  organization  are  supposed  to  have  been  instituted  in 
Louisville  in  the  early  months  of  the  year  1854.  Their  first  masters 
and  leaders,  though  they  were  known  to  be  intensely  partisan,  were 
not  without  some  pretensions  to  decency,  and  it  was  not  supposed  at 
the  time,  nor  since,  indeed,  in  respect  to  a  majority  of  them,  that  their 
anti-Catholic  zeal  was  put  on  otherwise  than  for  the  effect  it  was 
designed  to  produce  upon  the  minds  of  their  less  enlightened  asso- 
ciates. They  were  merely  playing  upon  the  gullibility  of  the  masses 
in  order  to  advance  their  own  thoroughly  selfish  purposes.  But  the 
"Know  Nothing  "  lodges  grew  in  number  until  the  city  was  not  only 
filled  with  them,  but  the  entire  State,  from  one  end  to  the  other,  was 
swept  by  the  pestiferous  flood. 

L.  Spalding)  is  now  bishop  of  the  See  of  Peoria;  one,  (Rev.  S.  B.  Spalding) 
was  transferred  by  his  ordinary  to  the  archdiocese  of  Philadelphia  soon  after 
his  return  to  America;  one,  (Rev.  W.  J.  Wiseman)  was  so  transferred,  after 
several  years  of  service  in  the  diocese  of  Louisville,  to  that  of  Newark  ;  two 
(Revs.  B.  J.  Spalding  and  William  Vanderhagen)  are  at  present  attached  to 
the  diocese  of  Peoria.  The  dead  among  these  number  five,  viz  :  Revs.  Francis 
DeMeulder,  J.  B.  Vandemergel,  Leopold  Walterspiel,  Edward  Vantroosten- 
berghe  and  E.  Breen. 


484  RT.   REV.   MARTIN   JOHN    SPALDINS. 

For  months  before  the  general  election  of  August  5th,  1855,  ^^P^^ 
had  been  ominous  threats  made  by  the  members  of  the  organization 
that  were  calculated  to  keep  from  the  polls  Catholic  citizens  of  what- 
ever nationality,  and  foreign-born  non-Catholics  as  well.  These 
threats  had  their  effect,  to  be  sure,  in  the  direction  intended,  but  only 
with  the  least  resolute  of  the  population  against  whom  they  were  made. 
The  Know-Nothing  leaders  did  not  themselves  know  the  extent  and 
strength  of  the  storm  of  public  fury  they  had  raised.  They  made  no 
account  of  the  fact  that  the  primary  controlling  element  in  the  lodges 
had  gradually  worked  itself  loose  from  their  management,  and  that  the 
very  worst  elements  of  the  population  had  now  full  control  over  the 
machinery  they  had  invented.  They  winked  at  the  threat  of  violence 
at  the  polls  should  a  Catholic  or  foreign-born  citizen  attempt  to  exer- 
cise his  lawful  privilege,  but  they  were  not  prepared  for  the  wholesale 
slaughter  that  followed,  and  which,  they  were  well  enough  able  to  see, 
was  the  direct  result  of  their  own  machinations. 

The  atrocities  of  "Bloody  Monday"  in  Louisville  have  never  been 
equalled  in  this  country.  The  churches  were  threatened,  but  happily 
Bishop  Spalding  had  sufficient  influence  with  the  then  mayor  of  the 
city,  Hon.  John  Barbee,  to  induce  him  to  make  every  effort  in  his 
power  for  their  preservation.  Writing  a  few  days  after  the  outbreak  to 
Archbishop  Kenrick,  Bishop  Spalding  said :  ' '  We  have  just  passed 
through  a  reign  of  terror,  surpassed  only  by  the  Philadelphia  riots. 
Nearly  a  hundred  poor  Irish  and  Germans  have  been  butchered  or 
burned  and  some  twenty  houses  have  been  fired  and  burnt  to  the 
ground.  The  city  authorities,  all  Know-Nothings,  looked  calmly  on, 
and  they  are  now  endeavoring  to  lay  the  blame  on  the  Catholics." 

The  party  most  responsible  for  the  outbreak  in  Louisville  on 
Bloody  Monday,  was  undoubtedly  the  late  George  D.  Prentice,  editor 
of  the  Louisville  y^^wr/W.  And  yet,  the  writer  is  compelled  to  say, 
there  never  was  a  non-Catholic  who  had  less  in  him  of  anti-Catho- 
lic bigotry.  In  common  with  so  many  others,  in  everything  he  did  or 
said  in  contravention  of  the  rights  of  the  minority,  he  was  governed 
more  by  policy  than  by  principle.  He  was  naturally  amiable  and 
kind-hearted,  and  all  things  being  even  in  his  estimation,  he  would 
have  preferred  the  advocacy  of  the  right  rather  than  the  wrong. 
There  is  scarcely  a  doubt  that  it  was  only  through  selfish  interest  and 
the  persuasion  of  party  friends  that  he  was  induced  to  join  hands  with 
the  malcontent  politicians  of  the  day,  and  make  with  them  common 
cause  against  those  toward  whom  he  felt  neither  personal  hatred  nor 
sectarian  prejudice.  No  one  ever  heard  him  say  as  much,  but  the 
writer  doubts  if  there  was  another  man  in  his  party  who  stood  more 
appalled  than  himself  over  the  result  of  his  own  manipulation  of  public 
sentiment.  He  had  taken  measure  of  that  sentiment  by  that  which 
pervaded  his  own  mind,  and  he  waked  up  to  the  conviction  that  his 
utterances,  unrecognized  as  truthful  by  himself,  had  been  taken  up 
and  held  as  expositions  of  abstract  verity  by  thousands  of  the  worst 
elements  of  his  party,  and  had,  in  very  truth,  instigated  these  to  acts  of 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  485 

murder  and  incendiarism  that  were  simply  horrible  in  their  atrocity. 
Another  in  his  place,  though  as  little  devoted  to  principle,  might  have 
sought  to  redeem  himself  from  the  unenviable  position  in  which  he  was 
placed.  Not  so  this  singular  compound  of  selfishness  and  good 
nature,  of  generous  impulses  and  weak  resolves.  He  had  sold  him- 
self to  his  party  for  defensive  as  well  as  aggressive  action,  and  he  was 
held  by  them  to  the  compact  himself  had  made.  From  this  time 
began  the  decadence  of  his  fame.  He  was  as  virulent  as  ever  in  his 
abuse  of  the  Church,  of  Catholic  institutions,  Catholic  practices  and 
of  Catholics  themselves.  He  excused  the  mob  as  far  as  he  could,  for 
its  excesses,  and  he  sought,  as  Bishop  Spalding  truly  says,  to  cast  upon 
the  victims  of  its  fury  all  responsibility  for  the  events  which  opened 
for  them  speedy  passage  to  the  grave.* 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  Aug.  an  editorial  appeared  in  the 
Louisville  Journal  charging  that  the  killing,  maiming  and  burning 
of  the  day  before  had  been  the  direct  result  of  "assaults"  made  upon 
peaceable  citizens  by  the  foreign-born  element  of  the  population,  and 
intimating,  too,  that  these  assaults  were  instigated  by  the  Catholic 
clergy  of  the  city.  In  the  same  journal  of  the  yth,  appeared  a  card 
from  Bishop  Spalding,  mildly  remonstrating  against  the  editor's  pub- 
lished innuendo,  and  entreating  his  people,  in  the  then  disturbed  condi- 
tion of  affairs,  to  remain  quietly  at  home,  and  to  give  to  no  one  occa- 
sion for  even  the  supposition  that  they  meditated  combined  resistance 
should  the  mob  again  gather  and  proceed  to  further  acts  of  violence,  f 

From  1855  to  the  beginning  of  what  is  known  as  the  war  of  the 
rebellion.  Bishop  Spalding's  time  was  divided  as  exigency  suggested, 
between  the  labors  incidental  to  his  position  ana  those  out  of  which,  he 
had  reason  to  hope,  would  emanate  results  beneficial  to  religion.  He 
wrote  and  published  during  these  years  his  Miscellania;  a  book  of  rare 
value,  and  one  that  was  peculiarly  applicable  to  circumstances  and 
needs  then  existing.  He  had  previously  introduced  into  the  cathedral 
parish  the  admirable  society  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  of  which  there  are 
at  the  present  day  eight  distinct  conferences,  with  a  particular  council 
for  their  direction,  each  and  all  organized  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  of 

*On  the  27th  August,  1855,  I  communicated  to  the  Louisville  Daily  Courier, 
over  the  signature  of  "A  Kentucky  Catholic,"  an  article  in  which  I  endeavored 
to  draw  the  attention  of  Mr.  Prentice  to  the  reprehensibility  of  the  course  he  was 
pursuing.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  letters  addressed  by  me  to  the 
editor,  the  replies  to  which,  written,  as  I  learned  at  a  later  day,  by  the  late  Judge 
Caleb  W.  Logan,  but  assumed  by  Mr.  Prentice,  appeared  as  editorials  in  the 
\.o\x\sv'\Wc  Journal. 

tFor  tiie  reason,  possibly,  that  I  was  filled  with  indignation  at  the  time,  and 
was  therefore  incapable  of  appreciating  the  prudence  that  dictated  it,  I  remem- 
ber well  that  this  card  was  peculiarly  distasteful  to  me,  as  it  was  to  others.  There 
was  not  an  honest  and  sane  man  in  the  city  that  gave  the  least  credence  to  either 
the  charge  or  the  insinuation  that  had  been  made  by  the  editor.  Then,  for  days 
together,  one  might  walk  the  streets  without  meeting  a  single  Irish  or  German 
citizen.  Hundreds  of  these,  having  previously  seen  and  felt  tht  insane  power 
of  the  mob,  as  soon  as  they  could  possibly  arrange  their  affairs,  moved  away 
from  the  city  altogether. 


486  RT.  REV.   MARTIN   JOHN    SPALDING. 

their  parishes.  By  his  advice,  and  under  his  direct  supervision,  the 
particular  council  of  this  society  undertook  to  print,  publish  and  edit  a 
CathoUc  journal  in  Louisville  to  be  called  The  Catholic  Guardian,  the 
first  number  of  which  was  issued  on  May  i,  1858.*  The  standing  that 
was  soon  accorded  to  the  paper  was,  undoubtedly,  principally  due 
to  Bishop  Spalding's  frequent  contributions  to  its  columns. 

THE   CIVIL   WAR. 

There  was  no  one  in  the  country  more  anxious  than  Bishop  Spald- 
ing to  see  averted  from  his  country  the  horrors  of  war.  His  counsels 
were  always  for  peace.  But  when  the  carnage  commenced,  then  only 
mitigation  of  its  miseries  filled  his  thoughts.  He  soon  saw  the  edu- 
cational estabhshments  of  the  diocese  either  closed  or  languishing 
from  the  effects  of  the  all-pervading  disaster  that  was  sweeping  the 
country  from  the  Ohio  river  to  the  gulf.  He  saw  his  own  people 
divided  and  warring  against  each  other,  as  was  indeed  the  case  with 
his  separated  brethren  all  over  the  State.  Himself  a  non-combatant, 
and  regarding,  as  was  becoming  to  him  as  a  minister  of  Christ  and 
one  having  charge  by  virtue  of  his  office  over  the  souls  committed  to 
his  care,  all  alike  his  children  in  God,  he  left  nothing  undone  that 
it  was  possible  for  him  to  do  to  assuage  suffering  and  to  lessen 
woes  that  were  irremediable  through  any  human  agency.  ' '  My 
diocese,"  he  wrote  about  this  time,  "is  cut  in  twain  ;  I  must  attend  to 
souls  without  getting  into  angry  poUtical  discussions." 

Early  in  the  war,  Louisville  became  a  rendezvous  for  the  soldiery 
of  the  North,  and  the  camps  of  its  regiments  surrounded  the  city. 
There  was  much  sickness  among  the  recruits,  and,  one  after  another, 
hospitals  were  improvised  for  the  reception  of  these  and  their  after 
medical  treatment.  Miserably  deficient  were  these  hospitals  in  every- 
thing that  was  conducive  to  the  comfort  and  care  of  the  hapless  men 
who  were  first  introduced  into  them.  This  state  of  things  coming  to 
the  knowledge  of  Bishop  Spalding,  as  it  soon  did,  he  waited  on  Gen. 
Anderson,  then  commander  of  the  department,  and  offered  him  the 
services  of  the  sisters  of  charity  of  Nazareth  as  nurses  and  conduc- 
tors of  the  federal  hospitals  of  the  city.  General  Anderson  was  but 
too  glad  to  enter  into  the  proffered  arrangement,  and  from  that  time 
till  the  exigency  was  passed,  the  more  important  of  the  miUtary  hos- 

*The  editorial  committee  charged  with  the  conduct  of  the  Guardian  wa.s 
composed  of  Ben.  J.  Webb,  chairman;  Dr.  John  E.  Crowe,  William  L.  Kelly 
and  Dr.  J.  C.  Metcalfe.  The  first  and  last  named  are  still  residents  of  Louis- 
ville. Wm.  L.  Kelly,  Esq.,  is  a  practicing  lawyer  of  the  city  of  St.  Paul,  Min- 
nesota. Until  his  lamentable  death  four  years  ago,  Dr.  Crowe  had  filled  for  a 
long  term  one  of  the  leading  chairs  in  the  medical  department  of  the  university 
of  Louisville.  The  Guardian  was  a  success  from  the  start,  but  owing  to  the 
blockade  of  communication  with  many  of  its  patrons,  occasioned  by  the  war, 
the  society  was  forced  to  suspend  its  publication  in  July,  1862. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  487 

pitals  of  the  city  were  given  over  by  the  military  authorities  to  the 
custody  and  care  of  the  sisters.  * 

During  the  continuance  of  the  war  everything  in  Kentucky  was  in 
such  a  confused  state  that  progression  in  church  affairs  was  simply 
impossible.  None  other  in  his  place  could  have  done  more  to  con- 
serve Catholic  interests  than  did  Bishop  Spalding,  and  in  this  he  was 
supported  by  his  clergy  throughout  the  diocese.  The  extreme  of  his 
trouble  was  on  account  of  his  slackened  resources  for  the  support  of 
his  seminary  at  St.  Thomas,  and  the  orphan  asylum  for  boys  at  the 
same  point.  Neither  of  these  institutions  could  be  closed  without 
detriment  to  religion.  Happily,  he  had  at  the  time  as  superior  of  the 
seminary  a  man  of  wonderful  energy,  and  one  who  accounted  as 
nothing  privations  undergone  for  Christ  and  His  church.  This  admira- 
ble ecclesiastic  was  the  late  Very  Rev.  F,  Chambige,  a  former  seminary 
classmate  of  his  bishop,  and  ever  thereafter  one  of  the  most  beloved 
of  his  personal  friends.  By  the  use  of  the  most  rigid  economy,  but 
not  without  many  privations  on  the  part  of  the  inmates,  both  of  those 
institutions  were  kept  up  throughout  the  war."  f 

On  the  8th  of  July,  1863,  Archbishop  Kenrick  died  suddenly  in 
Baltimore,  and  on  June  nth,  1864,  Bishop  Spalding  received  the 
Papal  rescript  appointing  him  to  the  more  exalted  office  thus  vacated. 
It  could  not  have  been  without  painful  feelings  that  Bishop  Spalding 
accepted  a  trust  that  would  separate  him  from  friends  and  lifelong  asso- 
ciations. He  did  not  hesitate,  however,  and  on  the  31st  of  the  following 
month  he  took  possession  of  his  new  See.  The  after  life  of  Arch- 
bishop Spalding  needs  be  scarcely  more  than  referred  to  here,  since 

*  Three  of  the  sisters  died  while  they  were  engaged  in  onerous  hospital 
services  in  Kentucky,  two  in  Louisville,  and  one  in  Paducah.  One  of  the 
largest  of  the  Louisville  hospitals  was  under  charge  of  Sister  Apollonia 
McGill,  of  whom  I  cannot  refrain  from  speaking  a  word  of  reverent  praise. 
Circumstances  brought  her  under  my  notice  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  when 
she  was  charged  with  the  conduct  of  the  St.  Joseph's  Infirmary,  Louisville, 
and  her  tall,  spare  and  white-capped  figure  seems  as  present  to  me  now  as  when 
she  was  living.  Together  with  a  pleasant  voice,  there  was  something  charm- 
ing in  her  manner  while  engaged  in  nursing  the  sick  that  never  failed  to 
inspire  hope  in  the  minds  of  her  patients.  She  was  a  woman  of  fine  personal 
traits  of  character  and  a  true  religious,  much  beloved  by  her  sisters  of  the  com- 
munity, and  held  in  the  highest  regard  by  members  of  the  laity  who  had  been 
the  witnesses  of  her  daily  routine  of  unselfish  work  for  God  and  suffering 
humanity.  The  heavy  labors  she  encountered  in  the  government  hospital  were 
too  much  for  the  physical  strength  that  still  remained  to  her,  and  soon  after 
her  release  from  its  toilsome  exactions,  she  was  called  to  a  life  wherein  no  more 
forever  was  she  to  contemplate  either  suffering  or  death. 

1 1  happen  to  know  that  several  of  my  clerical  friends,  who  have  suffered 
from  ill  health  for  years,  are  in  the  habit  of  attributing  their  present  physical 
condition  to  the  inadequacy  and  unwholesome  character  of  the  food  that  was 
provided  for  their  consumption  in  those  days.  While  these  are  outspoken  in 
their  praise  of  their  superior,  whose  privations  were  no  less  than  their  own, 
they  cannot  help  regretting  that  circumstances  so  unfavorable  should  have  con- 
fronted them  at  a  period  of  their  lives  when  the  absolute  reverse  is  most 
requisite  to  after  sanitary  well-being. 


488  RT.  REV.  MARTIN   JOHN   SPALDING. 

there  was  little  in  it  that  has  direct  reference  to  the  Church  in  Ken- 
tucky. It  will  suffice  to  say  that  the  short  term  of  life  that  still  remained 
to  him,  a  little  more  than  seven  years,  was  filled  with  evidences  of  his 
zeal  in  the  cause  of  religion  and  charity.  Through  his  appeals  to  the 
wealthy  of  the  archdiocese,  he  secured  valuable  aid  to  works  of 
Catholic  benevolence  at  home,  and  also  most  important  contributions 
to  the  American  college  at  Rome.  In  1867  he  was  present  in  Rome 
at  the  eighteenth  centenary  celebration  of  the  Martyrdom  of  Sts. 
Peter  and  Paul;  and  again,  in  1869-70,  he  was  of  the  number  of  the 
princes  of  the  Church  assembled  in  the  same  city,  from  all  the  nations 
of  the  world,  at  the  council  by  which  was  declared  the  Catholic  doc- 
trine of  Papal  infallibility.  Among  those  taking  part  in  the  proceedings 
of  the  Vatican  Council,  there  were  few  who  occupied  a  more  honorable 
position  than  did  the  archbishop  of  Baltimore. 

In  November,  1870,  Archbishop  Spalding  returned  to  his  people, 
by  whom  he  was  received  with  marked  demonstrations  of  affection. 
He  afterwards  made  a  visitation  of  his  diocese,  delivered  lectures  for 
the  benefit  of  local  charities,  and  did  much  to  secure  to  his  entire  flock 
the  spiritual  advantages  of  the  jubilee  celebrations  authorized  by 
rescript  of  the  Holy  Father  on  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  his  acces- 
sion to  the  Papacy.  Though  apparently  in  good  health,  the  archbishop 
had  been  a  sufferer  from  physical  disease  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
There  had  been  no  stage  of  his  existence,  from  childhood  to  the  present 
time,  in  which  he  had  not  been  called  upon  to  battle  against  disease 
in  one  or  another  of  its  forms.  So  often  before  his  last  illness,  had  he 
been  brought  to  the  confines  of  the  grave,  that  when  it  became  known 
to  his  friends  in  Kentucky,  early  in  the  year  1872,  that  there  was  little 
hope  of  his  recovery  from  the  sickness  with  which  he  had  been  seized, 
there  were  many  among  them  who  refused  to  believe  that  the  days  of 
his  usefulness  were  accomplished.  There  is  something  that  is  singu- 
larly pathetic,  and  even  more  consoling  than  pathetic,  in  the  account 
given  in  his  life  of  the  archbishop  by  the  bishop  of  Peoria,  of  the 
scenes  that  were  witnessed  by  his  attendants  while  he  lay,  patient  and 
suffering,  waiting  for  his  final  release.  That  release  came  at  length, 
and  it  was  preceded  by  visions  that  are  only  vouchsafed  by  heaven  to 
those  who,  having  served  God  with  fidehty,  have  also  by  their  good 
works  made  sure  their  election.  His  death  took  place  on  the  7th  of 
February,  1872.  * 

*  Though  I  had  previously  known  Dr.  Spalding,  my  better  acqaintance 
with  him  began  in  1836,  as  elsewhere  related.  From  that  time  to  the  end  of  his 
life,  I  may  say,  he  exhibited  toward  me  both  consideration  and  kindness. 
Having  opportunites  so  favorable,  it  would  be  singular  if  I  had  not  formed 
and  held  opinions  concerning  him  that  I  should  now  regard  as  worthy  of 
mention  and  transcription.  What  I  have  here  to  say  has  reference  altogether  to 
his  personal  and  social  characteristics.  One  of  the  most  charming  of  these  was 
his  unreserve  when  in  the  presence  of  well  known  friends.  Though  there  was 
nothing  at  any  time  of  hauteur  or  stiffness  in  his  manners,  he  did  not  lack  for 
dignity  on  all  proper  occasions.  But  when  surrounded  by  his  clergy  at  his  ovirn 
table,  or  when  visiting  the  families  of  his  Catholic  friends,  he  appeared  to  retain 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY.  4^9 


CHAPTER  XLIL 

VERY  REV.  B.  J.  SPALDING,  ADMINISTRATOR. 

When  Bishop  Spalding  was  transferred  to  the  archiepiscopal  See 
of  Baltimore  in  1864,  the  administration  of  ecclesiastical  affairs  in  the 
diocese  of  Louisville  fell  into  the  hands  of  his  brother,  Very  Rev. 
Benedict  J.  Spalding,  than  whom  there  was  not  at  the  time  a  clergy- 
man in  the  State  who  was  possessed  of  greater  administrative  capa- 
bilities. "Father  Ben,"  as  he  was  endearingly  called  by  his  friends, 
both  of  the  clergy  and  the  laity,  was  born  in  Washington,  now  Marion 
county,  in  the  year  181 2.  As  was  the  case  with  his  distinguished 
brother,  he  was  primarily  educated  at  St.  Mary's  college,  whence  he 
was  transferred,  most  likely  in  the  year  1828,  to  the  diocesan  semi- 
nary at  Bardstown.  In  1832  he  was  sent  to  Rome,  where  he  entered 
the  college  of  the  Propaganda,  in  which  his  brother  was  then  a  student 
of  theology.  In  1837,  he  was  ordained  priest  in  Rome,  together,  as  is 
supposed,  with  the  late  Rev.  Charles  Blank,  the  first  pastor  of  the 
church  of  St.  Boniface,  Louisville.  Returning  home  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  year  named,  his  first  service  was  given  to  the  theological 
seminary,  where  he  remained  as  a  teacher  for  a  number  of  months. 
His  next  position  was  that  of  agent,  or  econome,  for  the  college  of  St. 
Joseph,  Bardstown.  Here  it  was,  most  likely,  that  he  acquired  his 
acknowledged  talent  as  an  administrator  of  temporalities.  After  the 
death  of  Rev.  E.  W.  Powell  in  1830,  he  became  associated  with  his 
friend,  the  late  Rev.  John  B.  Hutchins,  in  the  conduct  of  the  colle- 
giate school  of  Mount  Merino,  in  Breckinridge  county.  He  was 
recalled  to  St.  Joseph's  college  in  1842,  where,  for  two  years,  he  filled 
the  responsible  position  of  vice-president  of  that  institution.  From 
1844  to  1849  he  was  pastor  of  St.  Joseph's  church  and  congregation, 

just  as  little  of  this  quality  as  was  consistent  with  his  position  and  existing 
surroundings.  No  one  ever  had  a  better  faculty  for  putting  at  ease  the  com- 
pany in  which  he  found  himself.  He  was  no  monopolizer  of  conversation,  but 
rather  sought  to  induce  others  to  talk;  and  through  their  trust  in  him  the  most 
timid  were  led  to  trust  in  themselves.  He  was  fond  of  children,  and  it  was  a 
common  thing  to  see  him  surrounded  by  small  coteries  of  these,  even  on  the 
street.  He  was  open  to  all  manner  of  service  for  his  friends,  and  where 
encouragement  was  needed,  he  was  constant  in  endeavor  to  give  strength  to 
the  flagging  will.  In  more  than  one  instance  was  I  indebted  to  him  for  ster- 
ling advice  in  matters  wherein,  if  I  ever  did  anything  worthy  of  the  remem- 
brance of  my  Catholic  brethren,  I  had  failed  altogether  but  for  his  earnest 
commendation  of  my  work.  I  allude  to  the  controversy  engaged  in  by  me  with 
Mr.  Prentice  in  1855,  and  to  my  editorial  conduct  of  the  Catholic  Guardian,  in 
1858-61. 


490 


VERY  REV.    B.    J.    SPALDING. 


Bardstown,  some  time  during  the  year  last  named  he  was  transferred 
to  Louisville,  where,  upon  the  accession  of  Dr.  John  McGill  to  the 
episcopacy,  he  was  named  rector  of  the  cathedral  and  vicar-general. 

Bishop  Spalding,  possibly  better  than  any  one  else,  knew  wherein 
lay  the  stronger  capabiUties  of  his  brother,  and  never  did  he  evince 
better  judgment  than  in  this  appointment.  He  was  engaged  in 
an  undertaking — the  building  of  a  cathedral — that  demanded  for  its 
success,  time  that  he  could  not  spare  from  still  more  important  objects, 
and  talents  which  there  had  been  no  opportunity  for  him  to  cultivate. 
Father  Ben,  on  the  contrary,  aside  from  the  fact  that  he  was  practical 
of  his  very  nature,  had  experience  in  matters  of  business  that  had 
been  forced  upon  him  since  he  became  a  priest,  and  which  were  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  the  successful  issue  of  his  enterprise.  Never  were 
the  temporalities  of  a  diocese  more  wisely  and  economically  adminis- 
tered than  were  those  of  Louisville  under  the  direction  of  Father 
Ben.  Spalding.  In  his  hands  there  was  neither  waste  of  means 
nor  parsimony  in  necessary  expenditure.  And  neither  was  there  sub- 
mission to  exactions,  no  matter  by  whom  presented. 

Upon  the  accession  of  the  late  Rt.  Rev.  Peter  Joseph  Layialle  to 
the  bishopric  in  September,  1865,  Father  Spalding  was  retained  in 
the  office  to  which  his  brother  had  appointed  him,  and  upon  the  death 
of  that  pious  prelate  in  May,  1867,  he  was  again  charged  by  his 
superiors  with  the  administratorship  of  the  diocese.  Never  had  been 
Father  Spalding  more  equal  to  the  duties  incidental  to  his  position 
than  he  was  at  this  time.  He  was  in  robust  health,  and  there  was 
nothing  so  complex  in  diocesan  affairs  as  to  give  him  cause  for  worry, 
or  even  uneasiness.  For  the  nearly  fifteen  months  of  the  second 
term  of  his  administratorship,  there  was  neither  complaint  that  he  had 
exacted  from  the  clergy  under  his  authority  other  than  rightful  and 
reasonable  service,  nor  from  the  laity  that  he  had  failed  to  subserve 
their  interests  and  needs  to  the  full  extent  of  his  power.  His  death 
was  a  truly  tragic  one.  While  in  deep  sleep,  the  furnishings  of  his  bed 
were  swayed  by  the  air  from  an  open  window  against  a  burning  gas- 
jet,  and  in  a  moment  these  were  all  in  a  blaze.  When  he  awoke  to 
his  situation,  it  was  also  to  the  painful  consciousness  that  he  had  been 
burned  in  a  horrible  manner.  This  happened  on  the  night  of  the  2nd 
of  August,  1868,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  4th,  death  relieved  him 
of  his  sufferings.  The  writer's  estimate  of  the  character  of  Dr. 
Ben.  Spalding  was  given  to  the  public  through  the  columns  of  the 
Louisville  Courier- Journal  in  the  issue  of  that  paper  of  August  6th, 
1868.     A  few  extracts  from  this  article  are  here  appended : 

' '  The  time  when  I  first  knew  Dr.  Spalding  has  been  swallowed  up 
by  so  many  intervening  years  that  it  is  difficult  for  me  to  say  when  we 
were  strangers  to  each  other.  The  dear  coffined  head,  with  its  scat- 
tered and  whitened  hairs,  was  then,  I  well  know,  black  and  glossy, 
and  the  staid  and  deliberate  step  with  which,  but  a  few  days  ago,  he 
trod  the  streets  of  our  city,  was  as  elastic  as  were  his  own  hopes.  For 
thirty  years  he  has  been  to  me  as  a  brother,  a  dear,  confiding,  trusting 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  49 1 

brother.  This  I  had  still  remembered,  though  I  had  forgotten  all  else 
that  concerned  him  and  was  far  more  creditable  to  him  as  a  man  and  a 
priest.  .  .  .  Nature  gave  to  him  a  mind  that  was  at  once  clear 
and  comprehensive,  and  a  heart  that  was  never  out  of  accord  with 
those  social  virtues  which  ennoble  humanity.  It  was  his  lot,  doubtless, 
as  it  has  been  that  of  all  who  are  guided  by  principle  in  their  inter- 
course with  their  fellows,  to  be  often  misunderstood.  He  may  have 
regretted  this,  but  he  never  complained  of  it.  None  that  truly  inew 
him  ever  misunderstood  him ;  in  whatever  he  did  or  said,  they  never 
distrusted  him  or  the  purity  of  his  motives.  In  the  service  he  rendered 
to  the  Church  his  usefulness  was  as  great  as  it  was  widely  acknowl- 
edged. He  was  not  only  a  sound  theologian,  but  he  was  filled  with 
that  amor  ecdesice  which  looks  to  whatever  is  calculated  to  give  charac- 
ter to  the  christian  ministry.  ...  In  the  many  local  councils  of 
the  clergy  of  Kentucky,  whenever  were  deliberated  questions  pertain- 
ing to  the  wants  of  the  diocese  and  the  inadequacy  of  the  means  in 
hand  to  the  supply  of  these  wants,  no  mind  was  so  potent  as  his  in 
devising  measures  that  were  best  calculated  to  sustain  and  protect  the 
interests  of  religion.  He  had  a  peculiar  talent  for  finance,  and  for 
this  reason  he  was  kept,  for  the  greater  part  of  his  ministerial  life, 
engaged  in  overlooking  and  directing  the  temporalities  of  the  Church 
in  Kentucky.  This  fact  led  many  to  suppose  that  he  was  more  taken  up 
with  worldly  concerns  than  was  consistent  with  his  priestly  character. 
All  these,  I  am  convinced,  overlooked  considerations  they  should  have 
remembered.  Churches  cannot  be  built  without  money;  neither, 
without  it,  can  seminaries  be  endowed,  or  school-houses,  hospitals  and 
orphanages  be  built  and  kept  up.  He  was  industrious  always  in 
striving  to  accumulate  means,  but  in  this  he  pandered  to  no  sel- 
fish motive.  He  was  guided  and  controlled  habitually  by  the  motive 
that  had  led  him  to  the  priesthood,  the  greater  glory  of  God  and  the 
salvation  of  souls.  He  may  have  blundered  often.  Who  has  not? 
But  whatever  his  errors,  they  were  errors  of  judgment ;  and  I  can  say 
of  him  truly,  a  less  selfish  man  I  have  never  known.   .   .   . 

"Father  Ben.  Spalding  inherited  from  his  father  a  handsome 
estate,  and  this,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  his  benefactions  have  been 
liberal,  has  no  doubt  tripled  in  value  through  his  careful  management. 
It  is  now  many  years  since  he  informed  me  that  it  was  his  purpose  to 
devote  his  estate  to  a  charitable  use."* 

*  By  his  will,  his  entire  estate  was  left  to  his  brother,  Archbishop  Spalding, 
in  trust,  to  be  used  for  charitable  objects  in  the  diocese  of  Louisville. 


492  RT.  REV.  PETER  JOSEPH  LAVIALLE. 


CHAPTER  XLIII.  ' 

RT.   REV.   PETER  JOSEPH  LAVIALLE. 

The  third  bishop  of  Louisville,  Right  Rev.  Peter  Joseph  Lavialle, 
was  of  the  nationality  of  the  first,  a  Frenchman  by  birth.*  He 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Lavialle,  near  Mauriac,  province  of 
Auvergne,  in  1820.  He  studied  for  the  ministry  in  his  own  country, 
but  before  he  had  reached  the  age  required  by  the  canons  for  priesdy 
ordination,  he  was  persuaded  by  his  relative,  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Chabrat, 
to  come  to  Kentucky.  He  reached  Louisville  in  1841,  and  soon  after- 
wards entered  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  near  Bardstown. 
He  was  ordained  priest  in  1844,  and  from  that  time  to  the  year  1849 
he  was  attached  to  the  pastorate  of  the  cathedral  of  St.  Louis,  Louis- 
ville. In  the  year  last  named  he  was  given  a  professorship  in  the  semi- 
nary of  St.  Thomas,  Nelson  county,  in  which  position  he  remained  for 
several  years,  and  until,  in  1856,  he  was  induced  by  Bishop  Spalding 
to  assume  the  presidency  of  St.  Mary's  college,  Marion  county.  The 
bulls  for  his  appointment  to  the  then  vacant  See  of  Louisville,  received 
by  him  in  1865,  found  him  still  occupying  this  position.  His  conse- 
cration took  place  in  the  cathedral  of  the  Assumption,  Louisville,  on 
Sunday,  September  24th,  1865. 

Of  few  men  can  it  be  more  truthfully  said  than  of  Bishop  Lavialle, 
the  measure  of  his  usefulness  was  as  the  measure  of  his  strength  strained 
to  its  utmost  limit.  Whatever  was  his  position,  the  fulfillment  of  its 
duties  absorbed  his  every  faculty.  Circumstances  brought  him 
directly  under  the  notice  of  the  writer  when,  in  the  2 2d  year  of  his 
age,  he  was  for  a  few  months  domiciled  with  his  relative,  Dr.  Chabrat, 
in  the  episcopal  residence  adjoining  the  then  cathedral  church  of  St. 
Louis,  Louisville.  There  was  then  something  in  his  appearance  and 
ways  that  was  irresistibly  attractive.  He  was  seeking  at  the  time  to 
overcome  certain   difficulties  he  had  met  with  in  his   study  of  the 

*Of  the  five  prelates,  who,  up  to  the  year  1868,  when  the  present  occupant 
of  the  See,  Rt.  Rev.  William  McCloskey,  was  consecrated,  exercised  spiritual 
jurisdiction  in  the  diocese,  four  were  Frenchmen,  and  one  a  Kentuckian.  These 
were,  in  the  order  of  their  consecration  and  of  their  demise  or  resignation, 
first,  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget,  consecrated  in  iSlo,  died  in  1850;  sec- 
ond, Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  David,  coadjutor,  consecrated  in  1819,  died  in  1841  ; 
third,  Rt.  Rev.  Guy  Ignatius  Chabrat,  coadjutor,  consecrated  in  1834,  resigned 
in  1847;  fourth,  Rt.  Rev.  Martin  John  Spalding,  coadjutor,  consecrated  in 
1848,  succeeded  to  the  bishopric  in  1850,  transferred  to  the  archiepiscopal 
See  of  Baltimore  in  1864,  died  in  1872  ;  fifth,  Rt.  Rev.  Peter  Joseph  Lavialle, 
consecrated  in  1865,  died  in  1867. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  493 

English  vernacular,  more  particularly  in  respect  to  pronunciation.  He 
was  an  apt  and  willing  pupil,  but  he  had  contracted  a  habit  of  speech 
that  was  irradicable,  and  to  the  end  of  his  days  Gallicism  clung  to  him 
as  a  vesture  out  of  which  there  was  no  withdrawal.  He  was  then  a 
slightly  built,  smooth-faced  youth,  diffident  in  manner,  and  wearing  a 
cast  of  features  that  was  suggestive  of  purity  and  truth,  and  no  less 
of  piety  and  humility. 

When  he  returned  to  Louisville,  two  years  later,  clothed  with 
authority  to  speak  in  the  name  of  the  Divine  Master  to  whom  he  had 
pledged  his  life  and  all  his  faculties,  he  entered  upon  his  pastoral 
duties  with  an  enthusiasm  that  was  well  calculated  to  win  souls  to  the 
practice  of  virtue,  and  that  knew  no  abatement  during  the  five  years 
afterwards  devoted  by  him  to  ministerial  work.  His  seven  years  of 
service  in  the  diocesan  seminary  were  equally  fruitful  of  good  results. 
So,  when  he  took  upon  himself  the  difficult  task  of  raising  to  its  old- 
time  standard  of  usefulness  and  renown  the  college  of  St.  Mary's,  the 
effects  of  his  admirable  management  were  as  plainly  to  be  seen  as 
they  were  suggestive  of  a  renewed  career  of  prosperity  for  the  ven- 
erable institution.  Twice  before  had  the  name  of  Father  Lavialle 
been  presented  to  Rome  as  that  of  one  worthy  of  episcopal  honors, 
and  once  the  bulls  for  his  consecration  were  placed  in  his  hands. 
Wholly  unambitious  of  prominence  in  the  church,  and  singularly  dis- 
trustful of  his  own  merits  and  capabilities,  he  was  filled  with  dismay 
when  this  appointment  came  to  his  knowledge.  Upon  what  plea  it 
was  that  he  sought  and  was  accorded  relief  from  the  responsibility  he 
dreaded,  the  writer  does  not  know.  But  he  did  succeed  in  averting 
what  he  must  have  feared  would  be  a  calamity  to  the  Church  in  his 
adopted  country.  It  was  different  a  few  years  later,  when  he  was 
called  to  a  like  position  in  the  diocese  of  Louisville.  Now,  so  at  least 
it  is  said,  his  appointment  was  coupled  with  a  command  that  it  should 
be  accepted.  This  command  was  received  by  him  as  the  revelation 
of  God's  will,  and  his  consecration  followed,  taking  place  in  the 
cathedral  of  the  Assumption  on  the  24th  day  of  September,  1865. 

The  episcopal  life  of  Bishop  Lavialle  covered  but  a  short  space  in 
time,  barely  one  year,  four  months  and  seventeen  days ;  but  rarely  in 
the  history  of  human  endeavor  has  any  one  so  circumstanced,  filled  its 
equivalent  with  labors  that  were  more  beneficial  to  his  people,  or  more 
demonstrative  of  the  idea,  all  for  God,  nothing/or  self.  Catholics,  to  their 
praise  be  it  spoken,  are  always  ready  to  accord  to  thfir  spiritual  rulers 
the  homage  that  is  presupposed  to  be  their  due,  not  merely  from 
immemorial  usage,  but  from  bounden  duty  as  prescribed  by  Christ 
Himself,  and  as  held  of  christian  obligation  by  the  Church  He  estab- 
lished on  earth.  But  there  have  been  prelates  in  the  past,  as  there 
will  undoubtedly  be  in  the  future,  to  whom  has  been  and  will  be 
accorded  a  less  or  greater  share  of  this  homage  because  of  accidental 
circumstances.  It  is  a  tendency  of  human  nature  to  seek  and  take 
pride  in  that  precise  character  of  representation  that  most  accords  with 
its  natural  desires  and  inclinations.     Catholics,  no  less  frequently  than 


494  RT.  REV.  PETER  JOSEPH  LAVIALLE. 

Others,  would  appear  to  be  forgetful  at  times  of  the  fact  that  the 
criterions  established  in  worldly  affairs  are  in  no  wise  applicable  to 
Church  government.  Men  are  rightly  called  upon,  in  this  country,  at 
least,  to  use  both  judgment  and  discretion  in  their  choice  of  civil 
rulers.  Not  only  does  a  different  rule  apply  in  the  economy  of  God 
and  His  Church,  but  of  right,  and  out  of  simple  consistency,  it  is  meet 
that  it  should  be  so.  Our  rulers  in  spirituals  have  their  commissions 
from  God  Himself,  and  from  Him  is  derived  all  their  sufficiency. 
Shall  Catholics  murmur  when  they  are  unable  to  discover  in  their  pas- 
tors and  spiritual  guides  those  attributes  of  mind  that  ordinarily  lead  to 
pre-eminence  in  worldly  callings  ?  Those  of  them  who  think  they  are 
justified  in  doing  this,  are  not  only  blind  to  reasonable  inference,  but 
they  are  blind  likewise  to  the  teachings  of  revelation. 

Bishop  Lavialle  was  a  man  to  whom  no  one  accorded  the  posses- 
sion of  extraordinary  natural  talents.  He  was  not  eloquent  in  the  pul- 
pit, and  neither  was  he  forcible  as  a  writer.  Judged  by  the  standard 
of  the  world,  he  was  a  plain  man  with  practical  ideas.  But  he  was  in 
reality  much  more  than  all  this.  He  was  a  man  of  God,  and  he 
labored,  not  with  dependence  upon  his  own  strength,  but  with  the 
assurance  that  what  was  lacking  to  him  therein  would  be  supplied  by 
Him  from  whom  was  derived  his  commission. 

Referring  to  Bishop  Lavialle  a  few  days  after  the  date  of  his  death, 
the  writer  thus  expressed  himself  in  an  account  he  then  gave  to  the 
press  of  his  life  and  labors  in  the  diocese  of  Louisville  : 

"It  is  scarcely  necessary,  in  the  presence  of  the  Catholics  of 
Louisville,  that  I  should  refer  to  his  labors  since  he  was  charged 
with  the  episcopacy.  The  results  of  these  are  everywhere  before 
them.  .  .  .  Not  even  the  smallest  congregation  in  the  diocese  has 
failed  to  receive  the  benefits  of  his  personal  attention,  and  there  is  not  a 
religious  house  or  educational  establishment  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  See  that  he  has  not  visited,  some  of  them  more  than  once,  and 
where  his  presence  has  not  brought  renewed  spiritual  life.  It  would 
seem  as  if  he  had  taken  for  his  motto  the  words  of  his  Divine  Master 
as  recorded  by  St.  John  :  '  I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent 
me  while  it  is  day;  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work.'  Cer- 
tain it  is  that  he  allowed  himself  no  rest  until  his  physical  condition, 
broken  down  with  unceasing  toil,  became  too  delicate  to  admit  of  fur- 
ther drafts  upon  its  strength.  On  his  return,  a  few  months  ago,  from 
his  last  visitation  of  his  diocese,  it  was  apparent  to  every  one,  even  to 
himself,  that  nature  could  no  longer  bear  the  strain,  and  that  he  must, 
at  least  for  a  time,  retire  from  the  unequal  contest.  After  remaining 
for  several  weeks  at  the  St.  Joseph's  infirmary,  Louisville,  he  was 
induced  by  his  friends,  who  were  hopeful  that  the  change  would  prove 
beneficial,  to  place  himself  under  the  care  of  the  sisters  of  charity  at 
Nazareth,  near  Bardstown.  At  first  he  appeared  to  rally,  but  it  was 
soon  seen  that  his  disease  was  too  deeply  seated  for  eradication.  He 
continued  gradually  to  sink  until,  on  the  evening  of  the  nth  of  May, 
he  calmly  expired.  . 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  495 

"The  evidences  of  one's  vocation  are  generally  of  easy  recogni- 
tion. In  the  case  of  Bishop  Lavialle  they  were  apparent  to  all  who 
had  opportunities  to  observe  his  manner  of  life.  The  responsibilities 
he  had  assumed  were  as  objects  that  were  ever  present  to  his  sight 
and  to  his  understanding.  With  him,  body  and  soul,  heart  and  mind, 
were  as  holocausts  freely  offered  to  the  Divine  Head  of  the  Church  for 
his  own  sanctification  and  that  of  his  people.  He  had  proposed 
shortly  to  visit  Rome  with  a  number  of  his  episcopal  brothers  of 
other  sections  of  the  Union,  and  he  often  spoke  of  the  pleasure  he 
was  looking  forward  to  when  he  should  again  be  privileged  to  look 
into  the  face  of  his  aged  mother  in  far-away  France.  This  fond 
mother,  so  he  had  been  told,  was  even  then  busily  employing  her 
hands  in  making  preparations  for  the  reception  of  her  honored  son 
and  expected  guest.  Even  had  he  recovered  from  his  illness  and  been 
privileged  to  revisit  the  home  of  his  childhood,  he  would  have  found 
there  no  maternal  greeting.  She  had  preceded  him  by  a  few  weeks 
to  a  home  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens." 

The  obsequies  of  Bishop  Lavialle  took  place  in  the  cathedral  of 
the  Assumption  on  the  Thursday  following  the  day  of  his  death.  There 
were  present  in  the  sanctuary  at  the  time  two  archbishops,  Most.  Rev. 
J.  B.  Purcell,  of  Cincinnati,  and  Most  Rev.  R.  P.  Kenrick,  of  St. 
Louis,  and  five  bishops,  viz:  de  St.  Palais,  of  Vincennes;  Luers,  of  Fort 
Wayne;  Carrell,  of  Covington j  Rosecrans,  of  Cincinnati,  and  Feehan, 
of  Nashville. 


496  CATHOUCITY  IN  SOUTHERN  KENtUCKY. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

I 

CATHOLICITY    IN    SOUTHERN    KENTUCKY. 

Previous  to  the  year  1850,  the  number  of  Catholic  families  resid- 
ing south  of  the  Green  and  Barren  rivers,  and  along  the  line  of  the 
present  Louisville  and  Nashville  railroad,  could  have  been  counted  on 
the  fingers  of  one's  hands.  In  Bowling  Green,  the  chief  city  of  the 
section  referred  to,  there  were  certainly  not  over  a  half-dozen  families 
at  that  day,  and  it  is  known  there  were  but  two  living  in  Franklin, 
Simpson  county,  the  next  most  important  place  in  the  section  referred 
to.  At  this  latter  point,  years  before,  the  earlier  Catholic  missionaries 
of  the  State  had  found  hospitable  entertainment  at  the  houses  of  Law- 
rence and  John  Finn,  Irish  Catholics,  who  had  settled  in  Franklin  as 
early  as  the  year  1830.  These  two  were  not  only  men  of  energy  and 
worth,  but  they  were  Catholics  in  practice  as  well  as  in  name.  They 
were  exemplars  of  a  principle  in  ethics  that  deserves  the  consideration  of 
all  Catholic  young  men  living  in  communities  almost  exclusively  non- 
Catholic.  They  were  not  weak  enough  to  suppose  that  the  respect 
of  these  was  to  be  purchased  by  any  species  of  time-service.  Their 
position  in  the  religious  world  was  at  no  time  a  matter  of  question, 
whether  publicly  asked  or  privately  whispered.  On  all  proper  occasions, 
they  were  as  bold  to  declare  their  faith  as  they  were  to  explain  and 
defend  it.  They  lived  their  religion,  and  it  was  but  natural  that  the 
observers  of  their  manner  of  life  should  have  contracted  habits  of 
respect  for  the  faith  which,  they  could  but  see,  had  not  only  made  of 
them  men  of  honor  and  probity,  but  had  habituated  them  to  gentle- 
ness and  courtesy  in  their  intercourse  with  their  fellow-citizens.  It 
was  to  these  two,  primarily,  that  was  afterwards  due  the  respectable 
position  of  Catholicity  in  the  county  of  Simpson. 

John  and  Lawrence  Finn  were  brothers.  The  former  represented 
Simpson  county  in  the  State  legislature  from  1836  to  1838.  Of  him, 
the  writer  had  Uttle  personal  knowledge,  but  his  acquaintance  with  the 
elder  brother  was  long  and  intimate,  beginning  in  1836,  and  ending 
with  his  death,  only  a  few  years  ago.  Lawrence  Finn  was  a  man  of 
much  force  of  character,  popular  in  his  manners,  and  of  more  than 
ordinary  culture.  In  matters  referring  to  dogma  in  religion,  he  was 
especially  well-informed.  Among  his  personal  friends  of  the  county 
of  Simpson,  was  the  late  Hon.  Beverly  L.  Clark,  afterwards  minister 
of  the  United  States  to  Guatemala  and  Honduras,  with  whom  he  had 
many  conversations  on  religious  subjects.  These,  it  is  generally  con- 
ceded, had  their  later  fruits  in  the  conversion  of  Mr.  Clark  while  on 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  497 

his  death-bed  at  the  seat  of  his  distant  mission,  and  subsequently,  in 
that  of  several  members  of  his  family.  Another  of  his  converts,  simi- 
larly influenced,  was  the  late  R.  D.  Salmon,  Esq.,  a  man  of  great 
intelligence  and  influence  in  the  county.* 

Forty  years  ago,  when  he  was  in  his  prime,  Lawrence  Finn  was 
personally  known  to  almost  the  entire  clerical  body  of  the  diocese, 
and  not  another  in  the  State  had  a  greater  share  of  their  confidence 
and  respect.  An  observer  all  his  life,  and  an  incessant  reader,  he 
had  treasured  up  in  his  mind  much  that  was  of  general  interest,  and 
few  men  were  better  able  to  attract  attention  by  his  fine  conversational 
powers.  His  epitaph  might  read :  An  Irish  gentleman  who  adorned 
American  society  ;  a  Catholic  christian  who  illustrated  his  faith  by  his 

works. 

The  building  of  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  railroad,  m  the  latter 
half  of  the  decade  ending  with  the  year  i860,  brought  to  the  section 
of  country  indicated  hundreds  of  Catholic  laborers,  whose  position  in 
a  religious  point  of  view  was  pitiable  in  the  extreme.  Up  to  that  time, 
the  few  Catholic  families  living  in  the  district  had  been  visited  at  long 
intervals  by  Rev.  E.  J.  Durbin;  but  now  so  greatly  had  their  numbers 
increased,  that  an  efibrt  was  made  to  secure  for  them  a  pastor.  Early 
in  the  year  1856  a  delegation  of  Catholic  residents  of  Bowling  Green 
waited  on  Bishop  Spalding  and  implored  him  to  send  them  a  priest, 
in  order  that  themselves  and  their  families  might  be  enabled  to  fulfil 
their  religious  obligations.  This  delegation  was  composed  of  Maurice 
Higgins,  John  Barry  and  Daniel  O'SuUivan.  In  answer  to  their  peti- 
tion, and  with  as  litde  delay  as  possible,  the  prelate  named  sent  to 
Bowling  Green  the  late  Rev.  Patrick  Bambury,  a  zealous  priest,  whose 
missionary  life  in  Kentucky,  previous  to  that  date,  had  been  passed 
in  Western  Kentucky,  f  There  being  no  church  at  the  time  in  Bow- 
Hng  Green,  his  chapel  was  the  parlor  of  the  house  occupied  by  Dan- 
iel O'Sullivan,  still  living,  and  now  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Louisville. 
Father  Bambury  did  what  he  could  for  the  Catholic  people  of  his 
extended  mission,  and  when  he  was  forced  by  physical  ailments  to 
resign  his  charge,  there  was  lamentation  throughout  its  borders. 

Early  in  the  year  1859,  Bishop  Spalding  appointed  a  pastor  for  South- 
ern Kentucky  whose  name  has  since  become  familiar  to  its  Catholic 
population.     In  that  year  Father  Joseph  De  Vries  was  removed  from 

*  From  a  clergyman  who  had  exceptional  opportunities  of  acquiring  knowl- 
edge of  Mr.  Salmon  and  his  manner  of  life,  I  learn  much  that  has  greatly  enhanced 
my  former  respect  for  his  memory.  In  the  words  of  my  informant,  "  in 
becoming  a  Catholic,  Mr.  Salmon  surrendered  his  whole  being  and  faculties 
to  the  service  of  God.  What  he  could  do  to  lead  other  minds  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth,  that  he  did  ;  and  the  exactness  and  regularity  by  which  was 
marked  his  daily  existence,  caused  men  to  feel  that  the  sincerity  of  his  convic- 
tions was  beyond  question." 

t  Father  Bambury's  health  was  poor  at  the  time.  Two  years  later,  he 
returned  to  Ireland,  where  his  death  took  place  some  time  in  the  year  1859. 
The  few  of  his  still  living  friends  with  whom  I  have  conversed,  speak  in  uoi 
stinted  terms  of  praise  of  his  fidelity  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him. 


498  CATHOLICITY  IN  SOUTHERN  KENTUCKY. 

his  pastorship  of  the  church  he  had  erected  in  Hodgensville,  and 
given  charge  of  the  entire  mission  of  Southern  Kentucky,  with  his 
headquarters  at  BowHng  Green.  At  the  time  named,  the  principal 
CathoUc  residents  of  that  town  were:  Daniel  O'Sullivan,  Maurice 
Higgins,  John  Barry,  James  Dugan,  Frank  Keister,  John  McNamara, 
Patrick  McNamara,  Richard,  Michael  and  David  Sullivan,  Patrick 
Nolan,  Peter  Kelly,  James  Flynn,  Michael  and  P.  H.  Sohan,  Michael 
McCauliffe,  Daniel  and  Bartholomew  O' Reagan,  Thomas  Hyland,  John 
Welsh,  William  Warren,  John,  Timothy  and  William  Hogan,  George 
Lehman,  Patrick  Guinan,  John  Burke,  John  Moran,  John  Galvin, 
Daniel  O'Reilly  and  Jas.  Donaldson. 

The  outlying  mission,  attached  to  the  pastorate,  covered  at  the  time 
the  counties  of  Warren,  Simpson,  Christian,  Logan,  Barren  and  Allen, 
in  each  of  which  there  were  resident  Catholics.  During  the  first 
months  of  his  residence  in  BowHng  Green,  Father  De  Vries  contiued 
to  say  his  daily  mass,  when  at  home,  in  the  parlor  of  Mr.  O'SuUivan's 
house.  Soon,  however,  he  was  enabled  to  put  up  a  temporary  chapel 
of  boards,  which  sufficed  for  the  needs  of  the  congregation  until,  with 
the  assistance  of  his  faithful  people,  he  caused  to  be  erected  the  first 
church  of  St.  Joseph,  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  in  the  summer 
of  1862,  by  Rev.  P.   J.  Lavialle,   afterwards  bishop  of  Louisville.* 

The  lot  upon  which  the  church  of  St.  Joseph  was  erected  was  a  gift 
to  the  congregation  from  a  liberal  non-Catholic,  Euclid  Covington,  Esq. 

Bowling  Green  was  a  strategetic  point  at  the  beginning  of  the  civil 
war,  and  at  no  time  during  the  long  continued  strife  was  it  free  from 
the  presence  of  soldiery.  While  this  fact  could  not  but  have  filled  the 
pastor's  days  with  anxiety,  and  sometimes  with  real  distress,  the  very 
arduousness  of  the  labors  it  entailed  was  not  without  its  consolations. 
It  is  precisely  under  such  circumstances  that  the  good  priest  finds  him- 
self strengthened  to  do  his  Master's  work  and  to  serve  his  people. 

The  year  immediately  preceding  the  war  had  brought  to  both  Bow- 
ling Green  and  Franklin  a  marked  increase  in  the  numbers  of  their 
Catholic  residents.  Many  of  those  who  had  accumulated  something 
by  their  labor  expended  in  the  service  of  the  railway  company,  settled 
down  in  one  or  the  other  of  these  towns  and  began  the  construction  of 
their  individual  fortunes  in  business  life.  After  the  war,  there  was  a 
still  more  decided  influx  of  Catholics  to  both  places. 

As  early  as  1863,  Father  De  Vries  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure 
for  Bowling  Green  a  colony  of  the  sisters  of  charity  of  Nazareth. 
Under  the  wise  and  judicious  management  of  their  local  superior.  Sis- 
ter Constantia  Robinson,  lately  deceased,  the  sisterhood  had  soon  in 
operation  a  most  excellent  school,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  St. 
Columba's  academy,  and   this   institution  is   now    one   of  the    most 

*  My  inlormant  tells  me  that  the  liberality  shown  by  the  Catholic  laborers 
employed  on  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  railroad,  from  the  day  the  church 
of  St.  Joseph  was  begun  to  that  upon  which  it  was  opened  for  divine  service, 
was  most  praiseworthy.  On  pay-days,  they  thronged  the  pastoral  residence,  all 
eager  to  help  along  the  work  to  the  full  measure  of  their  ability. 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  .         499 

flourishing  of  the  numerous  branch  establishments  of  the  mother-house 
at  Bardstown. 

In  1867,  Father  De  Vries  built  a  comfortable  presbytery  adjoining 
the  church  of  St.  Joseph ;  and  he  began  the  same  year  the  erection  of 
the  church  of  St.  Mary,  at  Franklin.* 

Catholicity  in  Bowling  Green  has  shown  much  development  since 
1867.  Three  years  later,  the  zealous  pastor  undertook  the  erection 
of  a  much  larger  and  better  appointed  church  edifice,  of  which  he  was 
then  enabled  only  to  make  a  beginning.  This  new  church  was  finished 
this  present  year,  and  its  solemn  dedication,  at  the  hands  of  Rt.  Rev. 
William  McCloskey,  took  place  on  the  30th  of  April,  1884. 

*This  church  was  afterwards  finished  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  James 
Ryan. 


^OO  REV.   ROBERT   A.  ABELL — 1834-1873. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

REV.     ROBERT    A.     ABELL 1834-1873. 

In  1834,  as  the  reader  will  remember,  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell  was 
removed  from  Louisville  to  Lebanon,  Marion  county,  Kentucky, 
where  a  more  commodious  church  edifice  had  come  to  be  a  necessity. 
Born  within  a  short  distance  of  the  town,  known  to  everybody,  and 
held  in  deserved  respect  by  the  entire  population  of  the  county,  it 
would  be  no  difficult  task  for  him,  so  his  bishop  supposed,  to  raise 
whatever  aid  was  needed  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  work.  The 
times  were  hard,  however,  and  though  the  pastor  was  at  once  indus- 
trious and  persevering,  it  was  not  till  1837  that  the  new  church  of  St. 
Augustine  was  ready  for  dedication.  It  presented  a  handsome  appear- 
ance, and  both  pastor  and  people  entered  upon  its  occupancy  with 
grateful  hearts.* 

Father  Abell's  pastorate  in  Lebanon  continued  to  the  year  1840, 
when  he  was  named  by  his  bishop,  vice-president  of  St.  Joseph's  col- 
lege. With  the  college  youths,  he  was  a  popular  official,  but  it  is 
regarded  as  doubtful  if  his  employment  was  pleasing  to  himself.  He 
had  been  too  long  engaged  in  the  performance  of  missionary  work  to 
take  kindly  to  that  which  was  purely  administrative.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
he  resigned  his  place  in  the  college  in  the  fall  of  1844,  and  was  returned 
to  missionary  labors.  A  few  months  later,  he  was  given  charge  of  the 
congregation  at  New  Haven,  Nelson  county. 

New  Haven  was  not  then  a  new  town  by  any  means ;  and  though 
having  in  the  village  and  its  immediate  neighborhood  a  considerable 
number  of  Catholic  residents,  it  was  without  a  church.  Forty  years 
before,  it  had  been  a  shipping  point  of  some  importance  to  the  trade 

*  The  pastorate  of  St.  Augustine's  after  1840,  went  into  the  hands  of  the 
late  Very  Rev.  D.  A.  Deparcq,  who  held  the  position  for  ten  years.  During 
the  greater  part  of  that  time,  his  pastorship  extended  also  to  the  churches  of 
Holy  Mary's,  on  the  Rolling  Fork  ;  St.  Bernard's,  on  Casey  creek,  and  St. 
Patrick's,  in  Danville.  Later  pastors  of  St.  Augustine's  were :  Rev.  James 
Quinn,  the  Jesuit  fathers  of  St.  Mary's  college,  Rev.  Daniel  Cull,  Rev.  A. 
A.  Aud,  Rev.  John  B.  Hutchins,  Rev.  Patrick  Cassidy,  Rev.  Ivo  Schacht, 
Rev.  D.  I.  O'Donovan,  Rev.  J.  F.  Reed,  Rev.  Dominic  Crane  and  the  present 
occupant  of  the  post,  Rev.  P.  de  Fraine.  The  late  Joseph  Spalding,  Esq.,  a 
half-brother  of  Archbishop  Spalding,  left  at  his  death,  the  present  year,  a 
handsome  legacy  to  the  congregation  of  St.  Augustine.  In  the  fifty  years  that 
have  elapsed  since  the  death  of  Father  Nerinckx,  the  congregation  of  Holy 
Mary's,  Marion  county,  one  of  the  older  of  the  churches  of  the  State,  has  been 
served  by  Fathers  Deparcq,  Quinn,  Aud,  Abell,  Cull  and  others.  The  present 
pastor  of  the  church  is  Rev.  P.  J.  Lacoste. 


CATHOLICITY    tN    KENTUCKY.  SOI 

of  the  country;  and,  at  about  that  period,  there  had  been  erected 
there,  immediately  on  the  bank  of  the  httle  river  that  skirts  its  borders, 
a  large  warehouse,  designed  for  the  storage  of  commodities  previous 
to  shipment  South  during  the  spring  and  autumn  freshets.  Busy 
scenes  were  to  be  witnessed  from  the  banks  of  the  RoUing  Fork  on 
these  occasions.  Where  there  had  before  been  a  diminutive  stream 
was  now  to  be  seen  a  flood  of  waters  capable  of  bearing  up  flat-boats 
of  many  tons  burden,  all  deeply  laden,  and  ready  to  begin  their  passage- 
way through  the  little  and  great  rivers  of  the  State,  on  to  the  majestic 
"father  of  waters,"  and  down  his  mighty  torrent  to  the  commercial 
marts  of  the  South. 

The  proprietor  of  the  warehouse  referred  to  above  was  one  Sam. 
Pottinger,  a  notable  character  in  his  day,  of  whom  the  late  Rev.  John 
B.  Hutchins  used  to  relate  the  anecdote  that  follows: 

For  fully  three  parts  of  the  year,  Mr.  Pottinger's  warehouse  was 
unused  for  storage  purposes;  and  at  such  times  its  owner  was  in  the 
habit  of  granting  its  occupancy  to  one  or  another  of  the  Protestant 
ministers  of  the  day  for  local  preaching.  Among  those  to  whom  he 
had  most  frequently  accorded  this  privilege,  was  a  preacher  named 
Downs.  Minister  Downs  was  an  enthusiast.  He  had  grown  tired, 
it  is  to  be  supposed,  of  preaching  to  sinners  the  gospel  of  repentance, 
and  he  longed  for  an  opportunity  to  break  a  lance  with  the  Pope,  or,  at 
least,  with  one  of  his  representatives.  No  sooner  had  this  idea  taken 
possession  of  his  mind,  than  he  addressed  a  challenge  to  Father  John 
B.  David  to  meet  him  at  Sam.  Pottinger's  storage-house  on  a  given 
day,  and  there  to  discuss  with  him  the  relative  credibility  of  their  dis- 
tinct forms  of  religious  faith.  Brother  Downs'  theological  knowledge 
was  very  limited;  but,  as  is  usually  the  case  with  the  least  proficient  in 
the  science,  his  self-confidence  was  measureless.  Father  David,  on  the 
other  hand,  was  not  only  a  profound  scholar,  but  he  was  by  far  the 
ablest  expounder  of  the  science  of  theology  then  in  the  State.  He 
accepted  the  preacher's  challenge  very  willingly;  for  it  is  to  be 
remarked  of  him  that  he  very  rarely  failed  to  respond  favorably  to 
cartels  of  the  kind.  He  was  excusable  in  this  instance,  as  in  others ; 
for  if  there  ever  was  a  priest  in  Kentucky  who  allowed  himself  little 
time  for  recreation,  that  priest  was  the  founder  of  the  seminary  of  St. 
Thomas.  It  was  about  his  only  amusement  to  lead  to  their  discom- 
fiture the  aggressive  and  self-poised  enemies  of  his  religion. 

The  day  of  trial  came  at  length,  and  the  warehouse  on  the  bank  of 
the  river  was  packed  with  people  from  rostrum  to  doorway.  Before 
the  speaking  began,  the  proprietor  of  the  warehouse  thus  addressed 
the  preacher:  "See  here.  Downs!  if  you  are  going  to  let  the  priest  get 
ahead  of  you  in  this  fight,  you  can  look  out  for  another  place  to  preach 
in;  for  just  as  sure  as  that  happens,  I  am  going  to  let  the  Catholics 
keep  church  here  as  often  as  they  want  to.  " 

The  discussion  began  and  proceeded ;  but  it  was  one-sided  from 
the  first.  Brother  Downs  very  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
he  had  committed  the  blunder  of  his  life.     His  unsupported  assertions 


502  REV.   ROBERT   A.  ABELL — 1834-1873. 

were  met  by  proofs  of  their  falsity  from  standard  authorities,  both 
Protestant  and  Catholic;  his  quotations  from  the  Bible  were  shown  to 
be  either  meaningless  or  irrelevant  when  applied  to  the  points  under 
discussion;  he  was  made  to  contradict  himself;  and  finally,  involved 
in  a  labyrinth  of  incongruities  from  which  there  was  no  escape,  he 
threw  himself  upon  his  dignity  and  refused  to  continue  the  discussion. 
Mr.  Pottinger  was  as  good  as  his  word  ;  and  from  that  day,  the  Catho- 
lics of  the  vicinity  were  privileged  to  hear  mass,  at  least  once  a  month, 
in  the  warehouse  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

Formerly  the  resident  Catholic  population  of  New  Haven  district 
had  been  served  from  Holy  Cross  church,  but  for  years  before  Father 
Abell's  successful  attempt  to  put  up  a  church  in  the  town,  it  had  been 
under  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  reverend  gentlemen  of  the  seminary 
of  St.  Thomas.  This  arrangement  had  been  found  inconvenient  in 
many  respects.  As  the  Catholic  body  increased  in  numbers,  calls  to 
the  sick  had  become  more  frequent ;  and  these,  owing  to  the  distance 
to  be  traversed  between  the  town  and  the  seminary,  were  sometimes 
delayed  until  there  was  danger  of  death  before  the  presence  of  a  priest 
could  be  secured.  Between  the  Catholic  people  of  the  town  and  the 
bishop  coadjutor  consultation  was  held,  and  this  eventuated  in  the 
appointment  of  Father  Abell  to  the  pastorate,  and  the  subsequent 
erection  by  him  of  the  fairly  commodious  church  of  St.  Catharine,  the 
dedication  of  which  took  place  on  the  24th  of  September,  1848. 

If  the  writer  has  not  been  misinformed,  Father  Abell's  connection 
with  the  parish  of  New  Haven  ended  about  the  year  i860.  For  years 
previously  he  had  been  suffering  from  a  painful  form  of  sciatica,  and 
this  had  now  grown  so  serious  as  to  interfere  with  his  locomotion. 
Fully  aware  of  his  condition,  Bishop  Spalding,  sorely  in  need  as  he 
was  of  priestly  service  in  many  congregations  of  the  diocese,  felt  that 
the  venerable  priest  was  entitled  to  a  rest.  For  nearly  ten  years  after 
his  retirement  from  St.  Catharine's,  Father  Abell  made  his  temporary 
home  with  one  or  another  of  his  relatives,  mostly  with  those  living 
near  the  church  of  Holy  Mary  on  the  Rolling  Fork,  almost  within  sight 
of  which  was  the  spot  upon  which  he  was  born.  Before  following  up 
the  story  of  his  remaining  years,  however,  the  writer  would  refer  here, 
very  briefly,  to  the  after  history  of  the  parish  of  St.  Catharine's  in 
which  had  been  past  the  last  years  of  his  missionary  life. 

The  second  regular  pastor  sent  to  the  Catholic  people  of  New 
Haven  was  the  late  Francis  de  Meulder,  a  priest  whose  laborious 
and  sanctified  life  was  a  wonder  of  edification  to  all  who  were  for- 
tunate enough  to  come  within  the  sphere  of  its  influence.  He  was  of 
the  number  of  Flemish  priests  first  introduced  to  the  country  through 
the  American  college  at  Louvain,  and  the  second  of  these  to  lay  down 
his  life  while  serving  on  the  missions  of  the  diocese.  If  there  ever 
was  a  priest  in  Kentucky  who  was  absolutely  regardless  of  self  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  ministry,  such  a  priest  was  Father  de  Meulder. 
Simple  as  a  child,  humble  as  a  saint,  filled  with  zeal  that  was  truly 
apostolic,  and  bearing  with  cheerful  resignation  the  afflicting  ailment 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  503 

that  pursued  him  to  his  grave,  the  writer  is  unable  to  recall  a  single 
one  of  the  many  priests  by  whose  friendship  he  was  honored,  whose 
entire  character  was  more  consistently  upright,  christian  and  sacer- 
dotal. After  the  war,  Father  de  Meulder  established  a  school  for 
colored  children  in  New  Haven,  which  is  still  conducted  by  sisters 
from  Loretto. 

In  the  fall  of  1872,  Father  de  Meulder  was  removed  by  Bishop 
McCloskey  to  Louisville,  and  given  charge  of  the  then  recently  con- 
structed church  of  St.  Augustine,  put  up  for  the  special  use  of  the 
large  colored  element  of  the  Catholic  population  of  Louisville.  On 
the  iSthof  March,  1873,  wishing  to  be  present  at  the  celebration  of 
the  patronal  feast  of  the  church  at  New  Haven,  of  which  he  had  been 
pastor  for  so  many  years,  he  left  on  the  train  of  that  day  for  the  place 
named;  and  either  on  the  evening  of  the  i8th,  or  the  morning  of  the 
19th,  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis.  He  lived  for  several  years,  a 
confirmed  invalid,  and  died  at  the  hospital  of  Sts.  Mary  and  Elizabeth  - 
a  few  years  ago.* 

Returning  to  the  subject  proper  of  this  chapter,  we  find  Father 
Abell  thus  alluded  to  in  several  of  the  directories  published  previous 
to  the  year  1870:  "  Rev.  Robt.  Abell,  retired  from  the  active  exercise  of 
the  holy  ministry,  in  consequence  of  age  and  infirmities,  resides  near 
the  church,  {that  of  Holy  Mary's),  and  preaches  occasionally."  This 
note  scarcely  represents  in  their  integrity  the  labors  that  engaged  much 
of  the  venerable  missionary's  so-called  season  of  rest,  during  the  term 
of  its  continuance.  He  was  in  the  habit,  throughout  this  long  inter- 
val of  years,  of  answering  calls  for  special  service,  not  only  from  pas- 
tors of  souls  stationed  not  far  distant  from  his  temporary  abode,  but 
from  others  having  charges  in  Louisville  and  other  parts  of  the  State. 
Some  time  previous  to  his  retirement  from  active  duty,  he  had  sold  to 
Bishop  Spalding,  in  consideration  of  a  small  annuity  that  barely  suf- 
ficed for  his  maintenance,  the  only  piece  of  property  he  was  ever 
known  to  possess — a  house  and  lot  in  the  city  of  Louisville,  in  and 

*  On  one  or  two  occasions  I  was  happy  enough  to  have  Father  De  Muelder 
for  my  guest.  Remembering  now  his  life  of  unselfish  devotion  to  the  interests 
of  God's  people,  I  feel  as  if,  in  very  truth,  I  had  entertained  an  angel  una- 
wares. By  his  will,  he  left  to  Dr.  McCloskey,  bishop  of  Louisville,  a  lot  of  land 
in  New  Haven,  "in  trust  for  a  chapel  and  school-house  to  be  used  forever  by 
the  colored  Catholic  children"  of  that  parish.  The  remainder  of  his  little 
property  he  left  "  to  the  use  of  the  hospital  of  Sts.  Mary  and  Elizabeth,"  and  to 
"the  Nazareth  sisterhood." 

Since  1837,  the  Catholic  people  of  New  Haven  have  been  served  by  their 
present  pastor,  Rev.  A.  Viala,  under  whose  energetic  pastorate  the  congrega- 
tion has  become  noted  throughout  the  diocese  for  its  Catholic  spirit,  and  its 
faithful  observance  of  religious  duty.  Aided  by  a  member  of  his  congrgation 
who  has  always  exhibited  most  wraiseworthy  interest  in  the  Catholic  charities 
of  the  State,  Father  Viala  is  now  engaged  in  constructing  a  new  church. 
When  finished,  as  it  Soon  will  be,  St.  Catharine's  will  be  not  only  one  of  the 
handsomest  church  edifices  of  the  diocese,  but  its  dimensions  will  be  ample 
for  the  comfortable  accommodation  of  the  Catholic  people  of  the  parish  for 
many  years  to  come. 


564  REV.  ROBERT  A.  ABELL — 1834-1873. 

upon  which  he  had  lived  while  occupying  the  position  of  pastor  of  St. 
Louis'  church  and  congregation.  It  was  not  of  his  nature  to  live  idly; 
and  when  it  so  happened  that  his  means  were  equal  to  the  costs  of  a 
jaunt  to  the  city,  where  he  was  sure  to  find  something  to  do,  or  to  the 
parsonage  of  some  disabled  or  overworked  parish  incumbent  located 
elsewhere,  he  rarely  failed  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to 
make  himself  useful. 

For  the  reason,  possibly,  that  the  greater  number  of  his  inends  of 
the  clergy  were  stationed  in  Louisville,  or  because  he  was  naturally 
inclined  to  renew  the  interrupted  associations  formed  in  his  early 
ministry  with  numbers  of  persons  who  were  his  parishioners  when  he 
was  the  only  priest  in  that  city,  it  was  to  Louisville  most  frequently 
his  steps  were  directed  when  he  felt  inclined  to  peregrination. 

Father  Abell  was  a  poor  physiognomist;  and,  as  a  consequence,  he 
was  often  victimized  by  persons  who  carried  in  their  faces  the  indelible 
marks  of  their  inborn  roguery.  On  the  other  hand,  he  would  fancy, 
not  unfrequently,  the  existence  of  evil  traits  in  a  man  from  some 
peculiarity  in  the  conformation  of  his  visage  that  reminded  him  of  one 
or  another  species  of  animal  for  which  he  had  an  aversion.  Judgment 
of  character  so  formed,  was,  of  course,  much  more  likely  to  be  erro- 
neous than  truthful.  He  was  at  times,  too,  outspoken  in  telling  men 
what  his  impressions  were  concerning  them;  and  he  did  not  seem  to 
feel  that  there  was  any  impropriety  in  such  revelations  of  his  thoughts. 
When  told  by  his  friends,  however,  that  he  had  pronounced  rash  judg- 
ment, or  wounded  sensibility,  no  one  ever  went  to  greater  lengths  to 
eradicate  the  wrongful  impression  he  had  made.  The  following  anec- 
dote will  illustrate  this  peculiarity  of  his  mind  : 

On  a  certain  occasion,  Father  Abell,  after  a  long  absence  from  the 
city,  came  to  Louisville  and  stopped  with  his  old  friend,  the  late  Rev. 
Walter  S.  Coomes,  then,  and  up  to  the  day  of  his  death,  chaplain  of 
St.  Vincent's  orphan  asylum.  Between  the  two,  as  has  been  hitherto 
observed,  there  was  a  bond  of  friendship  commensurate  in  its  duration 
with  their  long  service  in  the  sacred  ministry.  They  were  much  alike 
in  their  reverence  for  truth,  and  in  their  contempt  of  riches;  in  their 
zeal  for  God's  glory  and  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  in  their  incorrup- 
tible integrity;  but  they  were  very  unlike  in  intellectual  activity  and 
force  of  character.  Whilst  Father  Abell,  in  manner,  action  and  utter- 
ance, was  always  bold  and  demonstrative,  his  friend  was  retiring  in 
manner,  cautious  in  speech,  and  forbearing  to  the  verge  of  timidity. 
They  loved  each  other,  however,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  see  them 
together  in  their  old  age,  and  to  hear  them  recount  passages  in  their 
lives  that  had  their  occurrence  when  they  were  both  young  in  the  priest- 
hood. On  the  occasion  referred  to,  the  pair  were  conversing  together 
in  "Father  Watty's*  room,  when  they  were  waited  on  by  a  couple  of 
priests  of  the  city,  who  had  called  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  oldest 
living  member  of  their  order  in  the  diocese.  Deferring  an  introduc- 
tion. Father  Coomes  turned  to  his  friend  and  said : 

"Father  Abell,  these  are  friends  of  mine,  priests  of  good  standing 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  505 

in  the  city,  and  before  making  them  known  to  you  by  name,  I  want 
you  to  tell  me,  if  you  can,  from  what  country  or  countries  they  came." 

It  is  necessary  to  state  here  that  the  facial  Hues  of  both  priests  were 
clearly  indicative  of  their  Teutonic  origin.  Glancing  at  the  younger  of 
the  two,  Father  Abell  said:  "This  diminutive  young  gentleman  is  an 
Italian;  he  has  all  the  national  characteristics,  even  to  the  shrug." 
"As  for  you,"  he  continued,  turning  to  the  elder  who  was  looking  at 
him  with  a  somewhat  distorted  visage,  put  on  for  the  moment  with  the 
evident  design  of  deceiving  his  inquisitor's  judgment,  "I  acknow- 
ledge myself  to  be  lost  in  doubt ;  but  I  can  tell  you,  sir,  that  your  face 
reminds  me  strangely  of  that  of  the  skunk." 

Father  Coomes  was  greatly  shocked;  and  his  embarrassment  was 
only  molUfied  when  he  saw  that  his  city  clerical  friend  was  not  disposed 
to  resent  as  an  insult  the  offensive  comparison  that  had  been  instituted. 
After  his  guests  had  taken  their  leave,  however,  he  was  quick  to  give 
expression  to  his  regret  that  his  friend  should  have  been  guilty  of  such 
a  breach  of  good  manners  as  he  had  just  witnessed;  to  all  of  which, 
Father  Abell  listened  in  bewildered  astonishment.  He  had  not  pur- 
posed to  wound  feeling,  and  he  was  unable  to  see  that  he  had  done  so. 
The  sequel  of  the  incident  recorded  was  in  no  wise  different  from  what 
had  ordinarily  followed  like  exhibitions  of  bad  taste,  wherein  he  had 
unwittingly  given  offense  to  others.  He  never  referred  to  the  incident 
itself,  but  he  took  infinite  pains  to  remove  any  wrongful  impression  his 
words  might  have  created  in  the  mind  of  his  stranger  clerical  brother, 
by  exhibitions  of  kindly  interest,  as  well  in  himself  as  in  his  special 
ministerial  labors. 

It  was  in  1872  that  Father  Abell  was  inducea  to  accept  the  chap- 
lamcy  of  the  establishment  known  as  the  St.  Joseph's  infirmary, 
Louisville.  At  this  time,  though  he  was  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his 
age,  his  physical  condition  appeared  to  be  better  than  it  had  been  for 
years.  He  walked  erectly,  and  without  any  indication  of  bodily 
weakness.  Mentally,  as  indicated  by  his  sermons,  preached  by  invit- 
ation in  one  or  another  of  the  city  churches,  and  especially  in  his 
familiar  conversations  with  his  friends,  he  was  as  bright  as  ever,  and  as 
equal  to  the  incitement  of  interest. 

There  was  not  a  priest  in  the  diocese  who  took  more  interest  than 
did  Father  Abell  in  the  subject  of  Catholic  education.  Whenever  it 
was  possible  for  him  to  do  so,  more  particularly  in  his  old  age  than  in 
his  prime,  he  encouraged  by  his  presence  at  their  yearly  public  examin- 
ations and  exhibitions,  the  conductors  of  the  diocesan  seminary  and 
all  the  other  educational  institutions  of  the  diocese.  The  story  of  the 
last  days  of  his  life,  in  this  connection,  is  a  remarkable  one.  Between 
the  14th  day  of  July,  1873,  and  the  day  of  his  death,  exactly  two 
weeks  later,  he  attended  the  public  examinations  of  that  year  held  at 
the  diocesan  seminary,  Bardstown,  the  academies  of  the  Presentation 
and  Mount  St.  Benedict,  Louisville,  and  the  college  of  St.  Mary, 
Marion  county ;  and  but  for  having  missed  the  train  on  that  occasion, 
he  would  have  been  present  at  the  closing  exercises  of  the  session  at 


5o6  REV.   ROBERT   A.    ABELL — 1834-1873 

Nazareth  academy,  near  Bardstown.  Everywhere,  of  course,  he  was 
invited  to  address  the  pupils  of  the  schools,  and  this  service  he 
rendered  most  acceptably  and  most  feUcitously  in  each  instance.  On 
one  of  the  occasions  referred  to,  the  writer  was  present,  and  at  no 
time  had  he  seen  him  when  he  gave  evidence  of  being  better  able  to 
please  those  whom  he  addressed. 

The  death  of  Father  Abell  was  as  sudden  as  it  was  unexpected. 
On  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  June,  1873,  he  arose  in  apparent  good 
health,  and  at  the  usual  hour  celebrated  mass  in  the  presence  of  the 
sisters  in  charge  of  the  St.  Joseph's  infirmary.  Some  time  after 
breakfast  he  walked  out,  and  did  not  return  till  early  in  the  afternoon. 
The  sister  superior  of  the  infirmary  saw  him  when  he  came  in,  and  she 
afterwards  observed  that  she  had  at  no  time  seen  him  looking  in  better 
health,  or  more  cheerful.  He  told  her  he  had  accidentally  come 
across  an  old  friend,  a  colored  man  whom  he  had  baptized  forty-two 
years  before.  He  had  gone  into  a  barber  shop  for  the  purpose  of 
being  shaved,  when  the  person  referred  to  had  recognized  him. 
They  had  chatted  together  for  some  time,  and  on  leaving  the  shop  he 
had  asked  the  man  to  call  and  see  him.* 

Father  Abell,  after  visiting  the  room  of  Father  Francis  de  Meulder, 
a  patient  in  the  institution,  with  whom  he  conversed  for  several 
minutes  in  a  most  cheerful  manner,  retired  to  his  own  apartment, 
where,  a  short  time  afterwards,  one  of  the  sisters  brought  to  him  his 
usual  dinner,  consisting  of  soup  and  bread.  Suddenly  he  felt  ill  and 
threw  up  what  he  had  eaten.  The  sister,  noticing  that  he  was  in  a  state 
of  profuse  perspiration,  advised  him  to  lie  down  on  the  bed.  This  he 
did,  but  very  soon  complained  of  feeling  cold.  It  was  now  evident 
to  the  sister  attendant  that  he  was  very  ill,  and  she  dispatched  a  mes- 
sage to  Father  de  Muelder  to  come  immediately.  Just  as  the  invalid 
clergyman  reached  his  bed-side,  the  dying  priest,  his  face  and  neck 
turning  almost  purple,  struck  his  breast  and  cried,  "  Oh,  my  God!" 
These  were  his  last  words.  Father  de  Meulder  immediately  pro- 
nounced over  him  the  words  of  priestly  absolution ;  and  Father  Leander 
Streber,  who  came  into  the  room  at  the  moment,  proceeded  to  adminis- 
ter the  sacrament  of  extreme  unction.  Before  this  rite  was  concluded 
Father  Abell  had  ceased  to  breathe.  The  magnanimous  heart  that  had 
throbbed  in  sympathy  with  every  phase  of  human  suffering,  was  stilled 
forever.  The  gigantic  intellect  was  darkened  that  had  swayed  men's 
minds  as  does  the  gentle  wind  the  bladed  grass,  bending  but  to  infuse 
into  it  more  vigorous  life.  The  "grand  old  man"  whom  everybody 
loved  had  closed  his  eyes  to  all  things  earthly,  and  human  creatures 
were  seen  to  turn  away  from  the  soulless  tabernacle  he  had  left  behind 
him,  and  weep  in  agony  because  their  friend  was  not. 

Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell  was,  perhaps,  personally  known  to  as  many 
individuals  among  the  Catholic  clergy  of  the  United  States  as  any 

*  Singularly  enough,  the  colored  man  referred  to  in  the  text,  did  call  at  the 
infirmary  later  in  the  afternoon,  and  when  he  was  told  of  the  sudden  death  of 
Father  A'cell,  he  wept  like  a  child. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY  567 

Other  belonging  to  its  ranks.  He  was  not  one  to  be  seen  and  forgot- 
ten. There  was  that  in  his  appearance,  in  his  manner,  in  his  voice, 
in  his  intellectual  force  of  character,  and  most_  especially  in  his  per- 
sonal experiences  of  missionary  life,  as  well  as  in  the  interest  he  was 
able  to  throw  around  his  recitals  of  so  many  and  such  varied  incidents 
connected  therewith,  which  never  failed  to  attract  and  charm  his  audi- 
tors. Without  an  atom  of  either  affectation  or  forwardness,  he  was  the 
life  and  soul  of  social  converse  in  whatever  company  he  happened  to 
be.  His  mind  seemed  to  be  filled  with  poetic  images,  with  grand 
thoughts,  with  apt  illustrations.  Not  unfrequently  we  have  witnessed 
between  himself  and  some  of  the  most  accomplished  members  of  the 
American  hierarchy,  trials,  as  it  were,  of  intellectual  strength,  in 
which  it  was  seldom  that  he  failed  to  acquit  himself  in  a  manner  above 
mere  praise.  On  no  occasion  of  this  kind,  nor  indeed  on  any  other, 
did  any  one  ever  see  him  ruffled  in  temper  in  the  slightest  degree.  He 
was  always  courteous,  always  affable.  In  the  presence  of  those  occu- 
pying high  places  in  the  Church,  his  manner  was  always  deferential, 
but  there  was  a  dignity  mixed  with  his  deference  that  forbade  the  idea 
of  obsequiousness. 

The  writer  once  asked  Father  Abell  to  permit  him  to  take  notes  of 
his  reminiscences,  but  he  could  never  be  persuaded  that  the  record 
would  serve  any  good  purpose.  He  never  affected  notoriety  hi  any 
way.  Only  a  few  weeks  before  his  death,  while  conversing  with  the 
sister  superior  of  the  institution  over  which  he  was  acting  chaplain,  he 
said  to  her:  "Sister,  when  I  die,  I  want  no  demonstration  over  my 
remains;  let  my  coffin  be  a  plain  wooden  box,  not  to  exceed  fifteen 
dollars  in  cost,  and  have  me  buried  by  the  side  of  Uncle  Watty,  (Rev. 
Walter  S.  Coomes)  with  just  such  a  little  slab  over  my  grave  as  that 
which  I  caused  to  be  placed  over  his.  " 

The  funeral  of  the  venerable  priest  took  place  from  the  cathedral  of 
the  Assumption,  on  Sunday  afternoon,  June  29th.  The  church 
was  densely  crowded,  and  hundreds  availed  themselves  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  gaze  once  more  on  the  beloved  features  of  the  dead  The 
funeral  rites,  both  in  the  church  and  at  the  grave,  were  performed  l^y 
the  rector,  Rev.  William  J.  Dunn.  At  the  close  of  the  ceremonies  in 
the  church,  the  body  was  taken,  followed  by  a  long  line  of  carriages 
bearing  the  clergy  of  the  city,  the  sisters  of  charity  of  the  infirmary, 
and  large  numbers  of  personal  friends  of  the  deceased,  to  the  St.  Louis' 
cemetery.  There,  not  far  from  the  grave  of  the  late  Very  Rev.  Father 
Ben.  J.  Spalding,  and  immediately  beside  that  containing  the  remains 
of  his  life-long  and  bosom  friend,  Father  Walter  S.  Coomes,  the  mortal 
part  of  Father  Abell  awaits  the  day  of  the  resurrection. 


568  ST.  THOMAS    SEMINARY — VERY  REV.  F.  CHAMBIGE, 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

ST.  THOMAS'  SEMINARY — VERY  REV.     F  CHAMBIGE. 

At  what  precise  date  the  theological  seminary  of  the  diocese  was 
retransferred  from  Bardstown  to  St.  Thomas',  is  a  point  of  doubt  with 
the  writer.  It  is  his  impression  that  the  removal  took  place,  only  in 
part,  however,  almost  immediately  after  the  consecration  of  Rt.  Rev. 
Francis  P.  Kenrick  for  the  coadjutorship  of  Philadelphia,  some  time  in 
the  fall  of  1 830.  Bishop  David  was  now  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his 
age,  and  his  unceasing  labors  had  so  diminished  his  energies  as  to 
render  it  absolutely  impossible  for  him  to  continue  as  formerly  his 
labors  in  the  seminary.  He  felt  most  keenly,  as  did  also  Bishop 
Flaget,  the  loss  he,  had  sustained  in  the  transfer  of  Dr.  Kenrick  to 
another  and  higher  sphere  of  usefulness  in  the  Church.  In  the 
seminary,  that  learned  theologian  and  conscientious  disciplinarian  had 
held  up  his  hand,  so  to  speak,  in  the  performance  of  specific  duties, 
and  of  others  he  had  relieved  him  altogether  by  taking  them  on  his 
own  shoulders.  Now,  it  became  necessary  for  Bishop  David,  as  far  as 
he  was  physically  capable  of  doing  so,  to  resume  his  old  position 
and  to  assume  its  duties. 

It  was  under  these  circumstances,  more  than  likely,  that  the  pre- 
paratory seminary  was  re-opened  at  St.  Thomas',  while  the  more 
advanced  of  the  seminarians  remained  at  Bardstown  under  the  imme- 
diate supervision  and  direction  of  Bishop  David  himself.  The  Catho- 
lic directories  for  1833  and  1834,  the  first  of  the  series  published,  repre- 
sent the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas  as  being  under  the  direction  of  the 
"Brothers  of  the  Mission  " — an  organization  of  which  the  writer  has 
no  remembrance — with  Revs.  Walter  S.  and  Linus  Coomes,  attached 
to  the  institution.  No  change  appears  to  have  been  made  in  the 
officers  df  the  seminary  until  1838,  when  these  are  named:  Rev. 
Walter  S.  Coomes,  superior;  Rev.  Napoleon  J.  Perche,  professor,  and 
Rev.  John  Quinn  and  Charles  Blank,  assistants. 

In  1840  the  institution  was  closed  and  the  students  therein  placed 
under  the  direction  of  the  fathers  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  at  St.  Mary's 
college,  Marion  county.  This  arrangement  would  seem  to  have  lasted 
but  two  years,  when  the  seminary,  still  located  in  Marion  county,  was 
given  over  to  the  control  of  "the  Lazarist  fathers.  Rev.  P.  Chandy, 
C.  M.,  superior."  In  1847  the  Lazarist  fathers  left  the  diocese,  and  the 
seminary  was  again  transferred  to  Bardstown,  with  Rev.  John  Bruyere, 
superior.  At  this  time  there  were  but  five  students  in  the  institution. 
In  1849,  we  find  the  seminary  again  located  in  Marion  county  with 


CATHOLICITY  IK  KENTUCKY.  509 

Rev,  Peter  J.  Lavialle  superior,  and  Rev.  William  E.  Clark,  assis- 
tant. Another  change,  as  well  in  direction  as  locality  took  place  in 
1850,  when  the  seminary  was  again  opened  at  St.  Thomas'  with  Rev. 
Francis  Chambige  as  superior. 

Under  circumstances  such  as  have  been  recounted,  it  was  not  to  be 
expected  that  the  seminary  should  not  have  suffered  in  repute.  Its 
conductors  were  good  priests  and  amiable  men,  to  be  sure;  but,  with  the 
exception,  possibly,  of  Rev.  P.  J.  Lavialle,  who  was  afterwards  con- 
nected with  the  institution  for  a  number  of  years,  they  were  at  least 
lacking  in  energy.  The  annexed  list  contains  the  names  of  the  priests 
ordained  from  the  seminary  between  the  years  1835  and  1850: 
Rev.  Joseph  Adams,  Rev.  John  Quinn, 

Rev.  John  Voll,  Rev.  Michael  Coghlan, 

Rev.  Patrick  McNicholas,  Rev.  Peter  J.  Lavialle, 

Rev.  William  Oberhulsman,  Rev.  P.  Bambury, 

Rev.  Eugene  O'Callaghan,  Rev.  John  Maguire, 

Rev,  F.  McSweeney,  Rev.  Francis  Lawler. 

It  was  a  happy  thought  on  the  part  of  Bishop  Spalding  to  place  over 
his  seminary  his  old  associate  in  the  ministry,  Rev.  Francis  Chambige. 
The  clergyman  named  was  possessed  of  those  very  qualities  that  are 
deemed  requisite  in  a  position  of  so  much  importance.  He  had  a 
mind  to  comprehend  the  needs  of  the  institution,  and  tact  and  force  of 
character  to  supply  them.  He  was  fairly  learned,  deeply  pious  and 
inflexible  in  upholding  the  right.  He  was  active  in  both  mind  and 
body,  but  he  did  nothing  without  first  considering  the  probable  effects 
of  his  action.  As  soon  as  installed  in  the  position  of  superior,  he 
conceived  the  idea  of  making  the  seminary  subservient  to  the  needs  of 
other  dioceses  than  that  of  Louisville.  He  felt  that  other  patronage 
was  needed  to  enable  him  to  employ  teachers  of  known  capacity,  and 
he  wisely  determined  to  open  the  seminary  to  such  as  might  be  sent  to 
it  by  other  bishops  than  his  own.  In  a  comparatively  short  time,  he 
had  large  classes  of  learners,  and  generally,  a  capable  body  of  teachers 
to  give  them  instruction.  Except  during  the  dark  days  of  the  war,  the 
number  of  students  under  his  direction  averaged  fifty.* 

The  annexed  list  of  priests,  afterwards  engaged  in  ministerial 
work  on  the  soil  of  Kentucky,  all,  at  one  time  or  another,  students  in 
the  seminary  of  St.  Thomas  while  that  institution  was  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Father  Chambige,  will  indicate  the  extent  and  value  of  his  ser- 
vices to  the  diocese  in  the  important  department  of  clerical  culture ; 
Rev.  Thomas  Joyce,  Rev.  M.  Beyhurst, 

Rev,  John  F,  Reed,  Rev.  Patrick  Cassidy, 

Rev.  Michael  Power,  Rev.  William  Bourke, 

Rev.  Joseph  de  Vries,  Rev.  John  Boyle, 

♦During  his  nineteen  years  of  service  in  the  seminary,  Father  Chafnbige 
had  many  capable  assistants.  Among  these  I  am  able  to  name:  Rev.  P.  J. 
Lavialle,  afterwards  bishop  of  Louisville;  Rev.  Lawrence  Bax  ;  Rev.  Martin 
Chazal;  Rev.  E,  J.  O'Driscoll ;  Rev.  Christian  Kauder ;  Rev.  J.  F.  Reed.  Rev. 
David  Russell;  Rev.  James  Martin,  D.  D, ;  Rev,  John  JIarreit;  Rev.  Johft 
Creary  and  Rev.  Eugene  Crane. 


5IO 


ST.  THOMAS'   SEMINARY — VERY   REV.  F.  CHAMBIGE. 


Rev.  Joseph  Elder, 

Rev.  E.  M.  Bachman, 

Rev.  Eugene  Crane, 

Rev.  J.  A.  Barrett, 

Rev.  James  Martin, 

Rev.  David  Russell, 

Rev.  P.  J.  Haeseley, 

Rev.  A.  J.  Harnist, 

Rev.  T.  J.  Jenkins, 

Rev.  James  Cooke, 

Rev.  A.  J.  McConnell, 

Rev.  D.  O'Sullivan, 

Rev.  M.  Melody, 
.  Rev,  J.  J.  Crowley, 

Rev.  James  O'Connor, 

Rev.  J.  H.  Taylor, 

Rev.  W.  P.  Mackin, 

Rev.  Thomas  F.  Tierney, 

Rev.  John  Redmond,* 

Rev.  James  McNerney,* 
The  writer  can  only  regret  that  he  is 
with  a  sketch  more  worthy  of  its  subject 


Rev.  Michael  Lawler, 
Rev.  William  J.  Dunn, 
Rev.  T.  J.  Disney, 
Rev.  Martin  Flynn, 
Rev.  Dominic  Crane, 
Rev.  D.  J.  O'Donovan, 
Rev.  James  P.  Ryan, 
Rev.  John  Creary, 
Rev.  H.  Plaggenborg, 
Rev.  P.  J.  Rock,  , 

Rev.  James  Ryan, 
Rev.  Hugh  Daly, 
Rev.  M.  Dillon, 
Rev.  E.   Drury, 
Rev.  W.  P.  Hogarty, 
Rev.  J.  J.  Abell, 
Rev,  H.  Jansen, 
Rev.  James  Smith,* 
Rev.  William  Cassander,* 
Rev.  Patrick  Guilfoyle.* 

not  able  to  furnish  his  readers 

than  the  following : 


VERY    REV.    FRANCIS    CHAMBIGE 


Was  born  at  Billbm,  near  Clermont,  France,  on  the  i6th  of  November, 
1807.  His  father  was  a  pharmacist,  and  a  man  of  repute  in  his 
special  calling.  It  was  in  his  office,  doubtless,  that  his  son  contracted 
his  fondness  for  the  sciences  of  chemistry,  botany  and  geology;  in 
each  of  which  he  afterwards  became  an  acknowledged  proficient  and 
expert.  Often,  as  he  was  afterwards  heard  to  explain,  he  had  jour- 
neyed through  the  mountains  adjacent  to  his  home  in  search  of  certain 
roots  and  herbs,  native  to  the  soil,  needed  as  factors  in  many  of  the 
medicinal  compounds  and  distillations  wrought  in  his  father's  labora- 
tory. His  mother  was  a  woman  of  rare  piety  and  sound  judgment, 
and  it  was  to  her  judicious  influence  that  her  son  ever  afterwards 
ascribed  the  happy  course  of  his  life.  It  was  her  earnest  desire  that 
he  should  become  a  priest ;  but,  though  of  a  naturally  pious  frame  of 
mind,  he  did  not  at  that  time  indicate  any  serious  inclination  for  the 
sacred  ministry.  Providentially,  he  had  access  to  the  correspondence 
of  the  venerable  Bishop  Flaget,  with  whose  family  he  was  in  some 
degree  related,  and  the  accounts  given  by  that  prelate  of  the  country 
and  people  with  whose  interests  he  had  become  identified,  served  to 
breed  in  him  a  desire  to  visit  America.  He  anticipated  the  opposition 
of  his  mother  to  this  idea,  when  it  at  length  became  fixed  in  his  mind, 

*The  names  to  which  is  attached  the  asterisk,  are  those  of  priests  educated 
at  St.  Thomas'  for  the  diocese  of  Covington, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  51I 

and  it  was  with  no  little  astonishment  that  he  found  her  quite  ready 
to  accede  to  the  arrangement.  She  explained  the  matter  to  him, 
years  afterwards,  by  telling  him  of  her  persuasion  at  the  time 
that  he  would  certainly  become  a  priest  if  he  went  to  the  United 
States. 

He  came  to  America,  as  is  supposed,  in  the  year  1825,  in  company 
with  a  number  of  other  young  men,  all  candidates  for  the  holy  minis- 
try, most  of  whom  afterwards  entered  with  him  the  diocesan  seminary, 
then  under  the  direction  of  its  founder,  Bishop  David.  He  was  at 
once  bright  and  studious,  and,  in  a  comparatively  short  time,  he  was 
esteemed  fitted  for  ordination.  He  was  not  satisfied,  however,  with 
the  sum  of  his  knowledge,  and  it  was  arranged  that,  for  the  time 
being,  he  should  divide  his  time  between  study  and  teaching  certain 
classes  in  the  college.  This  arrangement  continued  until  August, 
1834,  when  he  was  promoted  to  the  priesthood  in  the  cathedral  church 
of  St.  Joseph,  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Chabrat,  officiating. 

After  his  ordination,  Father  Chambige  became  a  member  of  the 
faculty  of  St.  Joseph's  college,  teaching  his  old  classes  and  attending 
to  the  finances  of  the  institution.  Occasionally,  too,  he  assisted  the 
pastor  in  serving  the  then  large  congregation  attached  to  the  cathedral 
church  of  St.  Joseph.  Wearying  at  length  of  the  monotony  of  his 
position,  and  believing  that  it  was  his  duty  to  apply  himself  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  scattered  Catholic  people  of  the  diocese,  he  sought  and 
obtained  the  assent  of  his  ordinary  to  the  wished-for  change.  At  this 
time  he  was  a  very  active  man,  straight  and  tall  and  full  of  energy. 
His  voice,  afterwards  so  singularly  harsh  and  wheezy,  was  now  clear 
and  ringing,  and  few  knew  so  well  how  to  modulate  its  tones,  whether 
in  conversation  or  preaching,  to  the  precise  pitch  of  effectiveness. 

Armed  with  the  authorization  of  his  bishop,  Father  Chambige  took 
charge  of  the  very  extended  mission  embraced  in  the  counties  of  Har- 
din, Grayson  and  Breckinridge,  with  residence  at  Bethlehem,  in  the 
first-named  county.  I  have  often  heard  him  speak  of  the  labors  and 
fatigues  of  this  mission,  and  also  of  the  very  great  consolations  it 
brought  him.  It  is  the  usual  story  so  familiar  to  the  few  missionary 
priests  of  the  day  who  have  survived  to  our  own  times :  hard  fare,  and 
often  necessitated  fasting;  riding  long  distances  over  rough  and  little 
frequented  roads ;  camping  in  the  woods  at  night,  or  on  the  open  prai- 
rie ;  sick-calls  in  the  night  time  and  in  inclement  seasons,  and  often 
miles  and  miles  away;  in  the  confessional  at  dawn  of  day;  catechising 
the  children  later;  and  still  later,  offering  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice  and 
preaching;  baptizing  the  little  ones  in  the  afternoon,  or,  it  may  be, 
blessing  a  new-made  grave  in  the  church-yard.  For  five  long  years 
such  was  the  life  led  by  Father  Chambige,  and  his  earthly  reward  for 
it  all  aggregated — how  much,  think  you,  oh,  citizen  of  the  world?  Just 
forty  dollars !  This  was  the  exact  sum  contributed  for  his  support  by 
the  poor  people  for  whose  spiritual  welfare  he  had  been  expending  his 
energies,  and  as  it  turned  out,  undermining  his  health,  during  a  term 
extending  over  five  years. 


512  ST.   THOMAS'    SEMINARY — VERY    REV,   F.   CHAMBIGE. 

Did  he  complain  ?  Oh,  no !  Little  cared  he  for  money,  except  for 
its  good  uses.  A  small  patrimony,  received  from  France,  sufficed  for 
his  absolute  wants,  and  the  thought  that  he  was  able  to  make  sacrifices 
for  the  poor  of  his  mission,  "the  poor  of  Christ,"  filled  his  heart  with 
joy.  The  true  missionary  priest,  however  poor  may  be  his  surround- 
ings, is  rarely  an  object  of  commiseration.  Father  Chambige,  overbur- 
dened as  he  was  by  the  labors  of  his  mission,  was  vouchsafed  by  heaven 
many  spiritual  consolations.  He  was  comforted  by  the  knowl- 
edge that  his  energies  were  not  being  vainly  expended ;  that  the  sterile 
fields,  cultivated  by  him  with  so  much  labor  and  so  many  anxieties, 
were  year  by  year  giving  more  abundant  evidences  of  improvement ; 
that,  here  and  there,  an  estrayed  sheep  had  listened  to  his  voice  and 
come  back  to  the  fold ;  in  fine,  that  neither  he  nor  his  people  were 
forgotten  of  God  and  his  mission  left  desolate  of  fruits. 

His  health  began  to  suffer,  and  it  was  found  necessary,  after  his 
five  years  of  toil,  to  remove  him  to  a  less  exacting  field  of  labor.  It 
so  happened  at  the  time  that  there  was  need  of  an  agent  in  Europe  to 
attend  to  certain  matters  of  importance  in  connection  with  the  diocese; 
and  it  was  rightly  considered  that  there  was  no  more  fitting  person  to 
be  found  than  Father  Chambige  to  undertake  the  business.  With  let- 
ters from  his  ordinary,  in  which  he  was  named  his  vicar-general,  the 
good  priest  set  out  for  the  home  of  his  childhood  and  youth.  Beyond 
the  fact  that  he  arrived  safely,  was  eminently  successful  in  the  objects 
of  his  mission,  and  that  his  visit  extended  over  a  period  of  three  or 
four  years,  I  have  no  data  upon  which  to  found  an  account  of  either 
his  journeyings  in  Europe  or  the  special  objects  for  which  they  were 
undertaken. 

In  1843,  we  find  him  again  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  St. 
Joseph's  college,  Bardstown,  and  engaged  in  teaching  his  favorite 
branches.  If  we  are  not  mistaken,  his  connection  with  the  college  did 
not  terminate  until  the  transfer  of  the  institution  to  the  fathers  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus,  about  the  beginning  of  the  year  1849. 

In  1850  Father  Chambige  was  directed  by  his  bishop  to  take  charge 
of  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  near  Bardstown.  He  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  the  position  at  once,  and  he  brought  into  their  per- 
formance those  precise  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  which  were  most 
needful  to  the  successful  conduct  of  the  institution.  His  judgment 
was  rarely  at  fault,  and  he  carried  his  heart  in  his  hand  that  all  might 
see  its  purity  of  intention.  His  duties  were  as  varied  as  they  were 
arduous;  but  work  was  his  element,  and  he  seemed  the  more  con- 
tented the  more  he  had  to  do.  He  taught,  and  lectured,  and  kept  the 
accounts  of  the  establishment,  and  managed  the  farm,  and  bought  the 
supplies,  and  attended  to  the  correspondence,  and  occasionally 
preached  in  the  little  church,  or  answered  a  sick-call  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. But  this  was  not  all.  On  Christmas  day  of  the  very  year  in 
which  he  took  charge  of  the  seminary  there  had  been  added  to  his 
before  sufficiently  onerous  duties  that  of  superintending  the  St. 
Thomas'  asylum  for  male  orphans,  then  newly  established.      Nor  was 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KE;NTUCKY.  513 

even  this  the  limit  placed  upon  his  endurance.  In  1851  he  was 
charged  with  the  office  of  extraordinary  confessor  to  the  community  of 
sisters  of  charity  of  Nazareth,  whose  establishment  was  six  miles 
away. 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  of  his  successful  management  of  the  dio- 
cesan seminary.  Since  the  retiracy  of  its  founder,  the  venerated 
Bishop  David,  at  no  time  had  it  seemed  to  fulfil  more  nearly  the  design 
for  which  it  had  been  created.  For  nineteen  years,  or  up  to  October, 
1869,  Father  Chambige  filled  the  offices  we  have  named  and  fulfilled 
all  the  duties  imposed  upon  him  through  their  acceptance. 

On  the  death  of  Rev.  Joseph  Hazeltine,  who  had  for  many  years 
previously  held  the  position  of  superior  of  the  Nazareth  community. 
Father  Chambige  was  nominated  for  the  post  by  the  then  occupant  of 
the  See,  the  late  Most  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding.  He  was  introduced  to 
the  sisters  by  the  bishop  in  person  as  their  future  superior  in  March, 
1 86 1.  "He  was  so  overcome  with  emotion,"  writes  one  who  was 
present  on  the  occasion,  "that  he  could  not  speak.  He  was  heard 
afterwards  to  say,"  the  writer  continues,  "that  he  was  praying  that  God 
might  give  him  the  heart  of  a  father  for  each  member  of  the  com- 
munity." 

This  position  only  added  to  his  labors,  for  it  was  not  until  eight 
years  had  elapsed  that  he  was  finally  relieved  of  his  duties  in  connec- 
tion with  the  seminary  and  orphan  asylum,  and  took  up  his  residence 
at  Nazareth.  There  he  remained  faithfully  performing  the  delicate 
duties  of  his  position,  and  occasionally  occupied  in  missionary  work  in 
the  neighborhood,  until  the  year  1876. 

In  August,  1876,  Father  Chambige  made  a  second  voyage  to 
Europe.  From  this  trip  he  returned  a  year  later  utterly  broken  down 
in  health.  He  remained  at  Nazareth  for  a  few  days  only,  and  then,  in 
order  to  be  near  his  physician,  he  caused  himself  to  be  removed  to  the 
St.  Joseph's  infirmary,  Louisville.  There  he  remained,  tenderly  cared 
for  by  his  daughters  of  St.  Vincent,  until  about  two  weeks  previous  to  his 
death.  He  evidently  felt  that  the  end  was  approaching,  and  he  prayed 
to  be  permitted  "to  die  at  home  among  his  children."  He  bore  the 
short  journey  to  Nazareth  better  than  was  expected,  and  entering  his 
old  room,  never  again  left  it  alive.  He  was  thankful  to  be  with  his 
"children,"  and  for  the  rest,  "he  was  in  God's  hands." 

It  soon  became  apparent  to  his  indefatigable  nurses  of  the  Nazareth 
community,  and  a  little  later  to  himself,  that  time  for  him  was  being 
measured  out  by  days,  and  possibly  by  hours.  He  had  little  need  of 
preparation  for  the  change.  His  whole  life,  and  especially  that  part  of 
it  which  had  been  wholly  devoted  to  the  service  of  God  and  his  fellow- 
men,  had  been  one  long  preparation  for  death.  Fortified  and  strength- 
ened by  the  reception  of  the  sacraments,  and  surrounded  by  the  pray- 
ing forms  of  those  whom  he  had  sought  to  lead  by  the  rough  ways  of 
mortification  and  self-denial  to  the  true  home  of  their  longings,  "the 
Jerusalem  that  is  above,"  he  ceased  to  breathe  at  half-past  6  o'clock  on 
Sunday,  December  30th,  1877. 

33 


£14  THE   CHURCHES   OF  LOUISVILLE. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

THE   CHURCHES    OF    LOUISVILLE. 

The  churches  of  the  city  of  Louisville  number  nineteen  at  the  date 
of  this  publication.     The  first  of  these  to  be  noticed  is 

THE   CATHEDRAL   OF    THE    ASSUMPTION, 

Of  which  the  writer  has  hitherto  spoken  in  his  sketch  of  the  life  of 
Rt.  Rev.  M.J.  Spalding.  Than  this  magnificent  temple,  up  to  the  pre- 
sent day,  no  edifice  of  like  character  has  been  erected  in  the  State 
that  will  compare  with  it,  whether  in  size  or  architectural  construction. 
It  occupies  the  site  of  the  former  church  of  St.  Louis,  on  Fifth,  near 
Walnut  street.  Begun  in  1849,  its  solemn  consecration  took  place  in 
1852.  In  providing  means  for  its  construction,  it  may  be  said  that  the 
entire  Catholic  body  of  the  diocese  took  part.* 

*If  that  were  possible,  it  would  please  me  to  record  here,  the  names  of  all 
those  whose  contributions  formed  the  fund  out  of  which  was  paid  the  costs  of 
construction  of  the  cathedral  of  the  Assumption.  There  was  a  time  when  the 
entire  list  of  contributors  was  familiar  to  me  ;  but  I  now  find  it  difficult  to 
recall  even  their  names,  much  more  the  sums  set  against  them.  The  list 
appended,  I  cannot  but  fear,  omits  names  of  contributorsjust  as  worthy  of  praise 
and  remembrance  as  any  that  appear  therein  ;  that  these  are  not  given  is  due 
solely  to  my  inability  to  recall  them.  The  largest  contributor  to  the  fund  was 
certainly  Bishop  Spalding  himself,  who  gave  to  the  object  ten  thousand  dollars 
out  of  his  paternal  inheritance.  The  larger  contributors  among  the  laity  were  : 
Capt.  James  Rudd,  Patrick  Maxcy,  Michael  Cody,  Thomas  and  Edward  Slevin, 
Frank  McKay,  Jacob  Keller,  J.  M.  Monohan,  Capt.  John  Coleman,  Daniel 
Smilh,  Thomas  Haynes,  John  Ryan,  John  Hayes  and  Charles  Gallagher. 
Equally  liberal  according  to  their  means  were :  W.  P.  Benedict,  Thomas  Bat- 
man, Richard  and  Patrick  Bannon,  Martin  Breen,  John  Byrne,  James  Burns, 
Joseph  Barrett,  William  Bannon,  Joseph  Buckel,  Michael  Cotter,  Frank  Corri- 
gan,  Joseph  Campion,  Martin  Crowe,  Patrick  Campion,  Pierce  Cooper,  James 
Cotter,  James  Curran,  Thomas  Carrol,  John  D.  Colmesnil,  J.  Curtin,  Henry, 
John  L.  and  Joseph  Deppen,  Dennis  Denny,  Paul  Danelli,  John  Doyle,  James 
Dooley,  Daniel  Devlin,  Jeremiah  Devlin,  Henry  Dent,  Capt.  Thomas  Fitzger- 
ald, Ben.  Griffin,  Joseph  Garcin,  Dr.  J.  Hagan,  Edward  Hughes,  William 
Heffernan,  J.  Indereiden,  James  Kearney,  John  Keagan,  Patrick  N.  Kirwan, 
George  Kitzero,  John  Lilly,  Thomas  Leahy,  Joseph  B.  Lilly,  Dennis  Lincoln, 
Dr.  J.  C.  Metcalfe,  John  McCrory,  Charles  Maquaire,  William  and  James  Mc- 
Dermott,  J.  B.  Mcllvain,  Anselm  McGill,  William  Maxcy,  Michael  Murphy, 
James  McSorley,  James  McGrath.  F.  X.  Marchand,  E.  B.  Nugent,  N.  Nicholas 
Martin  Nippert,  Augustin  and  John  O'Bryan,  Christopher  O'Connor,  James  and 
William  O'Connor,  Henry  O'Neil,  Michael  J.  O'Callaghan,  James  O'Neil,  Dr. 
D.  J.    O'Reilly,  James  W.   Osborn,  Peters,    Webb   &  Co.,  Francis   Reidhar, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  515 

Under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  ordinary  of  the  diocese 
for  the  time  being,  the  rectorate  of  the  cathedral,  including  assistants, 
has  been  exercised  by  Very  Revs,  B.  J.  Spalding  and  M.  Bouchet  and 
Revs.  John  Quinn,  John  M.  Bruyere,  Francis  J.  Reed,  P.  J.  Lavialle, 
John  J.  Joyce,  Philip  McSweeney,  Edmond  O'DriscoU,  John  H.  Bek- 
kers,  H.  J.  Brady,  J.  L.  Spalding,  David  Russell,  Alphonsus  Coenan, 
William  J.  Dunn,  John  Baxter,  Henry  A.  Connolly,  Louis  G.  Deppen, 
M.  Whelan,  D.  O'Sullivan,  Louis  C.  Ohle,  Patrick  Walsh,  Thomas 
Hayes  and  Joseph  Hogarty. 

THE    CHURCH    OF    ST.    BONIFACIUS. 

This  church  is  situated  on  Green,  above  Jackson  street.  It  was 
built  in  1838  for  the  accommodation  of  the  then  rapidly  increasing 
German  Catholic  population  of  the  city,  and  its  dedication,  at  the 
hands  of  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Chabrat,  took  place  on  the  4th  day  of  November 
of  that  year.  The  congregation  of  St.  Bonifacius  was  organized  by 
Rev.  Joseph  Stahlschmidt  as  early  as  the  year  1836.  For  several 
months  succeeding  the  opening  of  the  church,  it  was  without  a  pastor, 
but  the  congregation  was  visited  from  time  to  time  by  Rev.  Joseph 
Ferneding,  of  the  diocese  of  Vincennes,  and  by  Rev.  John  Martin 
Henni,  of  Cincinnati,  afterwards  first  bishop  of  the  See  of  Milwaukee.* 

In  1839,  Rev.  Charles  Blank,  whose  education  had  been  prosecuted 
at  the  college  of  the  Propaganda,  whence  he  had  come  to  the  United 
States  and  was  ordained  from  the  diocesan  seminary  of  St.  Thomas,  was 
named  pastor  of  the  church  by  the  coadjutor-bishop.  This  admirable 
pastor  died  in  1846,  and  charge  of  the  congregation  was  afterwards 
given  to  Rev.  Theodore  Hyman,  Rev.  John  VoU  and  others.  In  the 
year  1850,  the  church  and  congregation  were  transferred  to  the  Fran- 
ciscan fathers,  with  Rev.  Otto  Jair  as  pastor.  Under  the  wise  and 
careful  management  of  those  of  the  order  who  have  since  been  intrus- 
ted with  its.  pastorship,  the  church  of  St.  Bonifacius  presents  to-day  a 
spectacle  worthy  of  admiration.     The  congregation  attached  to  it  is 

Michael  Rogers,  John  B.  Richy,  Peter  Riley,  James  S.  Speed,  Col.  Samuel  B, 
Steele,  James  Tynan,  Richard  Usher,  A.  Vatable,  Paul  Villier,  Louis  Weyd,  B. 
J.  Webb  and  Bro.,  James  K.  Whelan  and  Anthony  and  Jacob  Zanone.  Among 
the  lady  contributors  to  the  fund  whose  names  have  not  faded  from  my 
memory,  were  :  Mrs.  Ann  Amiss,  Miss  Ann  Coleman,  Mrs.  Susan  Lee,  Miss 
Bridget  Miles  and  Mrs,  R.  J.  Thornton.  Of  the  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
names  included  in  this  list,  but  thirty  are  to-day  those  of  living  men  and 
women.  Truly  "  man's  days  are  as  grass  ;  for  the  spirit  shall  pass  in  him,  and  he 
shall  not  be:  and  he  shall  know  his  place  no  more.  But  the  mercy  of  the 
Lord  is  from  eternity  unto' eternity  upon  them  that  fear  him:  and  his  justice 
unto  children's  children,  to  such  as  keep  his  covenant." 

*  Among  the  German  Catholic  citizens  at  the  time  in  Louisville,  I  am  able 
to  recall  the  names  of  only  the  following:  Joseph  Hu'oer,  Theobald  Benz, 
Felix  Schneider,  George  Schnetz,  Matthew  Fetter,  John  Hess,  Anthony  Kampf, 
Louis  Weyd,  Joseph  Bossung  and  Jacob  Pfalzer.  These,  and  the  entire  German 
Catholic  population  of  the  city  contributed  freely  of  their  means  toward  the 
erection  of  the  church. 


ei6  THE    CHURCH   OF    ST.   BONIFACIUS. 

by  far  the  largest  in  the  city,  and  its  parochial  schools  are  alive  with 
children  who  are  not  likely  to  lose  their  faith  through  either  inadequate 
culture  or  contaminating  associations. 

Of  some  of  those  whose  names  have  been  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  church  of  St.  Bonifacius,  a  few  words  of  personal  history  will 
not  be  found  out  of  place.     Rev.  Joseph  Ferneding,  named  above,  was 
a  priest  of  the  diocese  of  Bardstown.     He  came  to  America  and  setded 
in  Louisville,  supposably,  about  the  year  1828.     He  was  then  a  young 
man,  fairly  educated  and  blessed  with  a  robust  physique.     He  was 
poor  in  respect  to  means,  but  rich  in  respect  to  virtue.     He  was  depend- 
ent upon   his  daily  labor   for   the  supplial  of    his  daily  needs,  and 
when  these  were  satisfied,  it  was  rarely  the  case  that  he  had  not  some- 
thing over  to  make  glad  the  hearts  of  those  who  had  neither  money 
for  their  support  nor  strength  to  labor.     Among  the  hundreds  of  labor- 
ers then  engaged  in  excavating  the  channel  of  the  Louisville  and  Port- 
land canal,  a  work  that  has  since  been  regarded  as  of  national  import- 
ance, there  was  to  be  seen  from  sun  to  sun  the  Hthe  and  active  form, 
and  the  pleasant,  truthful  features  of  Joseph  Ferneding.     By  and  by, 
the  knowledge  of  his  worth  came  home  to  the  few  German  Catholics 
then  residing  in  Louisville,  and  these  wisely  determined  to  put  to  a 
better  use  the  treasure  they  had  found.     They  set  him  up  in  a  school, 
and  they  intrusted  to  him  the  education  of  their  children.     Then  it 
was  that  this  admirable  Catholic  youth  sought  to  repay  his  benefactors 
by  inducing  them  to  meet  together  as  Catholics,  and  to  a  greater  extent 
than  any  other,  was  undoubtedly  due  to  him  the  movement  of  the 
German  Catholic  population  of  Louisville  which  led  in  time  to  its 
organization  as  a  congregation.     He   afterwards  studied  for  the  holy 
ministry,  and  was  ordained,  possibly  by  Bishop  Flaget,  in  1833.     Indi- 
ana being  at  the  tmie  a  part  of  the  diocese  of  Bardstown,  Father  Fer- 
neding was  sent  into  that  State  to  labor  among  its  large  and  constantly 
increasing  German  Catholic  population.     In  1842,  he  was  transferred 
to  the  diocese  of  Cincinnati,  where  he  was  soon  afterwards  appointed 
vicar-general,  and  where  the  remaining  years  of  his  useful  life  were 
passed.     In  Louisville,  where  Father  Ferneding  did  so  much  to  endear 
him  to  his  fellow-countrymen  of  fifty  years  ago,  his  memory  is  only 
treasured  by  a  few  aged  people  who  are  looking  forward  to  a  happy 
meeting  with  their  early  friend  in  the  near  future,  when  they,  too,  shall 
have  exchanged  their  vestures  of  earth  for  those  of  heaven.     Father 
Ferneding's  death  took  place  only  a  few  years  ago. 

Most  Rev.  John  Martin  Henni,  first  bishop  and  archbishop  of  the 
See  of  Milwaukee,  was  consecrated  March  19,  1844.  His  long  after- 
Hfe  was  spent  in  labors  for  the  good  of  his  people.  His  death  took 
place  on  the  7  th  day  of  September,  1881.       _ 

The  writer  was  in  some  sense  intimate  with  the  first  pastor  of  the 
church  of  St,.  Bonifacius,  Rev.  Charles  Blank.  In  person,  he  was  an 
admirably  proportioned  man,  of  a  moderately  full  habit,  and  with 
pleasant  features  and  an  easy  address.  He  was  also  an  energetic  and 
pious  priest,  and  in  every  way  suited  to  his  position  as  leader  of  Cath- 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  517 

olic  sentiment  among  his  countrymen  of  Louisville,  who  were  already 
beginning  to  exhibit  their  importance  as  a  factor  in  the  city's  popula- 
tion. He  was  a  native  of  Fribourg,  Switzerland,  and  an  intimate 
friend  of  the  late  Very  Rev.  B.  J.  Spalding,  at  whose  instance,  most 
likely,  his  resolution  was  taken  to  devote  himself  to  the  particular  mis- 
sion in  which  was  spent  the  short  term  of  his  life  as  a  priest.  He  was 
as  much  beloved  by  his  associates  of  the  clergy  of  the  diocese,  as  he 
was  by  his  own  devoted  people.  He  died  on  the  30th  day  of  August, 
1846,  and  his  grave  is  where  every  one  who  enters  the  church  of  St. 
Bonifacius  may  look  upon  it  as  they  pass  through  its  portals. 

Since  their  transfer  to  the  Franciscan  fathers,  the  church  and  con- 
gregation of  St.  Bonifacius  have  been  served  by  Revs.  Otto  Jair, 
David  Widman,  Dionysius  Abarth,  Anselm  Koch,  Venantius  Arnold, 
Lucas  Gottbehoede,  William  Gansepohl,  Joseph  M.  Roesl,  Bonaven- 
tura  Hammer,  Agnellus  Fischer,  A.  Bayer,  P.  P.  Gundermann,  L. 
Nurre,  Ubaldus  Webersinke,  Eugene  Buttermann,  Ignatius  M.  Wilkens, 
Alexius  Centner,  Raphael  Hesse,  and  Nicholas  Holtel,  all  of  the 
order  of  St.  Francis. 

THE    CHURCH    OF    OUR    LADY,  PORTLAND, 

The  history  of  the  congregation  and  church  of  Our  Lady  is  an 
interesting  one.  The  one  was  organized  and  the  other  built  when  the 
greater  number  of  the  residents  of  the  suburb  of  Portland  were  either 
emigrants  from  France  or  the  children  of  these.  To  the  original  col- 
ony, by  whom  both  Portland  and  Shippingport  were  settled  as  early  as 
the  year  1806,  the  additions  from  France  direct  had  been  numerous  up 
to  the  year  1837,  when  they  ceased  almost  altogether.  In  the  year 
1838,  Father  Badin  happened  to  be  in  Kentucky,  and  much  of  his  time 
was  spent  with  his  compatriots  of  the  two  villages  named.  It  was  dur- 
ing this  visit  of  the  proto-priest  of  the  country,  as  is  supposed,  that  he 
inaugurated  the  movement  which  brought  about  the  organization  of  the 
congregation  and  the  subsequent  erection  of  the  church  of  Our  Lady.* 

In  i«839,  urged  thereto,  no  doubt,  by  the  representations  of  Father 
Badin,  who  was  then  his  vicar-general.  Bishop  Chabrat  nominated  a 
pastor  for  Portland  in  the  person  of  Rev.  Napoleon  J.  Perche,  pre- 
viously a  professor  in  the  diocesan  seminary,  and  afterwards  archbishop 
of  New  Orleans.  A  meeting  of  the  heads  of  families  was  called  by 
Dr.  Perche  for  the  i6th  of  July,  1839.  The  record  of  proceedings  of 
this  meeting,  in  the  handwriting  of  the  pastor,  is  still  preserved  in  the 
church.  From  its  examination  the  writer  finds  that  it  was  resolved  by 
those  assembled  to  form  themselves  into  a  congregation  and  to  take 
immediate  measures  for  the  building  of  a  church.  A  board  of  trustees 
was  elected,  with  the  pastor  for  its  chairman,  composed  of  Messrs. 

*In  1837,  and  for  three  years  later,  Father  Badin  was  in  the  habit  of  passing 
weeks  of  his  time  in  Portland,  and  of  saying  mass  for  such  as  could  be  brought 
together,  sometimes  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Charles  Maquaire,  and  sometimes  in 
that  of  Mr.  William  Bannon. 


gl8  THE   CHURCH   OF    OUR    LADY,   PORTLAND. 

Charles  Maquaire,  William  Bannon,  Eugene  Perot  and  Fossi. 

Subscription  lists  were  prepared  and  distributed;  and,  supposably  at 
least,  the  entire  French  population  of  the  villages  of  Pordand  and 
Shippingport,  as  well  as  that  of  Louisville  proper,  of  which  both  now 
form  a  part,  were  contributors  to  the  building  fund.* 

The  lot  upon  which  the  church  of  Our  Lady  was  erected  and  now 
stands,  was  a  gift  from  Father  Badin.     His  bond  for  a  deed  to  the 
property,  afterwards  made  good,  is  a  singularly  worded  document, 
and  worthy  of  reproduction  here :     ' '  Know  all  men  by  these  presents, " 
he  wrote,  "that  I,  Stephen  Theodore  Badin,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
do  hereby  bind  myself,  my  heirs,  executors,  administrators  and  assigns, 
in  the  penalty  of  six  thousand  dollars,  to  transfer  by  my  last  will  and 
testament,  or  otherwise,  at  my  option,  one  hundred   square  feet   of 
ground,  in  Portland,  near  Louisville,  to  the  corporation  of  St.  Mary's 
college,  Marion  county,  Kentucky,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  thereon 
a  Roman  Catholic  church  or  chapel :     Provided,  and  be  it  well  under- 
stood, that  no  clergyman  shall  ever  officiate  therein  without  the  appro- 
bation of  the  ordinary  having  spiritual  authority  in  the  diocese  of 
Bardstown,  according  to  the  faith  and  discipline  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
hc  Church.     Done  this  6th  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1840,  in  the  village  of 
St.  Mary,  Jasper  county.  State  of  Indiana.     (Signed)  Stephen  Theo- 
dore Badin.     (Witnessed)  Thomas  Piquet  and  L's.  Mertian." 

The  cornerstone  of  the  church  was  laid  on  the  13th  of  September, 
1840,  and  on  Holy  Rosary  Sunday,  October  3d,  1841,  it  was  solemnly 
dedicated  by  Bishop  Flage't,  assisted  by  Dr.  Chabrat,  Father  Badin  and 
others.  The  sermon  on  the  occasion  was  delivered  by  Rev.  John 
McGill.  Dr.  Perche  removed  to  New  Orleans  a  few  months  later, 
and  the  church  was  without  a  regular  pastor  until  1843,  when  the  late 
Rev.  J.  J.  Vital  was  named  to  the  office. f 

*The  French  resident  population  of  Louisville  at  the  time  indicated  in  the 
text,  together  with  that  of  the  villages  named,  including  the  families  of  John 
Adrian,  Nicholas  Albert,  Auguste  Bari,  T.  Blancagnil,  Gabriel  and  Victor  Bari, 
Joseph  Barbareaux,  Amedius  Boudry,  John  D.  Colmesnil,  Francis  Chamagne, 
Simon  Caye,  Francis  Cordier,  Nicholas  Corbin,  Dominic  Caron,  Charles 
Demouson,  Henry  Daquet,  Louis  Fossi,  Francis  Fossi,  Nicholas  Fluret,  Franz, 
Jos.  Guelot,  Giles  and  John  Peter  Hubert,  Joseph  Hoin,  Adrien  Jacques, 
Lambert  Jacques,  Matthias  Jacquemin,  John  B.  Lambermont,  Charles  Lavio- 
lette,  John  B.  Lemel,  John  Nicholas  Laurent,  Auguste  Lallemont,  John  Richard 
Lebro,   Nicholas    Lecompte,    Charles    Maquaire,    Claudius    and    John    Millet, 

Xavier  Marchand,  John   Masson,  Anthony  Mangin,  Marian,  Martin  and 

Bernard  Nippert,  John  Peter  Novier,  John  Pernet,  Peter  Portman,  Gabriel 
Payelle,  Francis  Reidhar,  John  B.  Richy,  Delfin  Remmy  Hector  Raymond, 
Auguste  Raymond,  and  John,  Paul  and  Nicholas  Villier. 

t  Father  Vital  served  the  congregation  of  Our  Lady  for  eighteen  years.  My 
acquaintance  with  him  was  such,  as  it  was  indeed  with  all  the  older  clergy  of  the 
diocese,  as  to  warrant  me  in  speaking  of  him  as  he  really  appeared  in  the  eyes  of 
all  to  whom  he  was  known.  If  I  mistake  not,  he  was  already  in  priest's  orders 
when  he  came  to  the  diocese  in  1839  or  1840,  and  was  accorded  a  place 
among  the  professors  in  St.  Joseph's  college,  Bardstown.  He  was  removed 
thence  to  Portland  in  1843,  where  he  won  from  the  start  the  affection  of  his 
parishioners.     I  have  known   clergymen,  and  many  of  them,  who  were  pos- 


CAtMOLICITY    in    KENTUCKY.  519 

In  August,  1 86 1,  the  late  Rev.  John  H.  Bekkers  was  appointed  to 
the  pastorship  of  the  church  of  Our  Lady.  It  was  during  his  incum- 
bency that  the  church  was  much  enlarged  and  a  comfortable  presbytery 
erected  on  the  adjoining  lot.  The  entire  square  immediately  facing 
the  church  to  the  south,  is  occupied  by  the  buildings  and  gardens  of 
the  establishment  begun  by  the  sisters  of  Loretto  in  1842,  and  known 
as  the  academy  of  Mount  St.  Benedict;  and  adjoining  the  church  to 
the  west  stands  a  large  and  well  appointed  school  building  in  which 
members  of  the  sisterhood  give  daily  instruction  to  the  children  of  the 
parish. 

Much  of  the  progress  that  is  to  day  observable  in  the  parish  of  Our 
Lady  is  undoubtedly  attributable  to  the  presence  and  earnest  labors  of 
the  Lorettine  sisters.  Their  boarding-school,  still  better  known  by  its 
former  title  of  Cedar  Grove  academy,  was  begun  in  1842  by  a  colony 
sent  from  the  mother-house,  composed  of  sisters,  Angelica  Green, 
Theckla  Myer,  Bridget  Spalding,  Eulalie  Flaget,  Angelica  Hayden 
and  Clare  Casseday.  The  school  soon  became  a  popular  one,  and  it 
is  now  second  in  importance  to  no  other  house  of  the  Loretto  society. 
The  parish  free  schools,  which  are  also  under  the  charge  of  the  sisterhood, 
are  well  attended,  and  in  them  the  children  are  not  only  receiving  as 
competent  instruction  in  mere  letters  as  is  accorded  to  their  pupils  by 
the  State  school  teachers,  but  the  better  knowledge  that  has  reference 
to  their  interest  for  eternity.  Primarily,  the  Catholics  of  Portland  are 
indebted  for  their  present  free  school  building  to  the  charity  of  an  Irish 
CathoHc,  Thomas  Drew,  who  died  about  the  close  of  the  year  1847. 
He  bequeathed  by  will  property  then  owned  by  him  in  Portland  for  the 
establishment  of  a  Catholic  free  school.  This  property  was  afterwards 
sold  for  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  this  amount,  supple- 
mented by  private  subscriptions,  afterwards  gave  to  the  parish  its  pre- 
sent commodious  free-school  building.  The  church  of  Our  Lady  was 
once  enlarged  and  twice  torn  down  and  rebuilt.  The  first  demolition 
was  under  the  pastorship  of  Rev.  Hugo  Peythieu,  and  the  new  build- 
ing that  arose  in  its  place,  much  larger  and  much  more  elaborately 
finished,  was  consecrated  on  the  13th  of  November,  1870.  It 
was  soon  afterwards  found  that  the  builders  had  blundered  in  their 
work  and  that  it  was  dangerous  to  life  to  hold  further  services  in  it. 
By  direction  of  the  present  bishop  of  Louisville  the  church  was  again 
demolished  and  rebuilt,  and  on  the  14th  of  December,  1873,  as  it  now 
stands,  though  not  entirely  finished,  it  was  dedicated  to  divine  use 
and  reopened  to  the  Catholics  of  the  parish. 

sessed  of  greater  natural  talents ;  and  many,  too,  who  were  more  energetic  in 
pushing  their  influence  for  good  beyond  the  line  of  strict  obligation.  But  I 
have  known  few  who  appeared  to  me  more  uniformly  observant  of  religious 
and  pastoral  duty.  His  piety  was  cheerful,  but  it  was  not  the  less  sincere  on 
that  account.  He  inspired  no  one  with  fear,  but  rather  incited  love  by  acts  and 
words  of  fatherly  kindness.  Lack  of  energy  was  the  sole  defect  in  his  charac- 
ter, and  that  was  so  generally  regarded  as  constitutional,  that  it  alienated 
neither  the  respect  nor  the  confidence  of  his  parishioners.  Father  Vital's  death 
took  place  at  the  infirmary  of  St.  Joseph,  Louisville,  in  July,  1861, 


520  tHE   CHURCH    OF    THE    IMMACULATE   CONCEPTION. 

The  church  of  Our  Lady  has  been  served  since  1873  by  Revs. 
Alex.  T.  McConnell,  John  N.  Baxter  and  A.  J.  Harnist,  the  last 
named  for  a  series  of  years.  * 

THE   CHURCH    OF   THE    IMMACULATE    CONCEPTION. 

This  church,  which  is  situated  on  the  corner  of  Eighth  and  Gray- 
son streets,  was  built  for  the  accommodation  of  the  German  Catholic 
population  of  the  city  residing  below  Third  street.  It  was  erected  in 
1849,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Chas.  J.  Boeswald.  The  congrega- 
tion was  organized  the  previous  year,  and  its  meetings  for  divine  ser- 
vice were  held  in  the  basement  chapel  of  the  former  cathedral  of  St. 
Louis.  A  part  of  the  funds  required  for  its  construction  was  collected 
in  Germany  by  the  pastor,  who  visited  Europe  for  that  purpose  in  the 
winter  of  1847-48.  The  dedication  of  the  church  took  place  on  the 
8th  of  July,  1849. 

Rev.  Charles  J.  Boeswald,  whom  it  was  the  writer's  privilege  to 
know  somewhat  intimately,  was  an  admirable  man  and  priest,  and  a 
faithful  guardian  of  the  interests  of  religion  in  his  parish.  He  was  a 
native  of  Bavaria,  where  his  theological  studies  were  primarily  prose- 
cuted. In  the  year  1843  he  determined  to  devote  his  life  to  the  foreign 
missions;  and  coming  to  Kentucky  he  entered  the  diocesan  seminary 
at  Bardstown,  where,  toward  the  close  of  the  same  year,  he  was  raised 
to  the  priesthood  by  Bishop  Flaget.  His  first  mission  was  that  of  New- 
port, in  Campbell  county,  where  he  was  the  builder  and  first  pastor  of 
Corpus  Christi  church.  At  the  instance  of  his  ordinary,  he  returned  to 
Louisville  in  1847,  and  was  charged  with  the  then  necessary  work  of 
organizing  a  congregation  among  his  German  countrymen  residing  in 
the  western  section  of  the  city,  and  in  the  service  of  these  were  passed 
the  remaining  years  of  his  life.  In  October,  1855,  he  was  seized  with 
his  last  sickness,  and  his  death  took  place  on  the  2nd  of  the  following 
month,  the  feast  of  All  Souls.  He  was  a  man  of  dignified  bearing  and 
pleasant  address,  and  as  a  clergyman  he  was  distinguished  for  his 
talents,  piety  and  zeal.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  he  held  the  office  of 
chancellor  and  secretary  of  the  diocese,  f 

Or  the  death  of  Father  Boeswald,  the  pastorate  of  the  church  was 
intrustec  to  Rev.  F.  X.  VanDeutekom  by  whom  the  congregation  was 
served  to  the  date  of  his  resignation,  November  17,  1872.  The  present 
pastor,  Rev.  M.  L.  Brandt,  who  had  previously  been  the  assistant 
priest  in  charge  of  the  congregation,  assumed  immediately  the  duties 

*It  has  been  through  the  kindness  of  Father  Harnist,  the  present  energetic 
pastor  of  the  church  of  Our  Lady,  that  I  have  been  enabled  to  secure  most  of 
the  facts  related  in  the  text. 

t  Leading  Catholics  of  the  congregation  of  the  Immaculate  Conception 
when  first  established,  were:  John  Dierker,  Bernard  Dierker,  Henry  Vogt, 
Herman  Shuckmann,  Nicholas  Shuckmann,  Joseph  Buckel,  Louis  Weyd, 
Simon  Graf,  Theodore  Pulsford,  and  others  whose  names  I  cannot  bring  to 
mind. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  $21 

that  pertain  to  the  pastoral  office  and  was  not  long  afterwards  entrusted 
by  his  bishop  with  the  care  of  the  congregation.* 

THE   CHURCH    OF   ST.   MARTIN    OF   TOURS. 

This  church  is  situated  on  Shelby  street,  near  Broadway.  It  was 
begun  in  1853,  and  finished  the  following  year.  Its  erection  has  to 
be  referred  to  the  indefatigable  labors  of  the  late  Rev.  Leander  Streber, 
O.  S.  F.,  who  had  previously  served  as  assistant  priest  at  the  church  of 
St.  Bonifacius.  At  the  time  referred  to,  and  previously,  it  was  felt  that 
the  last  named  church  was  altogether  too  contracted  for  the  comfort- 
able accommodation  of  the  congregation,  then  vastly  increased,  and 
still  increasing  year  by  year  by  the  setdement  in  Louisville  of  German 
Catholic  immigrants,  and  that  another  was  a  necessity.  The  church  of 
St.  Martin  was  no  sooner  opened  than  it  was  filled  with  worshipers  at 
all  the  services.  At  the  present  day  its  congregation  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  city,  requiring  the  services  of  four  priests  to  attend  to  its 
wants.  In  1861  the  first  pastor  of  the  church  secured  for  the  parish  a 
colony  of  Ursuline  nuns,  and  now  the  establishments  of  this  order, 
including  convent,  boarding  and  day  school  buildings,  and  a  singularly 
beautiful  chapel,  form  a  leading  feature  of  the  parish.  Though  under 
the  direction  of  a  Franciscan  priest,  St.  Martin's  was  a  secular  church 
until  the  year  1877,  when  it  was  transferred  to  the  Franciscans  of  the 
province  of  Bavaria. 

The  acquaintance  of  the  writer  with  Rev.  Leander  Streber  began 
in  1841,  when  he  was  occupying  the  humble  position  of  sacristan  in  the 
former  church  of  St.  Louis,  Rev.  John  McGill,  pastor.  Though  the 
fact  was  little  known  to  the  members  of  the  congregation,  he  was  even 
then  a  lay-brother  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis  on  leave  of  absence  from 
his  convent  in  Bavaria.  A  year  or  two  later,  he  was  missed  from  his 
place  in  the  sanctuary,  and  it  was  a  surprise  to  many  to  learn  that  he 
was  pursuing  a  course  of  studies  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  Charles 
Boeswald,  with  a  view  to  priestly  ordination.  He  was  then  over  thirty 
years  of  age,  and  he  had  much  to  learn  before  it  would  be  possible  for 
him  to  acquire  that  degree  of  knowledge  which  is  esteemed  necessary 
in  so  important  a  calling  as  that  of  the  sacred  ministry.  He  was  at 
once  studious  and  persevering,  however,  and  he  was  ordained  priest  by 
Rt.  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding  on  the  24th  of  August,  1850. 

Father  Leander  was  well  liked  by  his  associates  of  the  clergy,  and 
their  regard  for  him  was  based  almost  wholly  on  his  recognized  zeal 
and  piety.  His  talents  were  mediocre,  and  his  learning  was  limited  to 
the  simplest  knowledge  that  was  necessary  to  the  intelligent  discharge 
of  his  priestly  functions.  Like  other  men,  he  had  his  idiosyncrasies, 
and,  though  there  was  not  one  of  them  that  affected  his  honor  as  a  man 
or  his  integrity   as   a   priest,  it  had  been  well  for  himself  and  the 

*The  present  trustees  of  the  church,  are :  John  Dierker,  Henry  Feilhoelter, 
Peter  Thome,  Frank  Struck,  Louis  Block  and  Ferdinand  Lutz. 


e22  THE   CHURCH   OF  St.  PATRICk. 

interests  of  his  parish  had  some  of  these  been  less  prominent.  It  is 
seen,  not  unfrequently,  that  the  very  knowledge  a  man  has  had  no 
opportunity  of  acquiring,  is  precisely  that  in  which  he  imagines  himself 
most  proficient.  This  was  the  case  with  Father  Leander  in  respect  to 
affairs  of  business;  and  when  the  knowledge  came  home  to  him  that 
he  had  mistaken  his  capabilities,  it  was  found  that  he  had  seriously 
compromised  the  temporal  interests  of  his  parish.  But  the  effects  of 
his  blunders  have  been  long  since  repaired,  and  even  had  they  been 
greater  than  they  were,  condonation  was  his  due  on  account  of  his 
ceaseless  efforts  to  render  his  ministry  a  blessing  to  his  people.  Father 
Leander's  death  took  place  on  the  24th  of  August,  1882,  and  the  scenes 
that  were  witnessed  at  his  funeral  were  significant  of  the  affection  and 
reverence  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  people. 

Among  the  leading  members  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Martin  of 
Tours,  when  first  organized,  were :  Frederick  Kortmann,  G.  F.  Heim, 
Franz  Fleck,  Gerhardt  Dolle,  George  Heckmann,  Ben.  Brumleve, 
Ben.  Teupe,  George  Klapheke,  John  Wahl,  Joseph  Spicker,  Clement 
Rademacher,  Henry  Jansen,  Anton  Moellman,  George  Winterheld, 
H.  Holsker  and  P.  Murb.  The  first  four  named  composed  the  first 
board  of  lay-trustees. 

Hereto  are  appended  the  names  of  the  pastors  and  their  assistants 
since  the  organization  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours: 
Rev.  Leander  Streber,  O.  S.  F.,  from  1854  to  1882;  Rev.  Maurice 
Gipperich,  secular  priest,  for  the  year  1858  ;  Rev.  Gabriel  Blum,  of 
the  order  of  St.  Benedict,  from  i860  to  1863;  Rev.  J.  M.  Beyhurst, 
secular  priest,  from  i860  to  1877;  Rev.  Ludwig  Berger,  O.  S.  F., 
from  1874  to  1879  ;  Rev.  Ludgerus  Beck,  O.  S.  F.,  from  1874  to  the 
present  time;  Rev.  Cornelius  Practori,  O.  S.  F.,  for  the  year  1879; 
since  which  date  the  pastorate  comprises  the  names  of  Very  Rev. 
Ludgerus  Beck,  pastor,  and  Revs.  Jacobus  Leitner,  Constantin  Bah- 
mann  and  Seigebert  Schmelz,  assistants,  all  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis. 

THE   CHURCH    OF   ST.    PATRICK. 

The  chapel  of  St.  Patrick,  Thirteenth,  between  Main  and  Market 
streets,  was  built  in  1854,  and  the  church  of  the  same  title,  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Market  and  Thirteenth  streets,  in  i860.  The  congregation  was 
organized  under  the  pastorship  of  the  late  Rev.  Thomas  Joyce,  and 
both  chapel  and  church,  as  well  as  a  comfortable  pastoral  residence, 
were  built  under  his  direction,  and  mainly  through  the  influence  he 
exerted  over  the  then  large,  and  always  faithful  Irish  Catholic  element 
of  the  city's  population.  *    The  pastorate  of  Father  Joyce  lasted  for 

*  Father  Tom  Joyce,  as  he  was  familiarly  known  to  everybody,  was  a  well- 
meaning  and  useful  priest.  Had  he  been  less  genial  and  less  trustful,  how- 
ever, both  himself  and  his  parish  would  have  escaped  serious  involvements. 
Poor,  dear  Father  Tom !  It  was  impossible  to  know  you  and  not  to  love  you  ! 
In  you  there  was  nothing  of  guile,  and  neither  was  ttiere  anything  of  suspicion  ! 
Let  those  whom  you  may  have  at  any  time  disedified,  remember  this;  and  let 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  52^ 

thirteen  years,  and  it  ended  with  his  death  in  1867.*  The  parish  of 
St.  Patrick  had  become  as  early  as  the  year  1868,  when  the  efficient 
pastor,  Rev.  M.  D.  Lawler,  was  called  to  its  service,  one  of  the  most 
important  in  the  city;  and  it  is  doubtfulif  there  are  not  to-day  attached 
to  the  congregation  a  greater  number  of  English'Speaking  Catholics 
than  are  to  be  found  in  any  other  in  Louisville 

THE   CHURCH    OF    ST.    JOHN,    THE    EVANGELIST. 

This  church  is  situated  on  the  corner  of  Walnut  and  Clay  Streets. 
The  organization  of  the  congregation  was  effected  under  the  pastorate 
of  the  late  Rev.  Joseph  Elder,  in  September,  1855,  and  a  temporary 
chapel  was  secured  for  its  use  on  Jefferson,  above  Preston  street. 
There  were  supposed  to  be  in  the  parish,  as  first  organized,  about  six 
hundred  Catholic  families.  For  a  little  more  than  three  years,  the 
congregation  occupied  its  temporary  quarters,  the  lower  story  of  the 
building  serving  for  a  chapel,  and  its  upper  rooms  for  school  purposes. 
After  a  single  year  of  service,  Father  Elder  was  transferred  to  St. 
Mary's  college,  and  his  vacated  place  was  filled  by  the  appointment  of 
Rev.  Lawrence  Bax  to  the  pastorship. 

In  April,  1858,  the  corner-stone  of  the  present  church  of  St.  John 
was  impressively  laid  by  Rt.  Rev.  Richard  P.  Miles,  bishop  of  Nash- 
ville, and  the  immense  concourse  present  on  the  occasion  was  addressed 
in  a  sermon  of  much  power  from  the  lips  of  Dr.  M.  J.  Spalding, 
bishop  of  Louisville.  It  was  not  until  December  2d,  i860,  that  the 
church  was  solemnly  consecrated  by  Most  Rev.  John  B.  Purcell, 
archbishop  of  Cincinnati.  The  sermon  of  the  occasion  was  preached 
by  the  bishop  of  Louisville;  and  at  night  the  church  was  thronged  to 
hear  an  address  from  Dr.  Purcell. f 

At  this  present  writing  (1884)  the  venerable  priest  whose  zeal  was 
exercised  so,  happily  in  the  construction  of  the  church  of  St.  John  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago,  is  still  laboring,  as  he  has  been  laboring 
through  the  intervening  years,  to  make  sure  his  own  election  by 
devoting  himself  and  all  his  powers  to  the  sanctification  of  his  people. 
A  model  of  churches  is  that  of  St.  John;  audits  congregation,  as  it  has 
appeared  to  the  writer,  is  one  in  which  robust  Catholic  sentiment  is 
conjoined  with  practical  ideas  of  christian  duty.  There  are  school 
buildings  for  both  sexes  attached  to  the  parish,  a  hall  for  public  meet- 
ings and  a  comfortable  pastoral  residence.  | 

them  remember,  too,  that  you  gave  to  the  Church,  freely  and  without  a  thought 
of  self,  the  energies  of  your  manhood,  and  that  you  passed  away  with  her  bless- 
ing resting  on  your  head  ! 

*  I  have  memory  of  only  three  heads  of  families  of  the  congregation  of  St. 
Patrick  when  the  parish  was  first  organized.  These  were  James  McSorley, 
John  Slattery  and  Martin  Corcoran. 

1 1  have  heard  it  stated  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  cathedral  of  the 
Assumption,  that  of  St.  John  is  the  only  row^^rra/;?^  church  in  Louisville. 

I  Among  the  earlier  residents  of  St.  John's  parish  may  be  named  :  Chris- 
topher O'Connor  and  his  sons.  William  and  James  O'Connor,  Michael  Harge- 


524  THE   CHURCHES   OF   ST.   PETER    AND    ST.  JOSEPH. 

THE    CHURCH    OF    ST.     PETER. 

This  church,  which  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of  Southgate  street, 
between  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth,  was  built  in  1855-56,  under  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  John  M.  Beyhurst,  and  it  was  designed  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  German  CathoHc  population  of  the  southwestern 
suburbs  of  the  city.  A  year  or  two  later,  it  was  transferred  to  the 
order  of  Minor  Conventuals,  with  Revs.  Bonaventura  Keller  and 
Anthony  Mullerin  charge  of  the  congregation.*  Other  pastors  of  the 
church  of  St.  Peter  have  been  Rev.  Alphonsus  Zoeller,  O.  M.  C, 
Rev.  Cesare  Cucchiarini,  O.  M.  C,  and  Rev.  Vincent  Duimovich, 
O.  M.  C,  who  holds  the  office  at  the  present  date. 

THE    CHURCH    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 

This  church  is  situated  on  Washington,  between  Adams  and  Web- 
ster streets,  in  the  eastern  suburb  of  the  city  known  for  fifty  years 
as  Butchertown.  At  the  time  the  church  was  dedicated,  January  6th, 
1866,  the  population  of  Butchertown  was  almost  exclusively  German 
and  Catholic;  and  owing  to  the  great  distance  to  St.  Martin's,  the  nearest 
Catholic  church,  these  found  it  impossible  for  all  the  members  of  their 
families  to  hear  mass  on  Sundays  and  the  prescribed  days  of  obligation. 
Besides,  their  numbers  were  now  sufficiently  great  to  entitle  them  to  a 
resident  pastor,  and  for  this  favor  they  petitioned  the  ordinary  of  the 
diocese,  who  was  pleased  to  send  to  them  Rev.  F.  Walterspiel,  one  of 
the  first  priests  sent  to  Kentucky  from  the  American  college  at  Lou- 
vain,  by  whom  the  congregation  was  organized,  and  arrangements  per- 
fected for  the  building  of  a  church,  f 

The  zealous  pastor  had  little  difficulty  in  securing  subscriptions  suf- 
ficient in  the  aggregate  to  pay  the  costs  of  construction,  and  very  soon 
he  was  enabled  to  enter  upon  his  pastoral  duties  with  a  church  edifice 
of  ample  dimensions  to  accommodate  his  parishioners.  He  retained 
his  position  until  removed  from  it  by  death  on  September  17th,  1870. 
His  place  was  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Rev.  William  y^nder- 
hagen,  whose  pastorate  continued  until  May,  1875,  when  the  parish  was 

don,  Dr.  J.  C.  Metcalfe,  Patrick  Campion,  Thomas  Leahy,  W.  N.  Watson, 
Patrick  Carroll,  John  Costigan,  John  Murray,  James  \V.  Osborne,  Patrick 
O'Brien,  James  Haines,  William  Hyde,  Patrick  Byron,  Dr.  C.  K.  Metcalfe  and 
Dominic  Bax.  The  last  named,  whose  death  took  place  but  a  few  years  ago, 
was  a  brother  of  the  pastor,  and  he  supplied  the  most  of  the  furniture  used  in 
the  church. 

*  The  death  of  Father  Muller  took  place  in  Louisville  about  seven  years  ago. 
It  may  interest  some  of  my  readers  to  learn  that  Miss  Mary  Anderson,  now  so 
famous  as  a  histrionic,  is  a  grand-niece  of  the  former  assistant  pastor  of  St. 
Anthony's  church.  Father  Bonaventura's  death  took  place  only  a  few  years 
ago,  at  Syracuse,  New  York,  while  provincial  of  his  order. 

fSome  of  the  oldest  living  members,  and  the  building  committee  of  the 
first  church,  are:  A.  Schweiss,  C.  Kissel,  B.  Filing,  J.  Fried,  Wm.  Faust,  Fred. 
Horn,  Wm.  Henkle,  A.  Klug,  P.  Leibert,  Jos.  Specht  and  M.  Weissenberger. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  525 

transferred  to  the  Franciscan  fathers  established  at  the  church  of  St. 
.Bonifacius.  The  present  pastor,  Rev.  A.  Kurz,  O.  S.  F.,  who  has  held 
the  position  since  October  6th,  1875,  is  now  engaged  in  the  laudable 
work  of  building  a  new  church  for  his  vastly  increased  congregation. 
When  that  shall  be  finished,  it  will  represent  fairly  the  ability  of  the 
congregation  to  erect  for  God's  glory  a  temple  in  some  degree 
worthy  of  the  abiding  presence  of  His  Divine  Son  in  the  adorable  sac- 
rament of  His  love.  Early  in  the  ensuing  year,  it  is  expected  that  the 
new  church  of  St.  Joseph  will  be  ready  for  dedication. 

THE  CHURCH  OF  ST.  ANTHONY  OF  PADUA. 

This  church,  built  for  the  accommodation  of  German  Catholics  liv- 
ing west  of  Fifteenth  street,  occupies  a  site  on  Market,  opposite 
Twenty-third  street.  The  ground  upon  which  it  stands  was  bought  by 
Rev.  F.  X.  Vandeutekom,  and  the  church  was  built  by  Rev.  Bona- 
ventura  Keller,  O.  M.  C.,  of  the  pastorate  of  that  of  St.  Peter  in  the 
south-western  suburb  of  the  city  then  and  still  known  as  "California." 
The  church  and  congregation  were  afterwards  transferred  to  the  Minor 
Conventuals,  by  members  of  which  order  they  have  since  been  served. 

The  dedication  of  the  church  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua  took  place 
on  Sunday,  November  5th,  1867,  Very  Rev.  B.  J.  Spalding,  officiating. 
The  pastors  of  the  church  to  the  present  time,  have  been:  Rev.  Pius 
Kotterer,  O.  M.  C,  Rev.  Bernard  Hensperger,  O.  M.  C,  Rev. 
Alexius  Rossbauer,  O.  M.  C,  and  the  present  incumbent  of  the  office, 
Rev.  Louis  M.  Muller,  D.  D.,  O.  M.  C. 

At  this  writing,  Dr.  Muller  is  engaged  in  putting  up  for  his  congre- 
gation, a  church  which  will  vie  with  any  other  in  the  city  in  beauty  of 
design,  and  will  be  surpassed  by  few  in  capaciousness.  When  that  is 
finished,  the  present  church  will  be  devoted  to  school  purposes. 

THE    CHURCH    OF    ST.    LOUIS    BERTRAND. 

The  estabhshment  of  the  Dominican  fathers  in  Louisville  is  on  a 
grand  scale,  and  reflects  much  credit  upon  their  zeal  and  industry.  It 
includes  a  large  conventual  building  and  what  many  regard  as  des- 
tined to  be  the  most  imposing  and  elegant  parish  church  in  the  city. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  an  arrangement  was  perfected 
between  Bishop  Spalding  and  the  officials  of  the  Order  of  Preachers 
residing  at  St.  Rose,  whereby  a  parish  was  set  apart  for  their  care  and 
cultivation  in  what  was  then  a  thinly  settled  suburb  lying  immediately 
south  of  the  centre  of  the  city.  The  situation  was  not  inviting,  but 
the  good  fathers  conjectured  rightly  that  time  would  remedy  its  defects. 
A  number  of  contiguous  lots  were  soon  purchased  and  the  construc- 
tion of  a  convent  at  once  begun.  There  happened  to  be  at  the  time  a 
number  of  frame  buildings  on  the  ground,  put  up  during  the  war  for 
the  uses  of  the  government.  In  one  of  these  the  fathers  took  up  their 
temporary  abode,  and  another,  larger  than  the  rest,  they  transformed 


526  THE    CHURCH    OF    ST.   MICHAEL. 

into  a  chapel.  In  the  meantime,  the  conventual  building  was  pushed 
to  completion,  and  in  1866,  it  was  ready  for  occupancy.  Then  began 
the  construction  of  the  parish  church,  a  labor  that  required  years  to 
complete.  Slowly  its  solid  proportions  arose  in  the  sight  of  the 
interested  people  of  the  parish,  and  passers-by  stopped  to  note  the 
grandeur  of  the  design  that  was  being  carried  out.  Finished  at  length, 
it  was  solemnly  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God,  on  the  6th  day  of 
January,  1873,  by  Rt.  Rev.  William  McCloskey,  bishop  of  Louis- 
ville.* 

In  1869,  there  were  of  the  Order  of  Preachers  attached  to  the  con- 
vent and  church  of  St.  Louis  Bertrand,  Very  Rev.  William  D.  O'Car- 
rol,  provincial ;  Very  Rev.  D.  J.  Meagher,  prior  and  pastor ;  and 
Revs.  B.  Cochrane,  F.  Cubero,  J.  V.  Daly,  M.  F.  McGrath,  J.  A. 
Rooney,  P.  C.  Coll  and  B.  Reville,  together  with  twelve  theologi- 
cal students  and  three  lay-brothers.  On  the  first  of  January  of  the 
present  year,  the  priests  attached  to  the  establishment  were  :  Very 
Rev.  M.  A.  McFeeley,  prior,  and  Revs.  J.  Sheridan,  C.  K.  McKenna, 
H.  J.  McManus,  H.  J.  Leonard  and  J.  A.  O'Dwyer. 

THE    CHURCH    OF   ST.    MICHAEL. 

This  church,  which  is  situated  on  Brook,  near  Jefferson  street,  was 
put  up  nearly  forty  years  ago  for  a  Methodist  meeting-house.  The 
building,  with  the  lot  upon  which  it  stands,  was  purchased  in  1866,  by 
Rt.  Rev.  P.  J.  Lavialle,  bishop  of  Louisville,  by  whom  it  was  altered, 
improved  and  transformed  into  a  church  of  ample  capacity  to  accom- 
modate the  Catholic  people  of  the  parish  then  assigned  to  it.  A  por- 
tion of  the  territory  of  St.  Michael's  parish,  and  all  that  from  which 
were  afterwards  formed  the  parishes  of  St.  Bridget  and  St.  Columba,  was 
originally  attached  to  that  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  The  first  priest 
appointed  to  the  pastorate  was  the  late  Rev.  M.  Power,  who  served 
the  congregation  until  the  date  of  his  death,  January  6th,  1879. f  The 
church  of  St.  Michael  was  served  until  1881,  by  priests  from  the 
cathedral  of  the  Assumption.  After  that  date  the  present  pastor, 
Rev.  H.  Plaggenborg,  was  given  charge  of  the  parish. 

THE   CHURCH    OF    ST.    AUGUSTINE. 

This  church,  which  is  situated  on  Broadway,  corner  of  Fourteenth 
street,  was  built  in  1869,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Lancaster 
Spalding,  at  this  writing  bishop  of  the  See  of  Peoria.     It  was  erected 

*Two  circumstances  of  the  occasion  will  belong  remembered  by  those  who 
witnessed  the  ceremony.  The  dedication  sermon  was  preached  by  the  famous 
Irish  Dominican,  the  late  Rev.  Thomas  N.  Burke,  and  the  day  was  one  of  the 
coldest  ever  experienced  in  Louisville. 

t  I  have  spoken  of  Father  Power  elsewhere.  He  was  a  laborious  priest 
and  an  amiable  man  ;  but  he  was  singularly  unfortunate  in  having  his  trust 
abused  by  one  who  was  wholly  unworthy  of  his  confidence,  and  by  whom  both 
his  own  means  and  those  of  his  parish  were  squandered  and  entirely  lost. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  527 

with  a  special  view  to  the  needs  of  the  colored  Catholic  element  of  the 
city's  population.  The  young  priest  took  hold  of  his  work  with  becom- 
ing zeal,  and  within  a  short  time  after  the  inception  of  the  enterprize, 
he  had  organized  a  congregation  and  built  a  commodious  church  for 
its  use. 

Upon  the  retiracy  of  Father  Spalding,  in  1872,  the  church  of  St. 
Augustine  was  served  for  short  terms  by  Revs.  H.  J.  Brady,  John 
Creary,  Francis  De  Meulder  and  T.  J.  Disney;  and  on  each  Sunday 
and  holiday  of  obligation  two  services  took  place  in  it — one  for  the 
colored  people  for  whom  it  had  been  built,  and  one  for  white  Catholics 
living  in  the  neighborhood — and  this  lasted  till  the  church  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  was  opened  to  the  latter  the  following  year.  Early  in  1873, 
St.  Augustine's  was  transferred  by  Bishop  McCloskey  to  the  control  of 
the  society  of  St.  Joseph  for  Foreign  Missions,  and  it  has  since  been 
served  by  members  of  this  order.* 

Since  1873,  ten  priests  of  the  Josephite  society,  some  for  longer 
and  some  for  shorter  terms,  have  been  stationed  in  Louisville.  These 
were:  Revs.  F.  C.  Vigneront,  J.  B.  Tardy,  R.  Gore,  J.  A.  Schmidtz, 
D.  F.  Hurly,  J.  H.  Green,  William  Hooman,  F.  P.  Kervick,  Gerard 
Weissma  and  J.  C.  Crowley,  f 

THE   CHURCH   OF   THE   SACRED    HEART. 

The  chapel,  until  now  used  by  the  congregation  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  was  built  by  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  T.  J.  Disney,  in  1873. 
It  is  situated  near  the  corner  of  Seventeenth  and  Broadway  streets, 
three  squares  west  of  the  church  of  St.  Augustine.  It  was  in  the  last 
church,  indeed,  that  the  congregation  was  organized,  and  its  future 
pastor,  who  had  been  called  to  the  city  from  his  former  pastorship  at 
Elizabethtown,  was  introduced  to  its  first  members  by  Rt.  Rev.  Dr. 
McCloskey.  X 

*  The  Josephite  society,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  owes  its  origin  to  the  late 
Cardinal  Wiseman  and  to  Right  Rev.  Herbert  Vaughan,  bishop  of  Salford,  of  the 
English  episcopate.  The  society  has  for  its  object  the  reception,  education 
and  training  of  young  men  who  are  willing  to  devote  their  lives  to  missionary 
work  among  people  of  color. 

t  Father  Crowley  has  been  at  the  head  of  the  Louisville  mission  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  It  was  through  his  courtesy  that  I  was  lately  shown  through  his 
church,  parsonage  and  school  buildings.  The  first  is  a  model  of  neatness 
and  good  taste.  The  walls  are  beautifully  frescoed,  and  the  altar  is  richly  and 
tastefully  decorated.  The  pastoral  residence,  lately  much  improved,  is  suf- 
ficiently roomy  to  accommodate  three  priests  with  comfortable  lodgings.  The 
school-building  is  large  and  airy,  and  it  is  ordinarily  occupied  by  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  children,  who  are  taught  by  sisters  of  charity  from  Nazareth. 

X  Father  Disney  had  been  engaged  at  St.  Augustine's  for  a  few  weeks  pre- 
vious to  the  meeting  of  his  parishioners  referred  to  in  the  text,  and  he  was  then 
occupying  the  parsonage  attached  to  that  church.  The  arrival,  soon  after- 
wards, of  the  Josephite  fathers  to  take  charge  of  the  congregation,  necessitated 
his  own  removal  to  other  quarters.  Not  knowing  where  to  bestow  himself  on 
such  short  notice,  he  was  greatly  troubled.  But  his  embarrassment  ended  with 
the  knowledge  by  one  of  his  friends  of  its  cause.     While  the  church  of  the 


528  THE    CHURCH    OF    ST.  CECILIA. 

After  ten  years  of  usage,  it  was  found  that  the  chapel  built  in  1873, 
was  too  contracted  for  the  comfortable  accommodation  of  the  largely 
increased  congregation;  and  it  was  wisely  determined  by  the  pastor 
that  an  effort  should  be  made  to  put  up,  according  to  the  original 
design,  a  commodious  parish  church.  Happily  for  the  realization  of 
his  idea,  the  eminent  Jesuit,  Father  A.  A.  Lambert,  was  giving  a  mis- 
sion to  his  people  in  the  spring  of  1883,  and  to  him  he  suggested  his 
wishes.  And  so  the  mission  was  made  a  means  of  calling  the  atten- 
tion of  the  congregation  to  the  matter,  and  indirecdy,  oi"  causing  the 
erection  of  the  large  and  stately  building,  now  under  roof  and  soon  to 
be  finished,  in  which  pastor  and  people  hope  to  remove  before  the 
winter  sets  in. 

THE   CHURCH    OF   ST.    CECILIA. 

The  corner-stone  of  this  church  was  laid  on  the  7th  of  September, 

1873,  and  its  dedication  took  place  on  the  24th  of  August,  1874.  It 
was  built  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Theodosius  McDonald,  of  the 
Carmelite  order,  and  its  site  is  on  St.  Cecilia  street,  between  Twenty- 
fifth  and  Twenty-sixth,  one  square  east  of  the  Catholic  cemetery  of 
St.  John.  At  the  date  of  its  erection,  the  neighborhood  was  sparsely 
populated,  and  it  has  only  been  of  late  years  that,  to  any  great  extent, 
the  open  lands  surrounding  it  have  been  put  to  use  for  building  pur- 
poses. The  outlook  is  better  now,  and  it  is  not  likely  to  be  long 
before  the  congregation  will  be  in  numbers  what  it  has  long  been  in  zeal 
and  liberality.     Father  McDonald  was  succeeded  in  the  pastorate  in 

1874,  by  Father  Cyril  C.  Feehan,  and  he,  in  1876,  by  Rev.  P.  J. 
Rock.  In  1879,  the  Passionist  fathers  were  given  temporary  charge  of 
the  parish,  and  this  arrangement  was  continued  till  March  of  the  pre- 
sent year.  During  the  progress  of  their  connection  with  the  pastorate 
the  congregation  was  served  by  Rev.  Aloysius  Blakely,  Rev.  Joseph, 
Flanagan,  Rev.  Anthony  Mc Henry  and  others  of  the  Passionist 
fathers.  The  present  pastor  of  the  church  of  St.  Cecilia  is  Rev. 
Alexander  T.  McConnell,  of  the  secular  clergy  of  the  diocese. 

THE   CHURCH    OF    ST.    BRIDGET. 

St.  Bridget's  church  is  situated  on  Baxter  Avenue,  between  Payne 
and  Ward  streets.  It  was  built  in  1873,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev. 
James  P.  Ryan,  and  its  dedication  took  place  on  the  19th  of  October 
of  that  year.  From  1874  to  the  present  time  the  congregation  of  St. 
Bridget,  whose  Catholic  spirit  in  what  concerns  the  Church  and  her 
charities  is  worthy  of  all  praise,  has  been  served  by  Rev.  John  Creary. 

Sacred  Heart  was  being  built,  and  until  his  own  modest  pastoral  residence  was 
ready  for  occupancy,  he  was  the  honored  guest  of  Mr.  Martin  Byrne,  a  gener- 
ous-hearted member  of  his  congregation.  Among  the  most  liberal  of  the  con- 
tributors to  the  building-fund  of  the  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart  may  be 
named:  Solomon  McCollum,  B.  E.  Cassilly,  John  Shelly,  Martin  Byrne,  Chrisi 
topher  O'Connor  a.nd  WiUiJun  Coonan, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  529 

THE    CHURCH    OF   ST.    COLUMBA. 

This  church  is  situated  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Buchanan 
streets.  It  was  built  in  1876-7,  by  the  late  Rev.  M.  Breen,  and  its 
dedication  took  place  on  the  17th  of  March  of  the  last  named  year. 
Since  1880,  the  congregation  of  St.  Columba's  has  been  served  by 
Rev.  D.  O'SulHvan. 

THE   CHURCH   OF    ST.    VINCENT   OF    PAUL. 

This,  the  latest  built  of  the  city  churches  proper,  was  erected  in 
1877-8,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  H.  Plaggenborg.  It  is  situated 
on  Milk  street,  between  Shelby  and  Logan,  in  a  populous  suburb  of 
the  southeastern  part  of  the  city.  The  congregation  is  mostly  made  up 
of  Germans.  Since  five  years,  the  church  of  St.  Vincent  has  been 
under  the  pastorship  of  Rev.  John  Heising,  formerly  assistant  pastor  at 
that  of  the  Immaculate  Conception. 

THE    CHURCH    OF    ST.    AGNES. 

Near  the  diocesan  seminary  property  at  Preston  Park,  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  the  city  limits,  on  the  Newburg  road,  there  was  built,  a  few 
years  ago,  a  temporary  structure  to  which  was  given  the  above  title,  for 
the  benefit  of  the  few  Catholic  families  residing  in  the  vicinity.  It  is 
served  at  the  present  time  by  Rev.  William  McCarthy. 

PARISH   SCHOOLS. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  in  connection  with  the  subject  of  this  chap- 
ter, that  provision  has  been  made  in  every  parish  of  the  city  for  the 
christian  education  of  children.  The  parish  schools  of  Louisville  are 
conducted  by  men  and  women  who  have  given  up  the  world  to  devote 
themselves  to  this  special  work;  and  it  is  undeniable  that  the  culture 
they  are  giving  to  the  youth  of  the  congregations  is  of  the  precise 
character  best  calculated  to  insure  their  success  in  life  and  their  happi- 
ness for  eternity.  As  may  be  seen  in  the  complete  table  of  statistics 
in  the  appendix  to  this  work,  the  higher  schools  of  the  diocese  of 
Louisville  number  30,  the  parochial  and  day-schools  with  the  asylums, 
71,  in  which  are  educated  over  1 0,000  pupils. 


;3C  THE   DIOCESE   OF   COVINGTON. 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

THE   DIOCESE    OF    COVINGTON. 

Except  in  so  far  as  relates  to  the  missions  of  Scott,  Fayette  and 
Madison  counties,  which  have  been  already  referred  to,  that  part  of 
Kentucky  which  now  forms  the  diocese  of  Covington  presents  few 
points,  prior  to  the  year  1850,  which  would  now  be  considered  of 
interest  to  the  Catholic  reader.  In  the  "Catholic  almanac  and 
laity's  directory"  for  1837,  the  fifth  of  the  series  published,  appears 
this  reference  to  the  city  which,  sixteen  years  later,  gave  its  name  to 
the  second  See  established  in  the  State:  "Covington — St.  Mary's — 
third  and  fourth  Sundays;  attended  from  Cincinnati."  The  pastor  of 
St.  Mary's  church,  under  whom,  most  likely,  it  was  built,  was  the  late 
Rev.  Stephen  H.  Montgomery,  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic. 

In  1841,  we  find  that  the  time  of  Father  Montgomery  was  divided 
between  Covington  and  Maysville.  This  arrangement  was  continued 
till  1844,  when  the  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  was  relieved  of  his  Maysville 
charge,  and  Rev.  William  Fennelly  appointed  to  that  mission.  Here 
the  last  named  pastor  succeeded  in  building  the  church  of  St.  Patrick 
in  1845.  In  1844-5,  the  church  of  Holy  Mother  of  God,  Covington, 
was  erected  by  the  joint  efforts  of  Rev.  Ferdinand  Kuhr,  of  the  dio- 
cese of  Cincinnati,  and  Rev.  Charles  Boeswald,  of  the  diocese  of 
Louisville.  Of  this  church  Father  Kuhr  remained  pastor  until  the 
date  of  his  death,  November  29th,  1870.* 

In  1845,  Rev.  Charles  Boeswald  was  charged  with  the  organization 
of  a  congregation  in  Newport,  where  he  caused  to  be  erected  Corpus 
C72m// church,  which  he  served  until  recalled  to  Louisville  in  1847  in 
the  interest  of  the  German  Catholics  residing  in  the  lower  part  of  that 
city. 

The  See  of  Covington  was  established  by  Letters  Apostolic  bearing 
date,  July  29th,  1853,  and  Rt.  Rev.  George  A.  Carrell  was  appointed 
to  its  occupancy.  The  prelate  named  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia, 
born  July  13,  1803.  He  was  educated  at  Georgetown  college,  then 
and  still  conducted  by  the  fathers  of  the  Society  6f  Jesus.      He  after- 

*  Father  Kuhr  was  an  energetic  and  faithful  priest,  and  highly  esteemed  by 
the  clergy  to  whom  he  was  known.  He  was  born  in  Esslau,  Prussia,  August 
25th,  1806.  His  studies  were  prosecuted  at  Rome,  where  he  was  ordained  by 
Cardinal  Reisach,  August  loth,  1836.  He  was  a  learned  man,  wholly  unpre- 
tending in  his  ways,  and  deeply  pious ;  and  when  he  died,  the  congregation  he 
had  served  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  was  overwhelmed  with  sorrow.  He  had 
begun  the  erection  of  the  new  church  of  the  Holy  Mother  of  God,  but  he  did 
not  live  to  see  it  finished. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  53 1 

wards  entered  the  theological  seminary  of  St.  Sulpice,  Baltimore,  with 
the  intention  of  fitting  himself  for  the  work  of  the  holy  ministry.  He 
finished  his  course  of  theology  at  Mount  St.  Mary's,  Maryland,  and, 
in  1829,  he  was  ordained  priest  by  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Conwell  in  the 
church  of  St.  Ann,  Philadelphia.  After  a  service  of  six  years  on  the 
missions  of  the  diocese,  he  attached  himself  to  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
of  which  body  he  was  a  most  useful  member  until  called,  eighteen 
years  later,  to  the  office  of  bishop. 

Entering  upon  his  administration  of  ecclesiastical  affairs  in  his  newly 
created  See,  Dr.  Carrell  found  a  wide  field  for  the  display  of  his  ener- 
gies. There  were  then  but  thirteen  churches  in  the  diocese,  and  only 
twelve  priests  to  serve  them.  He  began  by  appointing  Rev.  Thomas 
R.  Buder  his  vicar-general.  This  admirable  priest  had  succeeded  Rev. 
John  B.  Lamy,  a  short  time  before  consecrated  first  bishop  of  Santa 
Fe,  in  the  pastorate  of  St.  Mary's  church,  and  this  position  he  held  till 
a  short  time  preceding  the  date  of  his  death.* 

One  of  Dr.  Carrell's  first  undertakings  was  the  erection  of  the 
cathedral  of  St.  Mary's,  and  this  he  accomplished  in  less  than  two 
years  after  his  installation.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  entire  Catholic  popula- 
tion of  Eastern  Kentucky  was  over  seven  thousand  souls  in  1853; 
and  to  attend  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  these,  scattered  as  they  were  over 
hundreds  of  mile's  of  territory,  the  bishop  of  the  See  had,  as  has  been 
seen,  but  twelve  priests.  There  was  then  not  an  ecclesiastical  institu- 
tion in  the  diocese;  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  school  of  St.  Cath- 
arine's, at  Lexington,  no  educational  establishment  controlled  by  relig- 
ious. During  the  fifteen  years  he  was  permitted  to  live  after  his  con- 
secration, the  change  to  be  noted  was  sufficiently  marked  to  give  one 
a  competent  idea  of  the  extent  and  character  of  his  labors.  The 
churches  of  his  diocese  had  increased  from  thirteen  to  thirty-eight,  and 
the  number  of  priests  employed  from  twelve  to  thirty-three.  Where 
there  was  nothing  of  the  kind  to  point  to  fifteen  years  before,  his  epis- 
copal city  was  now  provided  with  a  hospital  for  the  care  of  the  sick, 
and  an  asylum  for  orphan  children.  There  had  been  established  there, 
too,  a  priory  of  the  order  of  St.  Benedict;  a  convent  of  Benedictine 
nuns,  and  one  of  the  nuns  of  the  Visitation.  Where  there  had  been 
only  four  parochial  schools,  there  were  several  now  in  which  the 
higher  branches  were  taught,  and,  very  generally,  in  the  city  and 
throughout  the  diocese,  parish  schools  had  been  established  in  con- 
nection with  the  churches  built.  Not  vainly  had  the  good  bishop 
labored,  nor  unprofitably  for  his  people,  f 

*The  name  of  Rev.  Thomas  R.  Butler  is  one  to  which  my  ears  were 
made  familiar  by  hearing  it  repeated  in  terms  of  endearment  by  a  number  of  my 
most  intimate  friends  of  the  clergy  of  Louisville  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 
He  was  an  American  by  birth,  born  in  1803,  and  previous  to  his  removal  to  Cov- 
ington, he  had  been  for  many  years  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's  church,  Fayetteville, 
Ohio.      His  death  took  place  on  the  9th  day  of  February,  1869. 

t  I  have  memory  of  but  a  single  occasion  upon  which  I  was  in  the  company 
of  Bishop  Carrell.  He  was  kind  enough  then  to  lefer  to  certain  letters  I  had 
written  and  published  in  defence  of  Catholicity  and  Catholics  at  a  time  when 


532 


RT.   REV.   AUGUSTUS   M.  TOEBBE. 


The  death  of  Bishop  Carrell  took  place  in  Covington  Cfn  the  ajth 
of  September,  1868.  During  the  vacancy  of  the  See,  two  adminis- 
trators were  appointed  for  the  diocese,  both  of  whom  died  while 
in  ofhce.  These  were  Very  Rev.  Thomas  R.  Butler  and  Very  Rev. 
James  Madison  Lancaster.  It  was  not  until  January  9th,  1870,  that 
the  consecration  of  the  late  Rt.  Rev.  Augustus  M.  Toebbe  gave  to  the 
diocese  a  competent  head.  The  new  bishop  did  not,  so  to  say,  find 
his  episcopal  couch  a  bed  of  roses.  The  finances  of  the  diocese  were 
in  great  disorder,  a  condition  of  things  that  had  been  brought  about 
through  the  indiscreet  use  of  its  funds  and  its  credit  by  one  who  had 
now  become  his  subaltern.  It  is  the  same  story,  before  hinted  at  in 
these  pages,  of  mistaken  foresight  and  real  folly,  leading  men  ordained 
of  God  for  other  and  nobler  work,  into  paths  abandoned  to  the  world  of 
speculation  and  trade.  In  this  case,  as  in  others,  disaster  had  followed, 
of  course;  and  the  good  bishop  was  confronted,  at  the  very  beginning 
of  his  administration,  with  a  spectre  of  debt  that  was  sufficiently  appal- 
ling to  his  sensitive  soul.  But  Bishop  Toebbe  was  a  man  in  a  thou- 
sand. He  shouldered  his  burden,  galling  as  it  was,  and  he  was  ena- 
bled, while  he  yet  lived,  to  remove  out  of  his  pathway  many  obstacles 
to  the  prosperous  course  of  his  administration,  for  the  existence  of 
which  he  was  in  no  wise  responsible. 

RT.  REV.  AUGUSTUS   M.  TOEBBE. 

It  was  the  hope  and  expectation  of  the  writer  to  be  able  to  pre- 
sent to  his  readers  a  more  satisfactory  sketch  of  the  life  of  Bishop 
Toebbe  than  the  one  that  follows,  which  is  drawn  wholly  from  his  own 
slight  personal  acquaintance  with  its  subject,  and  from  the  newspaper 
publications  that  immediately  followed  his  death,  a  few  months  ago. 
It  would  seem,  however,  that  not  even  in  the  presence  of  the  members 
of  his  own  clerical  household,  was  this  humble  worker  in  the  vineyard 
of  the  Divine  Master  in  the  habit  of  speakmg  of  himself  and  his 
labors. 

Augustus  Maria  Toebbe  was  born  in  Meppen,  Kingdom  of  Han- 
over, on  the  17th  of  January,  1829.  His  parents  were  esteemed  in 
the  local  community,  and  they  were  devoted  to  the  practice  of  the 
virtues  inculcated  by  their  Catholic  faith.  He  grew  up  a  modest  and 
unassuming  youth,  and  when  old  enough  to  be  sent  to  school,  a  place 
was  found  for  him  in  the  gymnasium  of  Meppen,  from  which  institu- 
tion of  learning  he  afterwards  graduated.     For  a  while  after  he  had 

sectarian  rancor  had  caused  men  to  forget  that  the  principle  of  religious  liberty 
is  the  corner-stone  of  American  republicanism.  •  Complimentary  allusions  had 
been  before  made  in  my  presence  to  these  "  Letters  of  a  Kentucky  Catholic," 
so-called,  and  I  had  not  felt  on  such  occasions  that  self-conceit  was  a  weak- 
ness to  which  I  was  specially  amenable.  But  when  the  good  bishop  told  me 
that  they  had  led  to  the  conversion  of  a  leading  member  of  his  own  cathe- 
dral parish,  I  had  reason  to  fear  that  I  was  a  proper  subject  of  prayer  on  the 
part  of  my  friends  that  I  might  be  delivered  from  that  precise  form  of  delin- 
quency. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  533 

completed  his  collegiate  course,  he  was  engaged  in  a  mercantile  busi- 
ness, bur  from  this  he  was  soon  drawn  by  his  predilection  for  the  sacred 
ministry. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he  left  his  native  land  and  came 
to  America.  Reaching  Cincinnati  in  1852,  he  sought  and  was  accorded 
a  place  in  the  theological  seminary  at  Mount  St.  Mary's,  from  which, 
two  years  later,  he  was  ordained  priest  by  Most  Rev.  J.  B.  Purcell. 
In  1855,  he  was  given  charge  of  the  church  of  St.  Stephen  at  New  Rich- 
mond, Ohio,  where  he  gave  such  unmistakable  evidences  of  zeal  and 
prudence,  that  it  pleased  his  ordinary  to  transfer  him  to  a  more  impor- 
tant mission — that  of  St.  Aloysius,  Cumminsville,  where  he  served  the 
congregation  most  acceptably  for  more  than  a  year.  In  1857,  he  was 
appointed  by  Archbishop  Purcell  assistant  pastor  of  the  church  of  St. 
Philomena,  Cincinnati.  Eight  years  later,  he  succeeded  to  the  pastor- 
ship of  this  church,  in  which  position  he  was  found  when  called  to 
succeed  Dr.  Carrel!  in  the  bishopric  of  Covington.* 

In  1866,  Father  Toebbe  was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Theolo- 
gians called  together  that  year  in  Baltimore  to  prepare  matters  for  dis- 
cussion and  action  in  the  second  plenary  council  of  that  Metropolitan 
city,  assembled  a  few  months  later.  His  consecration  took  place  on 
the  9th  of  January,  1870,  and  immediately  afterwards  he  began  the 
onerous  and  ceaseless  labors  of  an  episcopate  that  was  literally  crowded 
with  trials.  But  the  life  of  the  good  bishop  was  not  all  comfortless. 
From  the  first,  his  labors  were  rewarded  with  buds  of  promise,  and 
these  in  time  brought  forth  fruits  of  consolation.  More  and  more,  as 
time  progressed,  his  diocese  presented  to  his  eyes  an  aspect  that  was 
nearer  to  his  idea  of  what  it  should  be.  The  leader  of  his  clergy  in 
every  good  work,  the  efforts  of  these  were  neither  lacking  in  unity  of 
purpose  nor  fruitfulness.  In  the  fourteen  years  and  a  little  more  of 
his  episcopate, the  number  of  churches  in  the  diocese  was  increased 
from  thirty-eight  to  fifty-two,  and  of  priests,  from  thirty-three  to  fifty- 
five.  Especially  was  he  privileged  to  witness  vastly  increased  facilities 
throughout  the  diocese,  for  the  Catholic  education  of  the  youth  of  the 
parishes.  At  the  beginning  of  the  present  year  there  were  no  fewer 
than  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  children  attending  the 
parish  schools  of  the  diocese. 

Of  the  details  of  Bishop  Toebbe's  last  illness,  the  writer  has  heard 
little  beyond  the  fact,  that  his  ailment  was  contracted,  some  years 
before  his  death,  while  he  was  engaged  in  ministerial  labors  among  the 
workingmen  employed  in  constructing  the  Cincinnati  Southern  rail- 
road. Having  no  priest  to  send  to  these  forlorn  people,  he  went  him- 
self to  their  relief.  The  exposure  to  which  he  was  subjected  during 
this  visit,  proved  too  great  for  his  physical  strength,  and  he  returned  from 

*  While  attending  the  session  of  the  Kentucky  Legislature  held  in  1870,  I 
passed  a  single  evening  in  the  company  of  Bishop  Toebbe.  He  impressed  me 
at  the  time  as  being  a  man  of  ability  and  great  energy;  a  trifle  blunt  in  his 
manners,  but  full  of  the  spirit  of  his  calling,  and  rigidly  wedded  to  his  convic- 
tions of  both  right  and  propriety. 


534  THE   CATHOLIC   CHURCH    IN    FRANKFORT. 

it  with  tne  seeds  of  serious  disease  in  his  system.  He  is  said  to  have 
suffered  much  during  his  protracted  iUness,  throughout  which  he 
exhibited  a  subHme  patience,  and  a  degree  of  cheerfulness  that  was 
surprising  to  his  visiting  friends.  His  death  took  place  on  the  morn- 
ing of  May  2d,  1884.* 

THE   CATHOLIC    CHURCH    IN    FRANKFORT. 

Outside  of  the  cities  of  Covington,  Newport  and  Lexington,  the 
progress  of  the  Church  in  the  diocese  of  Covington  presents  no  more 
interesting  features  than  those  furnished  by  its  history  in  the  capital 
city  of  Kentucky.  Who  it  was  that  said  the  first  mass  in  Frankfort  is 
a  point  now  difficult  to  determine.  It  is  not  unlikely,  however,  that 
it  was  Father  Badin  himself.  The  earliest  church-station  in  the  town 
of  which  there  is  any  record,  was  the  house  of  a  Mrs.  Ellen  Barstow, 
which  stood  opposite  the  capitol.  Her  husband,  a  non-Cathofic,  is 
said  to  have  felt  so  much  interest  in  "Ellen's"  church,  that,  when  the 
construction  of  the  Louisville  and  Lexington  railroad  brought  to  the 
town  large  numbers  of  Catholic  laborers,  and  it  was  found  that  the 
room  provided  by  his  wife  for  occasional  Sunday  services  was  too 
diminutive  to  hold  one-half  of  the  worshippers,  he  put  up  a  small  frame 
structure  that  served  himself  for  an  office  during  six  days  of  the  week, 
and  was  given  over  to  his  wife's  co-religionists  on  Sundays. 

It  was  no  uncommon  sight  in  those  days  to  see  groups  of  men 
kneeling  on  the  pavement  that  fronted  the  little  building,  out  of  sight 
of  the  altar  upon  which  the  Holy  Sacrifice  was  being  offered  up,  but  in 
hearing  of  the  tinkling  mass-bell,  not  one  of  whom,  thanks   to  his 

*  Since  tlie  above  was  put  in  type,  I  liave  found  mislard  notes  embodying 
information  concerning  two  of  tfie  churches  of  Covington,  from  which  I  have 
only  room  to  extract  the  following:  "Upon  the  retiracy  of  Bishop  Toebbe's 
first  vicar,  Rev.  J.  McGill,  Very  Rev.  E.  H.  Brandts  was  appointed  to  the  post. 
Much  of  the  after  success  that  attended  the  bishop's  efforts  to  relieve  the  dio- 
cese of  its  financial  troubles,  was  due  to  Father  Brandts'  admirable  manage- 
ment of  its  aff^airs.  The  erection  of  the  first  church  of  the  Mother  of  God  in 
1842,  is  to  be  ascribed,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  zeal  of  the  building  committee, 
consisting  of  Christopher  Engert,  Franz  Kunst,  Ignatius  Warth  and  Peter 
Fuchs,  who  bought  the  lot  upon  which  it  stands.  When  the  church  was  blessed 
a  procession  of  several  thousand  persons  met  and  escorted  Bishop  Chabrat  to 
the  building.  The  successor  to  Father  Kuhr  in  the  pastorate  of  the  church 
was  Rev.  Ferdinand  Raes,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  F.  Teutenberg.  In 
1879,  the  pastorate  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Rev.  William  Tappert,  who, 
assisted  by  his  brother.  Rev.  H.  M.  Tappert,  retains  the  position  to  the  present 
time.  In  this  parish  is  established  a  convent  of  the  sisters  of  Our  Dear  Lady, 
the  inmates  of  which  were  driven  from  Westphalia  and  Coesfeld.  The  insti- 
tution is  under  the  direction  of  Sister  Modesta,  a  sister  of  the  late  Bishop 
Toebbe.  The  parish  of  the  Mother  of  God  has  given  to  the  Church  no  fewer 
than  six  priests,  viz.  :  Rev.  Dom  Meyer,  O.  S.  F.,  Rev.  R.  Haese,  O.  S.  F., 
Rev.  Peter  Prulagge,  Rev.  Guido  Stallo,  Rev.  Joseph  Feldmann  and  Rev.  H. 
Holscher,  O.  S.  F.  The  church  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  was  dedicated 
December  27th,  1874,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Fr.  Gezowsky.  The  present 
rector  is  Rev.  William  Robbers. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  535 

inherited  faith,  cared  a  straw  for  the  popular  ridicule  incited  by  the 
situation. 

As  early  as  the  year  1826,  it  is  certain  that  Rev.  Francis  P.  Ken- 
rick  preached  occasionally  in  Frankfort,  and  that  the  example  he  set 
was  afterwards  followed  by  Rev.  George  A.  M.  Elder  during  his  pas- 
torate of  the  not  far-away  church  of  St.  Pius,  in  Scott  county. 

Among  the  earlier  Catholic  residents  of  Frankfort,  may  be  named : 
William  West,  Henry  Hardy,  Kean  O'Hara,  Capt.  John  Holton,  Ben- 
jamin Luckett,  Miss  Eliza  Quarles,  the  family  of  the  Bearings,  and 
Mrs.  Mocha  Todd,  (second  wife  of  Judge  James  Todd)  whose  father 
was  a  Feriwick.*     At  a  later  day,  came  David  Ryan,  Cornelius  Cal- 

laghan,  Lawrence  Tobin,  Edward  Burns,  Mrs. Marshall  and  John 

Carrell.  The  last  named  was  a  brother  of  the  first  bishop  of  the  See 
of  Covington,  and  his  death  took  place,  at  the  age  of  87  years,  as  late 
as  the  year  1879. 

When  the  little  "office-chapel"  was  found  inadequate  to  the  accom- 
modation of  the  Catholic  people  of  the  town,  a  dwelling-house,  after- 
wards known  as  the  "tunnel-house"  from  its  proximity  to  the  tunnel 
through  which  railway  connection  is  made  in  the  direction  of  Lexing- 
ton, was  bought  and  fitted  up  for  a  church.  This  was  afterwards  sold 
for  two  thousand  dollars,  and  that  sum  expended  in  the  purchase  of  a 
building  put  up'some  years  before  by  the  Presbyterians  and  used  by 
them  for  their  Sunday  services.  The  sale  and  purchase  referred  to 
were  undoubtedly  made  by  the  first  resident  pastor  of  Frankfort,  the 
late  Rev.  James  Madison  Lancaster,  not  later  than  the  year  1849. 
Until  that  year,  the  still  small  resident  Catholic  population  of  the  town 
and  its  environs  had  been  served  by  the  pastors  stationed  at  the  church 
of  St.  Pius,  in  Scott  county. 

The  adopted  church  soon  proved  an  eyesore  to  the  devoted  pastor. 
Architecturally  speaking,  there  was  nothing  Catholic  about  it;  and  it 
was  inconveniendy  arranged  for  the  uses  it  had  been  intended  to  serve. 
Father  Lancaster  had  it  pulled  down  in  1850,  and  began  on  its  site 
the  construction  of  a  building  to  which,  when  finished,  was  given  the 
tide  of  the  church  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  Since  that  day,  however, 
this  church  has  been  much  enlarged  and  improved,  and  it  is  now  con- 
sidered one  of  the  handsomest  in  the  diocese. 

REV.    JAMES   M.   LANCASTER. 

James  M.  Lancaster,  born  in  Washington,  now  Marion  county, 
Kentucky,  in  the  year  1 810,  was  a  son  of  John  and  Catharine  Lan- 
caster, of  the  Hardin's  creek  CathoHc  setdement.  His  primary  educa- 
tion was  received  at  the  school  of  St.  Mary,  afterwards  known  as  St. 
Mary's  college,  where  he  had  for  his  fellow-pupils,  Martin  J.  and  Bene- 
dict J.  Spalding,  both  at  a  later  day  distinguished  in  the  Catholic  history 

*  A  younger  member  of  the  Bearing  family  bears  now  the  name  of  Sister 
Mary  Vincent  in  the  Nazareth  community  ;  and  a  daughter  of  Judge  Todd 
is  now  known  as  Sister  Gabriella  in  the  same  sisterhood. 


536  REV,    JAMES   M.   LANCASTER. 

of  their  native  State.  Together  with  these,  he  entered  the  diocesan 
seminary  at  Bardstown,  and,  in  1830,  he  accompanied  the  first  named 
to  Rome,  where  both  became  students  in  the  college  of  the  Propa- 
ganda. His  ordination  to  the  priesthood  took  place  in  the  city  named 
in  1836.  Retm-ning  home,  he  filled  for  two  years  the  office  of  vice- 
president  of  St.  Joseph's  college,  for  one  year  that  of  pastor  of  the 
cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  and  for  a  number  of  years  that  of  president 
of  the  college  of  the  same  title. 

In  1846,  for  what  he  and  others  conceived  to  be  a  sufficient  reason, 
Father  Lancaster  left  the  diocese  and  took  charge  of  a  parish  in  that 
of  Pittsburg.  In  1848,  most  likely  by  invitation  of  Bishop  Spalding, 
then  but  recently  consecrated  coadjutor-bishop  of  Louisville,  he 
returned  to  Kentucky  and  was  appointed  pastor  at  the  capital  of  the 
State.  In  addition  to  his  duties  at  Frankfort,  he  was  given  temporary 
charge  of  the  church  of  St.  Pius,  Scott  county.  Of  this  latter,  how- 
ever, he  was  soon  relieved,  and  for  seventeen  years  his  energies  were 
given  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  Frankfort.  The  value  of  his  ser- 
vices was  undoubtedly  great.  Year  by  year  his  congregation  not  only 
increased  in  numbers,  but  it  developed  more  and  more  the  spirit  whose 
outward  show  is  practical  observance  of  God's  laws. 

In  December,  1S67,  he  was  called  to  Covington  by  his  bishop,  Dr. 
George  A.  Carrell,  whose  health  had  been  rapidly  failing  for  several 
months,  and  upon  the  death  of  that  prelate  in  September,  1868,  he 
received  from  his  superiors  the  appointment  of  administrator  of  the 
diocese.  At  that  time  he  was  in  need  of  rest  himself;  but  the  affairs 
of  the  diocese  were  in  such  disorder  as  to  oblige  him  to  give  to  them 
constant  and  laborious  attention.  Early  in  January,  1869,  he  was 
prostrated  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  and  there  he  remained  for  four  long 
months,  until  on  the  4th  of  May  following,  death  relieved  him  of  his 
sufferings.  * 

The  next  pastor  sent  to  Frankfort  retains  his  office  to  the  present 
day.  Of  Father  Lambert  Young  and  his  labors  in  that  city  the  writer 
might  say  much  that  would  be  as  pleasing  to  him  to  write  as  for  others 
to  read;  but  he  is  not  disposed  to  risk  his  friendship  by  giving  publicity 
to  the  recital.  It  will  suffice  to  say,  that  for  sixteen  years  he  has  lived 
in  the  affection  of  his  own  people,  and  in  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  all  classes  of  non-Catholic  society  in  Frankfort.     A  single  episode 

*  Father  Lancaster  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  talents,  suave  and 
gentlemanly  in  his  manners,  and  heartily  companionable  with  his  friends. 
There  were  few  of  my  intimate  friends  of  the  clergy  thirty  years  ago,  whose 
conversational  powers  were  more  decided  and  more  generally  conceded.  I 
have  sometimes  thought  that  it  was  a  misfortune  for  him  to  have  inherited  a 
large  estate  from  his  father.  His  care  of  this,  and  its  natural  increase,  had  the 
effect  to  create  in  the  minds  of  some,  at  least,  of  his  friends,  the  fear  that  he  was 
thinking  more  of  things  temporal  than  was  consistent  with  his  priestly  charac- 
ter. On  the  other  hand,  I  have  it  on  excellent  authority,  that  for  a  number  of 
years  preceding  his  death,  he  was  seriously  thinking  of  attaching  himself  to  the 
Society  of  Jesus.  This  would  imply  that  he  was  desirous  of  acquitting  himself 
of  the'wealth  that  had  come  to  be  considered  by  him  an  intolerable  burden. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  537 

of  his  career  in  that  city,  however,  belongs  to  history,  and  for  that 
reason  it  is  here  given : 

In  1868,  a  revolting  crime,  followed  by  an  attempt  at  murder  that 
was  simply  horrible  in  its  atrocity,  was  perpetrated  by  a  negro  fiend 
upon  a  poor  Irish  girl  of  Frankfort.  The  wretch  was  arrested  and 
taken  to  jail.  But  the  story  of  the  outrage  provoked  a  dangerous 
spirit  in  numbers  of  the  populace,  most  of  whom  were  supposed  to  be 
Irishmen  and  Catholics.  A  mob  was  raised,  the  jail  surrounded  and 
entrance  to  it  effected.  The  law-officers  were  powerless  in  the  face  of 
the  demonstration,  no  one  being  allowed  by  the  rioters  to  approach 
the  jail.  The  commonwealth's  attorney  bethought  him  of  sending  for 
Father  Young,  whose  influence,  he  imagined,  would  be  sufficient  to 
prevent  the  contemplated  violence.  No  sooner  was  he  informed  of 
the  illegal  demonstration  and  the  wishes  of  the  law-officials,  than  the 
priest  was  on  the  ground.  With  no  little  peril,  he  did  get  access  to  the 
jail,  and  to  the  presence  of  the  passion-governed  men  who  had  it  in 
their  possession.  That  he  used  the  limit  of  his  influence  to  prevent 
the  crime  that  followed,  there  were  none  bold  enough  to  doubt.  But 
vainly  did  he  pray  them  to  desist.  The  guilty  wretch  was  taken  out 
and  put  to  death  by  the  mob. 

Shortly  afterwards  Father  Young  was  cited  before  the  United  States 
district  court,  in  Louisville,  Judge  Bland  Ballard  presiding,  to  give  evi- 
dence as  to  the  identity  of  the  parties  seen  by  him  in  the  jail.  In 
answer  to  this  citation  he  presented  his  reasons  for  declining  to  testify. 
These  reasons,  reduced  by  him  to  writing  and  presented  to  the  court, 
are  here  reproduced.  After  detailing  the  circumstances  of  the  case  as 
related  above,  the  respondent  goes  on  to  say : 

"  I  am  now  asked  to  inform  the  grand  jury  of  the  names  of  the  per- 
sons I  saw  in  that  maddened  and  infuriated  assemblage,  to  whom  I 
went  solely  because  of  my  priestly  character,  and  but  for  which  I  would 
have  been  permitted  neither  to  see  nor  to  remonstrate  with  them.  It 
was  because  of  my  office  that  I  was  requested  to  seek  admission  to  the 
jail,  and  it  was  in  my  character  of  priest  that  I  was  allowed  to  enter  its 
precincts.  Under  the  circumstances,  as  it  seems  to  me,  and  on  my 
conscience,  to  testify  at  all  on  the  subject  would  be  to  prostitute  my 
office  and  to  bring  disgrace  upon  my  priestly  character.  In  doing  so, 
I  would  stand  in  the  attitude  of  one  who  had  taken  advantage  of  his 
office  as  a  priest,  and  at  the  instance  of  the  civil  authorities,  to  act  the 
part  of  a  public  informer.  The  submission  of  my  testimony  in  the  case 
would  certainly  be  a  breach  of  implied  faith  and  confidence,  and  I  am 
convinced  that  all  the  good  to  be  drawn  therefrom  would  be  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  evil  that  would  result  from  my  betrayal  of 
those  who  trusted  in  me  as  a  priest  and  not  otherwise. 

"I  do  not  claim  that  this  case,  strictly  and  technically,  has  features 
analogous  to  those  presented  in  sacramental  confession;  but  the  prin- 
ciple is  the  same.  The  trust,  if  it  was  a  trust,  the  forbearance,  if  it 
was  forbearance,  were  rendered  to  my  sacred  office,  and  not  to  my 
comparatively  unknown  self.      Can  I  afford  to  testify  ?     If  compelled 


538  REV.   LAMBERT  Young. 

to  do  so,  would  another  of  my  office  dare  to  trust  himself  in  such  a 
position?  Would  he  be  permitted,  under  like  circumstances,  to  raise 
his  voice  ?  Is  it  right,  is  it  fair,  for  the  civil  authorities  thus  to  use 
and  abuse  my  office  ?  With  all  respect  for  the  laws  of  my  adopted 
country,  I  am  bound  in  my  conscience  as  a  man  and  as  an  office- 
bearer in,  as  I  believe  and  hope,  the  Church  of  Christ,  to  answer  all  these 
questions  in  the  negative.  My  refusal  to  answer  is  in  no  spirit  of  con- 
tempt, as  God  is  my  judge.  It  is  my  desire  to  respect  and  obey  the 
temporal  laws  of  the  country  I  have  voluntarily  chosen  for  my  home 
on  earth.  I  act  not  hastily,  but  after  profound  and  prayerful  delibera- 
tion. I  believe  in  all  truth  that  I  ought  to  be  released  from  testifying 
as  to  facts  so  obtained.  I  do  not  know  that  my  testimony  would  con- 
vict any  man  accused  or  not  accused.  I  did  not  see  the  execution  of 
the  colored  man.  I  did  not  see  him  at  the  jail,  nor  at  any  time  in  the 
possession  of  the  mob ;  nor  do  I  know,  except  from  hearsay,  that  he 
was  executed.  But  it  is  not  the  importance  or  effect  of  my  testimony 
that  concerns  me.  It  is  the  principle  of  deposing,  as  evidence,  facts 
which  I  came  to  know  in  my  office  of  priest,  and  which  I  would  not 
otherwise,  as  I  verily  believe,  have  been  requested  or  permitted  to  see 
or  hear.  It  is  not  to  screen  any  real  or  supposed  offender  against  the 
law,  nor  from  any  sympathy  with  mob  violence  in  this  case  or  any 
other  that  I  decline  to  testify,  but  to  protect,  as  far  as  in  me  lies,  clean 
and  spotless,  my  sacerdotal  robes.  For  these  reasons,  and  these  only, 
I  humbly  and  earnestly  pray  the  court  to  hold  the  facts  known  to  me 
as  privileged  from  exposure  on  the  witness-stand. 

[Signed]  Lambert  Young.' 

The  prayer  of  the  petitioner  was  denied  by  the  court,  and  Father 
Young  was  ordered  to  jail.  But  never  was  there  a  man  incarcerated 
for  alleged  contempt  of  court  who  was  made  the  recipient  of  more 
earnest  demonstrations  of  popular  respect.  His  contracted  quarters 
in  the  jail  of  Jefferson  county  were  thronged  with  visitors  during  the 
three  days  his  confinement  lasted,  and  many  of  these  were  ladies  and 
gentlemen  of  the  highest  social  standing  in  Louisville,  very  many  of 
whom  Avere  non-Catholics.  After  three  days,  he  was  attacked  with 
illness,  and  this  being  represented  to  the  court,  permission  was  granted 
for  his  removal  to  the  infirmary  of  St.  Joseph,  where  he  remained  for 
three  weeks,  still  in  the  character  of  a  prisoner.  At  the  end  of  this 
time  he  was  allowed  to  give  bail  in  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars  to 
appear  when  called  upon  to  answer  the  charge  of  contempt.  No  cita- 
tion was  ever  made  for  his  appearance,  however,  and  presumably,  the 
case  against  him  was  permitted  to  lapse  from  the  docket  of  the  court. 

The  sisters  of  charity  of  Nazareth  have  charge  of  a  flourishing 
academy  in  Frankfort;  and  also  of  the  parish  schools. 

OTHER    CHURCHES    IN    THE    DIOCESE    OF    COVINGTON. 

The  city  of  Covington,  in  which  there  was  a  single  Catholic  church 
forty-seven   years  ago,  is  now  provided  with  eight,  four  of  which  are 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  539 

attended  by  German  Catholics  and  served  by  German  priests.  The 
pastorate  of  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Mary's  comprises  at  this  writing  Very 
Rev.  E.  H.  Brandts,  rector,  and  Revs.  L.  M.  Lambert,  Thomas 
Kehoe  and  John  Reeves,  assistants. 

The  city  of  Newport  has  now  three  churches,  where  there  was  but 
one  forty  years  ago.     The  principal  of  these  for  English-speaking  Cath- 
olics is  the  church  of  the   Immaculate  Conception,  of  which   Rev. 
James   McNerny  is  pastor,  and  Rev.    Edward  Healy,  assistant.    'In 
addition  to  what  has  been  said  of  the  churches  in  Covingotn,  Newport, 
Lexington,  Frankfort  and  Scott  county,  the  writer  finds  notes  of  three 
others  in  the  diocese  of  Covington,  which  he  here  gives  to  the  reader: 
"Ashland,  Boyd  county — Rev.   L.   G.  Clermont,  rector. — Up  to 
the  year  1861,  Ashland  was  unprovided  with  a  church.     For  many 
years  previously,   however,  there  was  here  a  church  station,  visited 
occasionally  by  the  pastor  of  the  church  of  St.   Lawrence,   Ironton, 
Ohio.      Among  others  who  were  in  the  habit  of  saying  mass  at  odd 
intervals  for  the  small  number  of  Catholics  residing  in  the  town  pre- 
vious to  the  date  given,  was  Rev.  Richard  Gilmour,  the  present  bishop 
of  Cleveland.     In  1S60,  a  local  pastor  was  provided  for  the  place  in 
the  person  of  the  late  Rev.  H.  G.  Allen,  who  was  enabled  to  put  up 
the  small  brick  chapel  which  now  serves  the  congregation  for  parish- 
school  building.     His  entire  mission  at  the  time  comprised  the  coun- 
ties of  Boyd,  Greenup,    Carter  and   Lawrence.     Upon  the  death  of 
Father   Allen,    in    1863,    Rev.    Lambert   Young   was   appointed   his 
successor.     During   the   three  years  of  his  pastorate,    Father  Young 
secured  to   the   church  a  valuable  piece  of  property,   which  has  since 
been  put  to  profitable  use  in  its  interests.      He  vvas  succeeded  by  Rev. 
E.  O.  Brien,  who  retained  the  rectorship  for  many  years,  and  who 
caused  to  be  erected  the  large  and  beautiful  church  which  has  since 
been  the  pride  of  the  Catholic  people  of  Ashland.     He  also  introduced 
to  the  parish  from  Canada  the  sisters  of  St.  Francis,  who  have  charge 
of  the  parish  schools,  and  also  of  a  nourishing  academy." 

"Georgetown,  Scott  county. — In  the  year  1850,  the  house  of 
George  Algair  was  the  recognized  church-station  for  the  Catholic  people 
living  in  and  near  Georgetown.  It  is  not  to  be  doubted,  however, 
that  mass  was  occasionally  celebrated  in  the  town  at  a  much  earher 
day.  In  1869,  a  brick  building,  previously  used  by  the  Presbyterians, 
was  purchased  at  a  cost  of  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  fitted 
up  for  Catholic  worship,  and  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  under 
the  patronage  of  St.  John.  The  pastorship  at  the  time  was  in  the 
hands  of  Rev.  J.  Bowe.  St.  John's  is  now  attended  from  White  Sul- 
phur (St.  Pius).  The  congregation  is  represented  by  about  fifty 
families." 

"  Cynthiana,  Harrison  county. — This  was  a  church-station  attached 
to  the  pastorate  of  St.  Pius,  Scott  county,  as  early  as  the  year  1825. 
In  1849,  Rev.  P.  Krager,  of  Cincinnati,  made  occasional  visits  to  the 
place,  holding  services  in  what  was  then  known  as  Broadwell's  meet- 
ing-house, on  the  Ruddle's  Mills  turnpike  road.     Father  J.  B.  Elkman, 


540  OTHER    CHURCHES    IN    THE   DIOCESE    OF    COVINGTON. 

of  the  same  city,  succeeded  to  the  charge,  which  was  composed  at  the 
time  almost  exclusively  of  Germans.  To  him  succeeded  Rev.  J.  M. 
Lancaster,  of  Frankfort,  and  Revs.  Edward  McMahon  and  John 
Maguire,  of  Lexington.  In  1853,  when  all  Eastern  Kentucky  became 
tributary  to  the  then  newly  created  See  of  Covington,  the  station  at 
Cynthiana  became  an  outlying  field  of  missionary  labor  for  Rev.  John 
Force,  resident  pastor  at  Paris,  Kentucky.  The  pastoral  care  of  the 
congregation,  which  was  gradually  increasing,  devolved  afterwards  and 
consecutively  on  Revs.  H.  G.  Allen,  P.  Perry,  E.  H.  Brandts.  Thomas 
Major,  John  J.  Cook  and  J.  Merschmann,  who  holds  the  position  at 
the  present  time. 

"  From  1853  to  1862,  mass  was  celebrated  for  the  Catholic  people 
of  Cynthiana  in  '  Wall's  school-house.'  In  1861,  Rev.  E.  H.  Brandts 
purchased  of  William  Roper  a  lot  on  which  he  erected  a  small  frame 
chapel.  In  187 1,  the  foundations  were  laid  of  the  present  church  of 
St.  Edward,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Ferd.  Brossart.  The  oldest 
Catholic  residents  of  Cynthiana  are  said  to  be  Louis  Pollmeir  and 
Mrs.  Christina  Lemmons." 

Many  of  the  old  towns  of  Eastern  Kentucky,  where  there  were 
few  if  any  Catholics  forty  years  ago,  are  now  provided  with  beautiful 
churches  and  large  and  increasing  congregations.  The  following  may 
be  instanced,  all  familiar  to  those  who  have  any  knowledge  of  the  geo- 
graphy of  the  State :  Augusta,  Alexandria,  Carlisle,  Carrollton,  Fal- 
mouth, Flemmingsburg,  Ludlow,  Mount  Sterling,  Paris,  Richmond 
and  Winchester. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  54 1 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

THE   CHARITABLE    INSTITUTIONS    OF   THE   STATE. 

The  charitable  institutions  of  Kentucky,  under  Catholic  control, 
number  sixteen.  Ten  of  these  are  in  the  diocese  of  Louisville,  and 
six  in  that  of  Covington.  In  the  order  of  their  establishment,  the 
institutions  referred  to,  are  thus  designated: 

Female  orphan  asylum  of  St.  Vincent,  Louisville. 

German  orphan  asylum  of  St.  Joseph,  Louisville. 

The  infirmary  of  St.  Joseph,  Louisville. 

The  hospital  of  St.  Elizabeth,  Covington. 

Infant  foundling  asylum,  Covington. 

Orphan  asylum  for  boys  at  St.  Thomas,  diocese  of  Louisville. 

Sisters  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  in  Louisville. 

Sisters  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  in  Covington. 

Foundling  asylum,  in  connection  with  St.  Vincent's  orphan  asylum, 
Louisville. 

St.  Joseph's  protectory  for  girls,  in  connection  with  the  house  of 
the  Good  Shepherd,  Louisville. 

Hospital  of  St.  Joseph,  Lexington,  in  diocese  of  Covington. 

St.  John's  orphan  asylum  for  girls,  Covington. 

St.  Joseph's  orphan  asylum  for  boys,  diocese  of  Covington. 

Home  for  the  aged  poor,  under  the  direction  of  the  Little  Sisters  of 
the  Poor,  Louisville. 

Charity  hospital  of  Sts,  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  Louisville. 

Home  for  young  ladies  engaged  in  business,  Louisville. 

Of  only  a  few  of  these  institutions  is  the  writer  able  to  give  any  of 
the  details  of  their  estabUshment.     The  first  to  be  noticed  is 

THE    FEMALE    ORPHAN    ASYLUM    OF    ST.   VINCENT. 

This  oldest  of  the  charitable  houses  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville, 
was  begun  in  1832 — just  fifty  two  years  ago.  It  was  an  outgrowth  of 
the  cholera  epidemic  of  that  year,  whose  ravages  in  Louisville  left  a 
number  of  orphans  dependent  upon  public  or  private  charity.* 

*An  incident  of  the  cholera  epidemic  in  Louisville,  referred  to  in  the  text, 
is  thus  related  by  one  who  is  conversant  with  the  facts:  Father  Abell,  then 
the  only  priest  in  the  city,  finding  himself  unable  to  secure  attendance  for  those 
who  had  been  attacked  by  the  malady,  called  on  the  mayor  of  the  city,  Hon. 
John  C.  Bucklin,  and  suggested  to  him  the  propriety  of  seeking  the  aid  of  the 
sisters  of  charity,  of  Nazareth,  assuring  him  of  his  belief  that  they  would  respond 


542  THE    FEMALE   ORPHAN    ASYLUM    OF   ST.    VINCENT. 

A  meeting  of  ladies  of  the  congregation  of  St.  Louis  was  held  in 
the  vestry  of  the  church  on  the  loth  of  August,  1832,  "  for  the  purpose 
of  deliberating  on  the  subject  of  establishing  an  orphan  asylum  for  girls 
in  Louisville,  and  of  the  means  of  securing  funds  to  carry  on  the  work. 
After  an  address  from  the  pastor,  Rev.  Robert  A.  Abell,  they  organized 
an  association  to  take  charge  of  the  proposed  enterprise.  Of  this, 
Mrs.  John  D.  Colmesnil  was  elected  president;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bald- 
win, vice-president;  Mrs.  M.  A.  Kenedy,  secretary;  Mother  Catharine, 
treasurer,  and  Mrs.  John  Carrell,   Miss  Kate  Coffman,   Mrs.  James 

Rudd,  Mrs.  Daniel  Smith,  Mrs.  Alfred  Tarleton,  Mrs.  Cowden, 

Mrs.  Garvin,    Mrs.    Ben.    I.    Harrison   and   Mrs. Breen, 

managers." 

It  was  resolved  at  this  meeting  that  "  a  fair  should  be  held  in  aid  of 
the  undertaking,"  which  was  done  in  December,  1832,  and  "the  sum 
of  $1,150  realized."  Early  in  the  spring  of  1833,  "a  contract  was 
made  "  with  Mr.  Zachariah  Edelin  to  put  up  a  house  on  the  lot  to 
the  south  of  the  church,  owned  by  the  Nazareth  community.  Fairs 
were  held  for  three  consecutive  years,  and  these,  supplemented  with  a 
number  of  small  donations,  realized  the  sum  of  $5,500.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  sisters  of  Nazareth  employed  in  teaching  a  school  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  church,  had  received  a  number  of  orphan  girls  in  their 
own  little  dwelling  and  were  caring  for  them  as  best  they  could.  The 
first  children  received  by  them  were  Eliza  Sophia  Jenkins,  aged  nine 
years,  and  her  sister,  Mary  Ann  Jenkins,  aged  eleven  months.* 

When  the  new  building  was  finished  and  occupied  in  1834,  the  sis- 
ters of  charity  of  Nazareth  who  had  previously  accepted  the  control 
and  management  of  the  institution,  inducted  into  it  seventeen  children 
for  whom  they  had  been  caring.  As  early  as  1836,  it  was  determined 
by  the  sisterhood  to  secure  larger  quarters  for  their  charge,  already 
uncomfortably  crowded.  They  bought  the  house  at  the  head  of  Jef- 
ferson street,  with  a  square  of  land  attached,  then  but  recently  built  by 

to  the  call  and  that  there  would  be  no  charge  for  their  services  beyond  expenses 
incurred.  The  call  was  made,  and  four  sisters,  under  the  leadership  of  Sister 
Martha  Drury,  hastened  to  the  city.  With  them  came  Bishop  Flaget  himself. 
Before  dispatching  the  sisters  on  their  errands  of  mercy,  he  took  them  into  the 
church,  where  he  caused  them  to  repeat  a  short  prayer  of  consecration,  and 
then  dismissed  them  with  his  blessing.  The  bill  of  expenses,  amounting  to 
seventy-five  dollars,  was  afterwards  paid  by  the  city;  but  years  afterwards  some 
anti-Catholic  bigot  found  that  the  item  was  charged  on  the  city  books  as  for 
"services  rendered  by  the  sisters  of  charity,"  and  the  fact  was  published  to  their 
detriment.  In  answer  to  the  charge  made.  Mother  Catharine  addressed  to  the 
general  council  a  characteristic  letter,  the  closing  paragraph  of  which  is  here 
appended:  "You  will  pardon,  gentlemen,  the  liberty  I  take  in  refunding  the 
amount  paid  for  the  above-named  expenses.  I  would  have  you  understand  that 
we  are  not  hirelings.  If  we  are,  in  practice,  the  servants  of  the  poor,  the  sick 
and  the  orphans,  we  are  voluntarily  so  ;  but  we  look  for  our  reward  in  another 
and  a  better  world."  To  the  honor  of  the  gentlemen  appealed  to,  the  check 
inclosed  in  Mother  Catharine's  letter,  was  returned  with  a  suitable  apology,  and 
the  enJry  on  the  city  books  was  immediately  corrected. 

*The  elder  is  still  living,  a  highly  respected  and  cultivated  lady,  in  the 
State  of  Texas, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  543 

one  Thomas  Kelly.  The  asylum  building  on  Fifth  street  was  sold,  the 
ordinary  of  the  diocese  becoming  the  purchaser,  and  the  proceeds  paid 
on  the  new  purchase.  Then  it  was,  too,  that  the  sisters  employed  in 
teaching  in  the  basement  of  the  church,  removed  their  school  to  its 
present  location  on  Fifth  street. 

Soon  after  the  sisters  and  orphans  were  established  in  their  new 
quarters,  an  infirmary  was  begun  in  connection  with  the  asylum,  and 
this  was  the  beginning  of  the  institution  now  located  on  Fourth  avenue, 
and  known  as  the  "Infirmary  of  St.  Joseph." 

The  sister  servants  in  charge  of  the  St.  Vincent's  asylum  since  its 
establishment  have  been  :  Mother  Catharine  Spalding,  Sister  Julia 
Hobbs,  Sister  Clare  Gardiner,  Sister  Eulalia  Trainor,  Sister  Alice  Drury 
and  its  present  efficient  superior.  Sister  Charlesetta  Harrigan. 

The  average  number  of  orphans  cared  for  in  the  institution  is  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five. 

In  1868,  there  was  established  in  connection  with  the  institution  an 
asylum  for  foundlings,  of  whom  from  sixty-five  to  seventy  are  received 
yearly.* 

THE   INFIRMARY   OF   ST.  JOSEPH. 

This  institution  was  first  established  in  connection  with  the  orphan- 
age of  St.  Vincent.  For  lack  of  room  and  inconvenience  of  situation, 
however,  it  was  removed  thence  in  1853  to  its  present  location  on 
Fourth  avenue,  between  Chestnut  and  Broadway  streets.  The  object 
of  its  foundation  was  to  afford  strangers  and  others,  who  had  none  to 
care  for  them  when  sick,  the  advantages  of  careful  and  intelligent  nurs- 
ing. Though  it  is  not,  and  never  has  been,  a  charitable  institution  in 
strict  sense  of  the  term,  its  earnings  have  all  been  directed  to  charitable 
ends.  For  a  number  of  years,  too,  before  the  establishment  of  the 
public  hospital  of  Sts.  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  under  the  direction  of  the 
same  order  of  religious,  a  department  of  the  institution  was  reserved 
for  the  accommodation  and  care  of  the  poor  sick.  The  infirmary  of 
St.  Joseph  has  had  for  its  directing  sister  servants:  Sister  Apollonia 
McGill,  Sister  Mary  Agnes  McDermott,  Sister  Ann  Matilda  Flanagan 
and  Sister  Martha  Drury. 

THE  ST.  Joseph's  orphan  asylum. 

On  the  5th  of  August,  1849,  a  number  of  German  Catholics  met 
at  the  school-house  attached  to  the  church  of  the  Immaculate  Concep- 
tion for  the  purpose  of  organizing  an  orphan  society.     At  this  meeting 

*  On  the  17th  of  March,  1837,  a  child  called  Ann  Mary  Douglas,  aged 
eleven  years,  was  received  into  the  asylum.  She  was  dreadfully  afflicted  with 
epilepsy,  and  to  the  present  day  she  is  an  inmate  of  the  institution.  Suddenly 
and  unaccountably,  her  disease  left  her  five  years  ago,  when  she  was  in  the  fifty- 
third  year  of  her  age;  and  since  that  time,  under  the  direction  of  Sister  Alexia 
McGee,  of  the  foundling  department  of  the  asylum,  by  whom  she  is  regarded 
as  a  most  capable  and  careful  attendant,  she  has  charge  of  a  number  of  the 
forlorn  babes  sent  to  the  institution. 


544  IHt;    ST.    JOSEPH'S    ORPHAN    ASYLUM. 

Rev.  Charles  Boeswald  presided,  and  Jacob  Pfalzer,  still  living  and 
still  a  member,  acted  as  secretary.  The  only  business  transacted  was 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  prepare  a  constitution  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  society.  This  committee  was  composed  of  the  presi- 
dent and  secretary  of  the  meeting  and  Messrs.  Joseph  Buckel,  Anton 
Geher,  John  Schulten,  (still  a  member),  and  Martin  Seng.  A  second 
meeting  was  held  on  the  19th  of  August  at  the  school-house  attached 
to  the  church  of  St.  Bonifacius,  which  was  presided  over  by  Rev.  Otto 
Jair,  the  rector  of  the  church;  and  on  the  26th  of  the  same  month 
regulations  were  submitted  to  an  adjourned  meeting  for  the  government 
of  the  society,  and  its  officers  elected.  These  were  :  Joseph  Bossung, 
president;  Nicholas  Vorndrann,  vice-president;  Jacob  Pfalzer,  secre- 
tary, and  Bernard  Reiling,  treasurer. 

In  March,  1S50,  a  cottage  adjoining  the  church  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  was  purchased  for  the  sum  of  three  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars,  on  easy  payments.  Owing  to  lack  of  means,  no  arrangement 
was  effected  for  the  reception  of  children  until  October,  when  a  gift, 
amounting  to  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  dollars  and  fifty  cents  was  paid 
into  the  treasury  by  Very  Rev.  S.  T.  Badin.  Martin  Berg  was  engaged 
to  take  care  of  the  house,   and  within  a  month  four  children  were 

received. 

Two  years  later,  the  society  had  on  its  membership  rolls  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  names,  each  one  of  which  represented  in  the  capi- 
tal of  the  society  an  initiation  fee  of  one  dollar  and  a  regular  subscrip- 
tion to  its  funds  of  twenty-five  cents  a  month.  The  meetings  of  the 
society  were  held  monthly,  alternately  at  the  churches  of  the  Immacu- 
late Conception  and  St.  Bonifacius.  * 

In  1857,  and  again  in  1858,  fairs  were  held  for  the  benefit  of  the 
orphanage,  from  which  was  raised  the  sum  of  $3, 1 73. 95.  The  society 
was  incorporated  by  the  State  legislature  in  185 1. 

The  membership  of  the  society  was  much  increased  in  1854  by  the 
organization  of  the  church  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours.  In  the  meantime, 
the  applications  for  reception  into  the  institution  made  it  necessary  to 
secure  a  larger  house  for  the  accommodation  of  the  children  This 
was  effected  in  1848,  by  the  purchase  of  the  residence  of  Col.  Jason 
Rogers,  near  the  church  of  St.  Bonifacius.  This  purchase  cost  the 
society  $10,000;  but  it  enabled  it  to  secure  the  services  of  the  sisters 
ot  Notre  Dame  in  the  conduct  of  the  asylum.  It  gave  the  society, 
too,  the  advantages  offered  by  the  proximity  to  the  parish  schools  of 
St.  Bonifacius  for  the  education  of  the  inmates  of  the  institution. 

In  the  year  1872,  the  members  of  the  society  numbered  six  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five,  and  it  had  under  its  guardianship  eighty  orphan 
children,  and  every  German  CathoHc  congregation  in  the  city  was  rep- 
resented in  its  management  and  in  its  benefits. 

The  society  continued  to  prosper,  and  in  1882,  the  question  of 
purchasing  a  tract  of  land  in  the  country  upon  which  to  build  and 
remove  the  children,  now  increased  to  ninety-five,  was  seriously  con- 
sidered.    Capt.  John  A.  Benninger  was  now  president  of  the  society, , 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  545 

and  Mr.  E.  W.  Herman,  secretary.  The  members  of  the  local  boards 
of  the  different  churches,  some  time  before  elected,  as  well  as  the  rec- 
tors of  the  parishes,  were  consulted  on  the  subject,  and  at  length,  at 
a  general  meeting  of  the  members,  it  was  decided  that  the  society 
should  accept  a  proffer  made  to  it  of  twenty-two  and  a  half  acres  of 
land  on  the  Shelbyville  pike,  near  Cresent  Hill  station,  for  which  the 
price  asked  was  $12,750.  To  this  purchase  the  free  consent  was  given 
of  the  ordinary  of  the  diocese,  Rt.  Rev.  William  McCloskey,  who  is 
himself,  ex  officio,  a  member  of  the  board. 

Plans  for  the  construction  of  the  new  asylum  building  have  been 
drawn  by  its  architect,  Mr.  C.  A.  Curtin,  and  it  is  expected  that  it  will 
be  ready  for  occupancy  by  October,  1885. 

The  present  central  officers  of  "The  St.  Joseph's  German  Roman 
Catholic  Orphan  Society  of  Louisville  "  are,  H.  H.  Rademacher,  pres- 
ident; Martin  Kolb,  vice-president;  E.  W.  Herman,  secretary,  and 
Philip  Ackerman,  treasurer.  The  establishment  is  under  the  direction 
of  Sister  M,  Valentine,  superior,  and  eight  assistants,  all  of  the  sis- 
terhood of  Notre  Dame. 

THE   HOSPITAL   OF   STS.   MARY  AND    ELIZABETH. 

For  many  years  previous  to  her  death,  it  was  the  anxious  desire  of 
Mother  Catharine  Spalding  to  see  the  sisterhood  of  charity  of  Naza- 
reth in  control  of  a  charity  hospital  in  Louisville.  She  did  see  the 
beginning  of  such  an  establishment  in  connection  with  the  infirmary 
of  St.  Joseph ;  but  she  was  not  permitted  to  behold  with  her  mortal 
eyes  the  grand  realization  of  her  idea,  so  plainly  worked  out  by  the 
hands  of  Divme  Providence  in  later  years.  It  is  to  the  charity  of  one 
born  out  of  the  pale  of  the  Church  that  is  due  the  credit  of  the  foun- 
dation known  as  the  hospital  of  Sts.  Mary  and  Elizabeth.  William 
Shakspeare  Caldwell  was  a  son  of  James  H.  Caldwell  and  Maria 
Carter  Hall.  His  father  had  acquired  a  fortune  through  his  careful 
investments  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  son,  long  before  his 
marriage  with  Mary  Eliza  Breckinridge,  of  Louisville,  had  prospered 
steadily  in  his  business.  The  woman  he  took  to  wife  was  the  daughter 
of  Hon.  James  D.  Breckinridge,  of  Louisville,  who  had  at  one  time 
represented  the  district  in  congress.  Mary  Eliza  Breckinridge  was 
educated  by  the  sisters  of  charity  of  Nazareth,  and  it  is  not  to  be 
doubted  that  the  example  of  faith  and  piety  presented  to  her  eyes  by 
her  instructors  was  the  moving  cause  of  her  after  conversion.  Soon 
after  her  marriage  she  sought  admission  to  the  Church  and  received 
baptism  at  the  hands  of  Rt.  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding.  Mrs.  Caldwell  was 
called  out  of  life  in  1867,  and  from  that  time  her  husband  turned  his 
thoughts  to  the  future  that  it  was  his  hope  would  reunite  them  for  eter- 
nity. What  was  to  him  the  wealth  he  possessed  unless  it  could  be 
made  subservient  to  his  longings  in  this  direction?  He  began  now  the 
study  of  the  faith  that  had  been  to  his  wife  her  only  consolation  in  her 
last  moments,  and  grace  from  above  was  given  him  to  discover  the 

35 


546  THE   HOSPITAL  OF   STS.   MARY  AND    ELIZABETH. 

truth,  and  to  accept  it  in  all  humility.  His  baptism  took- place  in  the 
city  of  Richmond,  the  rite  being  administered  by  Rt.  Rev.  John 
McGill.  One  of  his  wife's  sponsors  on  the  occasion  of  her  baptism 
had  been  her  former  preceptor.  Mother  Columba  Carroll,  of  the  Naza- 
reth community,  and  she  was  chosen  by  the  husband  to  assume  a  like 
responsibility  for  himself. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Mr.  Caldwell  determined  to  give  to  Louis- 
ville an  institution  that  would  be  for  all  time  a  monument  to  the  mem- 
ory of  the  wife  he  had  loved  and  lost,  whose  name,  received  in  bap- 
tism, it  should  bear.  The  erection  of  the  magnificent  hospital  of  Sts. 
Mary  and  Elizabeth,  on  Magnolia  avenue,  soon  followed  this  resolve, 
all  the  costs  of  which  he  defrayed,  and  the  sisters  of  charity  of  Naza- 
reth were  given  charge  of  the  establishment. 

Under  the  shadow  of  a  becoming  but  unostentatious  monument  in 
the  Catholic  cemetery  of  St.  Louis,  near  the  city,  erected  a  few  years 
ago  by  direction  of  Mr.  Caldwell  over  the  remains  of  his  wife,  the 
twain  now  rest  side  by  side.  Within  sight  almost  of  the  hospital  build- 
ing erected  by  their  munificence,  their  mortal  parts  await  "the  day  of 
the  Lord."  May  that  day  be  for  them,  and  for  the  thousands  who,  in 
the  coming  time,  shall  be  induced  to  emulate  their  example,  a  day 
indeed  of  joy  and  triumph. 

For  more  than  ten  years  now  the  hospital  of  vSts.  Mary  and  Eliza- 
beth has  been  open  to  the  sick  and  suffering,  and  hundreds  have  yearly 
found  in  it  assuagement,  if  not  cure,  of  their  maladies. 

THE    ASYLUM    OF    ST.   THOMAS. 

This  asylum  for  male  children,  established  on  the  seminary  farm  of 
St.  Thomas,  in  Nelson  county,  was  begun  about  the  year  1858.  The 
first  of  its  beneficiaries  were  received  and  cared  for  under  the  same 
roof  that  covered  the  seminarians.  In  i86o,  the  Brothers  of  Christian 
Instruction  of  the  Sacred  Heart  were  brought  to  the  diocese  by  Bishop 
Spalding  and  charged  with  the  direction  of  the  asylum.  Under  the 
energetic  management  of  Brother  David,  still  remembered  for  much 
that  is  admirable  in  a  director,  the  asylum  was  made  in  a  great  measure 
self-supporting.  The  orphans  were  removed  to  a  new  building  on  the 
place,  and  a  division  made  of  the  farm,  one-half  of  which  was  given 
to  the  seminary,  and  one-half  to  the  asylum.  The  division  of  the 
latter  adjoined  the  Bardstown  pike,  and  it  included  the  saw  and  grist 
mill  on  the  place,  which  had  been  but  lately  provided  with  new 
machinery. 

Brother  David  was  a  Frenchman,  compactly  built,  in  the  maturity 
of  life,  of  excellent  mentaf  capacity  and  wonderful  powers  of  endur- 
ance. He  went  to  work  with  the  determination  to  renew  and  refit  the 
entire  establishment.  He  added  to  the  new  orphanage  a  substantial 
wing;  the  yard  was  planted  with  frees,  a  new  orchard  set  out,  and  the 
whole  farm  restocked  and  put  under  advantageous  cultivation.  With 
little  of  means  upon  which  to  rely,  in  a  short  while  he  had  accom- 


• 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


547 


plished  a  gigantic  work.  More  land  was  cleared  on  the  farm,  old  fal- 
low land  was  redeemed,  and  soon  flourishing  crops  blessed  the  toil 
expended  on  them.  The  grist  and  saw  mill  was  kept  busy  in  its  double 
capacity  for  the  benefit  of  both  the  institution  and  people  residing  in 
the  neighborhood. 

The  heroic  brothers  battled  in  the  face  of  poverty,  kept  their  charge 
in  food  and  raiment,  and  shared  with  them  every  privation  to  which 
they  were  subjected;  and  in  addition  to  all  this,  they  imparted  to  them 
the  rudiments  of  knowledge,  as  well  in  books  as  handiwork,  and  taught 
them  the  principles  of  their  faith.* 

Brother  David  and  his  hard-working  Brothers  of  Christian  Instruc- 
tion were  succeeded  in  1868  by  a  new  band  of  the  same  society,  under 
Brother  Florimont;  and  these  were  soon  replaced  by  secular  priests. 
Only  small  boys  are  now  received  or  retained  in  the  institution,  the 
care  of  whom  has  been  intrusted  to  sisters  of  charity  of  Nazareth,  with 
an  ecclesiastic  for  superior.  For  a  number  of  years  Rev.  N.  Ryan  has 
been  at  the  head  of  the  establishment. 

THE   LITTLE    SISTERS   OF   THE   POOR. 

One  of  the  most  wonderful  organizations  of  modern  times  known 
to  and  blessed  by  the  Church,  is  undoubtedly  that  to  which  has  been 
given  the  name  of  "The  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor."  Its  inception 
could  not  have  had  in  it  the  least  taint  of  worldliness.  It  is  an  order 
in  which  there  is  no  respite  of  mortification  for  its  members  from  years' 
end  to  years'  end,  and  who,  according  to  the  pithy  expression  of  the 
great  Louis  Veuillot,  ''are  bankrupt  three  times  a  day — not  knowing 
after  one  meal  where  they  are  to  get  the  ne:^t ";  in  which  gentle  women 
are  content  not  only  to  become  the  servants  of  the  poor,  but  to  take 
upon  themselves  what  is  esteemed  by  the  world  a  degradation — the  role 
of  the  mendicant — in  order  that  their  clients  may  have  wherewith  to  sup- 
port life.  The  whole  business  in  this  world  of  the  Litde  Sister  is  to  care 
for  the  aged  poor;  to  see  that  they  have  wherewith  to  be  fed  and 
clothed;  and  her  dependence  for  necessaries  to  existence  is  literally  on 
God's  providence,  working  through  the  sentiment  of  pity  which  He 
has  implanted  in  the  human  heart.  The  order  is  not  fifty  years  old, 
and  yet,  not  only  in  the  greater  number  of  European  cities,  but  in  those 
of  our  own  country,  there  are  no  more  familiar  objects  to  be  seen  on 
the  streets  than  the  black-habited  voluntary  mendicants  of  the  society. 
With  aspects  so  humble  and  patient  that  people  are  awed  to  reverence 
by  their  very  sight,  and  with  baskets  in  hand,  they  go  their  accustomed 

*  A  priest  of  the  diocese  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  the  facts  related  in  the 
text,  writes  me:  "Older  students  of  St.  Thomas'  are  not  likely  to  forget  the 
assistance  rendered  by  the  little  close-cropped  orphans  in  the  chanting  of  vespers 
in  the  church  common  to  them  and  the  congregation  ;  and  such  of  them  as  still 
retain  an  appreciation  of  humor,  will  not  have  forgotten  the  fun  provoked  by 
the  appearance,  oddities  and  whimsicalities  of  good  little  Brother  Zozimus, 
whose  every  word  was  a  joke  or  a  repartee." 


548  THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE   POOR. 

rounds  gathering  as  well  the  crumbs  from  rich  men's  tables  as  the  odds 
and  ends  left  over  in  the  markets  still  fit  for  food;  and  then  lugging 
their  burdens  home,  to  be  afterwards  served  out  for  aliment  to  the  help- 
less old  people  for  whom  they  are  caring. 

In  the  case  of  the  Little  Sisters,  beggary  has  come  to  be  looked 
upon  by  all  classes  of  citizens  as  a  condition  from  which  has  not  been 
eliminated  the  characteristic  of  respectability.  People  have  learned  to 
know  them  and  their  worth,  and  to  appreciate  properly  the  motives 
which  have  induced  them  to  devote  their  lives  to  the  service  of  those 
who  are  unable,  because  of  deprivation  of  the  strength  to  labor,  to  earn 
as  much  as  will  keep  them  from  perishing  of  hunger.  Waste  in  many 
households  has  ceased  to  be  common  wherever  the  Little  Sisters  are  in 
the  habit  of  stopping  on  their  daily  rounds;  and  many  a  savory  dish 
prepared  in  their  houses  has  for  its  constituent  parts  what,  but  for  them, 
would  find  its  way  to  the  ash-barrel  or  to  the  kitchen-sink. 

Mother  Conception,  with  seven  sisters  of  the  order,  came  to  Louis- 
ville in  1869,  from  France.  They  were  accompanied  by  Rev.  M. 
Lefievre,  in  the  character  of  temporary  chaplain.  Not  the  poorest  of 
their  poor  clients  afterwards  sustained  in  the  estabUshment  they  built 
up  in  the  city,  were  poorer  than  they.  They  had  neither  scrip  nor 
purse,  neither  food  to  sustain  life,  nor  a  softer  couch  than  the  bare  floor 
upon  which  to  take  their  rest.  A  home  with  bare  walls  had  been  pre- 
pared for  their  reception  by  the  bishop  of  the  diocese,  and  he  and  his 
vicar  had  whispered  in  the  ears  of  a  few  Catholics  residing  in  the 
adjoining  streets,  that  it  would  be  well  to  send  them  something  to  eat, 
and,  if  possible,  such  articles  of  furniture  as  they  could  conveniently 
spare.  It  will  suffice  to  say  that  the  good  sisters  were  not  permitted  to 
suffer,  and  that  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  they  were  ready 
to  receive  and  care  for  a  few  of  the  old  and  decrepid  objects  whose 
lives  they  had  come  so  far  to  brighten.  * 

The  house  of  the  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor  in  Louisville  is  situated 
on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  Magazine  streets.  The  lot  upon  which  it 
stands  is  a  large  one,  and  there  has  been  lately  built  upon  it  an  expen- 
sive addition  designed  for  the  occupation  of  aged  people  of  color. 
Though  the  sisters  are  considerably  in  debt  for  improvements  of  one 
kind  or  another,  they  have  litde  fear  that  providence  will  fail  them  in 
their  need.  They  hope,  with  the  generous  assistance  of  Catholics 
everywhere  in  the  diocese,  to  be  able  soon  to  put  up  a  chapel  large 
enough  to  accommodate  the  inmates.,  which  number  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty.  It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  non-Catholics,  as  well  as  Cath- 
olics, are  received  in  the  institution,  the  only  conditions  being  poverty 
and  longevity. 

*  I  have  it  upon  undeniable  authority  that  their  entire  cash  capital  at  this 
time,  aggregated  the  sum  of  fifty  centimes  (ten  cents),  and  that  the  very  coin, 
fastened  to  the  foot  of  a  small  statue  (of  the  Virgin  Mother),  remains  to  this 
day  a  constant  reminder  to  the  sisters  of  God's  watchful  providence  over  them- 
selves and  their  establishment. 


CATHOLICITY   IN   KENTUCKY.  549 

SISTERS    OF    MERCY. 

The  Sisters  of  Mercy  were  introduced  to  the  diocese  in  1867.  For 
about  six  years  they  had  charge  of  the  United  States  marine  hospital. 
They  have  now  charge  of  the  female  academy  of  Our  Lady  of  Mercy, 
on  Second  street.  They  also  conduct  the  parish-schools  for  girls  at 
the  cathedral  and  St.  Patrick's.  The  sisters  visit  the  sick  in  their 
own  homes.  The  present  superior  of  the  order  in  Louisville  is 
Mother  Mary  Ignatius  Walker. 

In  the  course  of  time,  no  doubt,  Louisville  will  be  the  site  of  two 
other  foundations  of  charity,  for  the  erection  and  partial  s-upport  of 
which  magnificent  bequests  have  been  already  made.  The  first  of 
these,  by  the  late  very  Rev.  Benedict  J.  Spalding,  administrator  of  the 
diocese  of  Louisville  at  the  date  of  his  death,  was  for  a  house  of  refuge 
for  boys;  and  the  other  by  the  late  James  W.  Osborne,  whose  death 
took  place  early  this  year,  was  for  an  asylum  for  orphan  boys.  * 

*  James  W.  Osborne  was  a  native  of  Nelson  county.  His  grandparents 
came  from  Maryland  to  Kentucky  at  an  early  date  in  the  history  of  the  State. 
He  had  lived  in  Louisville  from  his  boyhood,  and  for  many  years  of  his  life  he 
was  a  much  honored  member  of  St.  John's  congregation,  of  which  Rev.  L. 
Bax  is  pastor. 


550 


THE   PRESTON    PARK   SEMINARY. 


CHAPTER  L. 

PRESTON    PARK   SEMINARY — HOUSES   OF    STUDY — OTHER    SCHOOLS. 


In  1870  the  theological  seminary  of  the  diocese  was  removed  from 
St.  Thomas',  Nelson  county,  to  the  locality  since  known  as  Preston 
Park,  in  the  vicinity  of  Louisville.  The  situation  is  high  and  most 
favorable  to  the  health  of  the  inmates.  The  first  superior  of  the  semi- 
nary after  its  removal  was  Rev.  A.  J.  Harnist,  who  had  capable  assis- 
tants in  Very  Rev.  George  McCloskey  and  Rev.  Emil  Sele,  D.  D.-i- 

In  1877,  Rev.  A.  J.  Harnist  was  given  the  care  of  the  congregation 
of  Our  Lady,  at  Portland,  and  Very  Rev.  George  McCloskey  became 
superior  of  the  seminary,  which  position  he  still  retains. 

The  seminary  has  had  fair  classes  of  students  from  the  first,  and 
it  has  already  turned  out  quite  a  number  of  useful  and  zealous  priests. 
The  list  that  follows  contains  the  names  of  all  whose  ordination  took 
place  from  Preston  Park  seminary.  Numbers  of  them,  however,  pre- 
vious to  the  removal  of  the  seminary,  were  students  at  St.  Thomas' 
under  the  direction  of  Very  Rev.  Francis  Chambige : 


Rev.  James  Ryan, 
Rev.  Hugh  Daly, 
Rev.  William  P.  Hogarty, 
Rev.  James  O'Connor, 
Rev.  John  O'Connor, 
Rev.  Edwin  Drury, 
Rev.  Kyran  King, 
Rev.  Charles  Haeseley, 
Rev.  James  Cook, 
Rev.  Herman  Jansen, 
Rev.  Richard  Feehan, 
Rev.  J.  J.  Abell, 
Rev.  J.  H.  Taylor, 


Rev.  M.  Melody, 

Rev.  P.  M.  J.  Rock, 
J.  J.  Crowley, 
A.  T.  McConnell, 
Dominic  Croghan, 

F.  A.  Reinhart, 
Thomas  F.  Tierney, 

G.  A.  Vantroostenberghe 
H.  A.  Connolly, 

Rev.  Michael  Whelan, 
Rev.  Edward  Fahrenbach, 

Joseph  Hogarty, 

Richard  Davis, 


Rev 
Rev 
Rev 
ReY 
Rev 
Rev. 
Rev, 


Rev. 
Rev 


*  For  some  months  after  the  establishment  of  the  seminary  in  its  present 
locality,  its  chair  of  moral  theology  was  filled  by  Rev.  C.  Sambuccetti,  on 
leave  of  absence  from  his  canonry  in  one  of  the  Roman  basilicas,  and  his  pro- 
fessorship in  the  Roman  college.  Recalled  by  his  superiors,  he  resumed  his 
duties  as  indicated,  and  was  shortly  afterwards  promoted  to  the  secretariate  of 
the  nunciature  at  Lisbon,  with  the  title  of  Monsignor.  Returning  thence,  he 
was  named  7ninntante  in  one  of  the  congregations  attached  to  the  Roman  car- 
dinalate.  A  few  years  later,  he  was  consecrated  archbishop  of  Tyre,  and  sent 
as  apostolic  legate  to  the  republics  of  Argentine  and  Chili. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  551 

Rev.  Thomas  Hayes,      '  Rev.  Daniel  O'Sullivan, 

Rev.  John  Sheridan,  Rev.  WiUiam  McCarthy, 

Rev.  Louis  Ohle,  Rev.  Thomas  W.  While, 

Rev.  James  J.  Pike,  Rev.  VVilHam  Buckman, 

Rev.  J.  T.  W.  Culleton,  Rev.  Edward  Lynch, 

Rev.  H.  J.  Civill,  Rev.  J.  P.  Kelleher, 

Rev.  Dominic  Higgins,  •         Rev.  Martin  O'Connor, 

Rev.  Lawrence  Ford,  Rev.  P.  J.  Welsh, 

Rev.  J.  F.  McSherry,  Rev.  D.  McShane, 

.    Rev.  M.  Dillon,  Rev.  Peter  C.  Raffo.    • 

Rev.  Fr.  O'Grady, 
Allusion  would  seem  to  be  necessary  here  to  the  extent,  as  evi- 
denced by  the  facts,  of  vocation  to  the  priesthood  by  young  men  who 
were  either  born  or  reared  from  childhood  in  Kentucky.  The  writer  is 
not  altogether  certain  that  his  figures  are  correct,  but  from  the  best 
knowledge  he  has  been  able  to  acquire  on  the  subject,  he  is  impressed 
with  the  belief  that  not  fewer  than  one  hundred  young  men,  either  born 
in  the  State  or  brought  to  it  in  childhood,  have  been  called  to  the  service 
of  the  altar  from  Kentucky  in  the  sixty-eight  years  that  have  elapsed 
since  the  first  ordination  of  this  class  of  men  took  place  at  St.  Thomas' 
in  1816.  Upwards  of  eighty  of  the  hundred  can  be  catalogued.  The 
greater  number  of  these  were  undoubtedly  the  descendants  of  those' 
who  first  brought  their  religion  to  the  State  from  Catholic  Maryland. 
The  proportion  ordained  of  these  has  certainly  lessened  since  1835, 
and  now  we  find  much  the  greater  number  of  vocations  to  the  holy 
ministry  coming  from  the  ranks  of  those  who  were  either  born  in  Ire- 
land or  Germany,  or  whose  descent  is  from  Irish  or  German  parents. 
It  will  be  interesting  to  Catholics,  no  doubt,  to  learn  that  there  have 
been  appointed  from  Kentucky  to  the  episcopacy  of  the  country  no 
fewer  than  twelve  of  its  members;  and  that  two  priests  elevated  to  a 
like  rank  were,  at  one  time,  engaged  in  the  offices  of  the  public  minis- 
try in  the  State.     The  names  of  these  bishops  are  here  appended: 

Rt.  Rev.  J.  B.  David,  coadjutor  to  Bishop  Flaget,  181 9;  Rt.  Rev. 
Rev.  Ed.  Fenwick,  O.  S.  D.,  first  bishop  of  Cincinnati,  1822;  Most 
Rev.  Francis  P.  Kenrick,  coadjutor  to  Bishop  Conwell,  bishop  of 
Philadelphia,  and  archbishop  of  Baltimore,  1830;  Rev.  Guy  I.  Cha- 
brat,  coadjutor  to  Bishop  Flaget,  1834;  Rt.  Rev.  Richard  P.  Miles, 
O.  S.  D.,  bishop  of  Nashville,  1838;  Rt.  Rev.  I.  A.  Reynolds,  bishop 
of  Charleston,  1844;  Rt.  Rev.  M.  J.  Spalding,  coadjutor  to  Bishop 
Flaget,  bishop  of  Louisville,  and  archbishop  of  Baltimore,  1848;  Rt. 
Rev.  John  McGill,  bishop  of  Richmond,  1850;  Most  Rev.  J.  S.  Ale- 
many,  O.  S.  D.,  archbishop  of  San  Francisco,  1850;  Most  Rev.  John 
•  B.  Lamy,  archbishop  of  Sante  Fe,  1850;  Rt.  Rev.  Thos.  L.  Grace, 
O.  S.  D.,  bishop  of  St.  Paul,  1859:  Rt.  Rev.  Peter  J.  Lavialle,  bishop 
of  Louisville,  1865;  Most  Rev.  N.  J.  Perche,  archbishop  of  New 
Orleans,  1870;   Rt.  Rev.  John  L.  Spalding,  bishop  of  Peoria,  1877. 

Of  one  of  the  above  named  prelates,  who  has  been  characterized 
by  his  latest  successor  in  the  See  of   Philadelphia  as  "the  greatest 


552 


MOST    REV.    FRANCIS   P.  KENRICK. 


ecclesiastic  the  Church  in  America  has  ever  produced,"  the  writer  has 
something  to  say  in  fulfilment  of  his  promise  made  in  a  former  chapter : 

MOST    REV.  FRANCIS   P.   KENRICK. 

His  was  a  gigantic  mind,  and  he  did  a  gigantic  work  while  he  lived. 
In  Kentucky,  where  he  began  his  missionary  career,  his  memory  still 
lives  and  is  held  in  benediction.  Not  then,  to  be  sure,  had  he  begun 
to  exhibit  his  wonderful  powers  as  a  writer;  nor  had  he,  possibly,  even 
conceived  the  idea  he  afterwards  carried  out  of  inditing  the  theological 
treatises  with  which  his  name  is  connected,  much  less  of  giving  to  the 
christian  world  a-  new  revision  of  the  sacred  scriptures.  But  it  is 
not  of  Dr.  Kenrick's  life  and  labors  after  he  became  a  bishop  and  an 
archbishop  that  the  writer  may  now  properly  speak.  It  is  his  wish  to 
present  him  to  his  readers  as  he  remembers  him  nearly  sixty  years  ago, 
the  honored  and  zealous  pastor  of  the  people  among  whom  he  was 
born;  the  teacher  of  those  who  were  being  prepared  for  the  work  of  the 
holy  ministry;  the  instructor  in  christian  doctrine  of  the  children  of  the 
congregation;  the  prudent  and  painstaking  director  of  consciences, 
and  the  friend  and  adviser  of  all  who  had  grievances  to  disturb  them 
or  sufferings  to  endure. 

As  has  been  stated  elsewhere,  Dr.  Kenrick  came  to  the  diocese 
direct  from  the  Propaganda  in  182 1.  He  had  been  sent  for  a  specific 
work  among  the  seminarians  of  the  diocese.  For  nearly  nine  years 
he  did  this  work,  not  only  acceptably  and  well,  but  in  a  manner  that 
was  beyond  all  praise.  But  he  did  more.  He  took  upon  himself  half 
the  burden  of  the  pastorate  of  the  cathedral,  and  finally  the  greater 
part  of  it.  His  influence  in  the  congregation,  and  especially  over  its 
youth,  was  commensurate  with  his  zeal  for  the  good  of  all,  and  that 
was  measureless.  Toward  such  a  man  and  priest,  respect  and  love  and 
reverence  tended  as  by  a  natural  law.  His  worth  was  seen  and  appre- 
ciated by  all,  and  most  of  all  by  Bishop  Flaget.  No  wonder  this  good 
bishop  was  overwhelmed  with  grief  when  he  learned  that  his  treasure 
was  to  be  removed  from  him  for  the  good  of  others. 

Dr.  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  on  the 
3d  day  of  December,  1796.*  He  was  consecrated  bishop  of  Arath  and 
coadjutor  for  Philadelphia  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  Bardstown, 

■•■■  The  two  incidents  I  am  going  to  relate  will  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  Dr. 
Kenrick's  sympathetic  nature  and  his  sense  of  sacerdotal  duty.  In  1828,  at  the 
date  of  my  father's  death,  he  was  pastor  of  the  cathedral  of  St.  Joseph,  in 
Bardstown.  In  her  great  distress,  my  mother  sent  me  to  apprise  the  pastor  of 
the  sad  misfortune  that  had  come  upon  herself  and  her  children.  I  found  Dr. 
Kenrick  pacing  the  seminary-lawn  and  reciting  his  office.  I  approached  him 
weeping,  and  when  he  had  learned  the  cause  of  my  distress,  he  took  me  by  the 
hand  and  sought  to  console  me.  I  have  no  memory  now  of  his  words,  but  I 
may  never  forget  the  kindness  of  his  manner,  nor  the  sympathetic  tones  of  his 
voice  while  he  was  uttering  them.  An  old  citizen  of  Louisville,  formerly  of 
Philadelphia,  relates  the  following:  "I  was  living  at  the  time  in  a  poor  neigh- 
borhood far  removed  from  the  nearest  church.     In  the  house  where  I  was  board- 


CATHOLICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  553 

on  the  6th  of  June,  1830.  He  was  transferred  to  Baltimore  in  1851, 
where  he  died,  metropoHtan  of  the  United  States,  on  the  8th  of  J  uly, 
1863. 

RELIGIOUS   HOUSES   IN    LOUISVILLE. 

The  first  of  these  to  be  noticed  is  the  convent  and  house  of  studies 
of  the  Franciscan  fathers  on  Green  near  Jackson  street,  of  which  Rev. 
Ubaldus  Webersinke,  O.  S.  F.,  is  guardian.  In  this  institution,  at 
the  beginning  of  the  present  year,  there  were  seven  professed  students 
and  three  lay-brothers.  The  professorships  are  filled  by  the  pastors  of 
the  church  of  St.  Bonifacius. 

In  the  house  of  studies  of  the  Franciscan  fathers  of  the  province  of 
Bavaria,  in  charge  of  the  church  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours,  of  which  Rev. 
Ludgerus  Beck,  O.  S.  F.,  is  guardian,  there  are  at  this  time  two  stu- 
dents and  two  lay-brothers. 

The  convent  of  the  Dominican  fathers  has  been  already  referred  to. 
It  is  a  home  for  members  of  the  order  when  detained  in  the  city  by 
any  species  of  engagement,  as  well  as  a  house  of  studies;  and  is  a  home 
for  those  employed  in  ministerial  work  in  the  parish  of  St.  Louis  Bertrand . 

The  Institute  of  the  Xaverian  Brothers :  It  would  be  hard  to  con- 
ceive of  a  more  useful  body  of  men  than  is  aggregated  to  this  institute. 
The  Xaverian  brothers  were  introduced  from  Belgium  in  1854,  by  Rt. 
Rev  .  M.  J.  Spalding,  and  since  that  time  they  have  had  charge  of  parish 
schools  in  several  of  the  city  congregations.  They  have  also  under 
their  control  an  academy  for  boys,  that  stands  high  for  its  excellence. 
In  this  school  the  pupil's  are  given  an  English  and  commercial  educa- 
tion that  is  recognized  by  all  as  superior,  and  many  of  the  former 
pupils  are  at  this  time  known  in  the  community  as  much  for  their 
business  qauUfications  as  they  are  for  standard  civil  and  Catholic  worth. 
The  Xaverian  Institute  is  situated  on  Fourth  Avenue,  adjoining  the 
infirmary  of  St.  Joseph.  In  the  estabhshment  there  are  seventeen 
brothers,  under  the  direction  of  Brother  Paul.  The  noviciate  of  the 
society  is  at  Carroll,  Baltimore  county,  Maryland,  where  Brother 
Alexius  is  provincial.  * 

ing,  there  was  a  young  man  supposed  to  be  dying,  and  it  was  necessary  that 
some  one  should  be  dispatched  for  a  priest.  I  happened  to  be  the  only  one 
there  who  could  possibly  bear  the  message.  The  night  of  the  occurrence  was 
dark  and  stormy,  and  it  was  thought  to  be  dangerous  for  any  one  to  be  out  on 
the  streets.  I  went,  of  course,  and  a  rougher  way  I  never  encountered.  Reach- 
ing the  pastoral  residence  at  length,  I  rang  the  bell,  and  soon  the  door  was 
opened  by  Bishop  Kenrick  himself,  whom  I  had  once  seen  and  had  no  difficulty 
in  recognizing.  I  told  him  my  errand,  and  I  was  astonished  to  hear  him  say 
that  he  would  be  soon  ready  to  accompany  me.  This  he  did,  and,  as  I  learned 
afterwards,  the  poor  young  man  would  have  passed  away  without  the  grace 
'of  the  sacraments  had  he  not  done  so.  The  pastor  of  the  church  was  out  on  a 
similar  errand  of  mercy  when  I  called,  and  the  bishop  was  alone  in  the  house." 
*  Previous  to  the  date  of  his  death,  March  13,  1875,  the  Xaverian  institute 
in  Louisville  was  provided  with  a  chaplain  in  the  person  of  the  late  Rev.  G, 
Montariol,  a  most  amiable  and  excellent  priest-  Since  that  time  the  chapel  of 
the  brothers  is  attended  from  the  cathedral. 


554 


SCHOOLS   AND   ACADEMIES. 


The  house  of  studies  of  the  Passionist  fathers,  to  which  has  been 
given  the  title  of  "The  Sacred  Heart  Retreat,"  was  estabhshed  in 
July,  1880.  It  is  situated  on  the  Newburg  road,  about  two  and  a  half 
miles  from  the  city.  The  good  fathers  have  here  a  house  of  study  and 
of  rest.  Here  it  is,  beyond  the  turmoil  of  the  world,  that  they  are 
permitted  for  short  terms,  to  rest  from  missionary  toils,  and  pursue  their 
interrupted  studies.  Here,  too,  when  suffering  from  bodily  ailments, 
or  when  worn  down  by  their  labors  in  the  giving  of  missions  and  spir- 
itual retreats,  they  are  enabled  to  give  attention  to  their  health  and  to 
recuperate  their  exhausted  energies.  Very  generally,  the  rectors  of 
churches  in  the  city  of  Louisville  have  found  in  the  Passionist  fathers 
able  and  zealous  substitutes  when,  for  any  reason,  they  have  found 
themselves  incapable  of  performing  their  pastoral  duties. 

Their  reliance  in  such  cases  has  been  upon  the  priests  of  "the 
Retreat"  and  those  of  the  convents  and  houses  of  studies  of  the 
Dominican  and  Franciscan  fathers.  During  the  present  year  the 
fathers  of  the  order  whose  nominal  home  has  been  at^  the  "Retreat 
of  the  Sacred  heart"  have  been:  Very  Rev.  Charles 'Lang,  C.  P., 
rector;  and  Fathers  F.  Ward,  Timothy  Pacitti,  James  Ryan, 
Nicholas  Ward,  Jerome  Murphy,  Francis  Farley,  Leo  Harrigan, 
Edmund  Hill,  Bartholomew  Carey,  Louis  Kreutzbeintner,  Robert 
McNamara,  Gaudentius  Rossi,  Xavier  Sutton,  Edward  Tuolry,  Paulinus 
Dowling,  Cuthbert  Hooker,  Alban  O'Connor  and  Andrew  Kenny. 

SCHOOLS   AND    ACADEMIES. 

Among  the  schools  and  academies  of  Kentucky,  conducted  by 
members  of  religious  orders  and  not  yet  referred  to  in  these  pages,  are 
to  be  named  the  following : 

"The  Presentation  academy,"  Louisville:  This  is  undoubtedly  the 
oldest  of  all  the  schools  of  Louisville,  no  matter  by  whom  conducted. 
It  was  begun  by  the  sisters  of  charity  of  Nazareth  in  the  basement  of 
the  former  church  of  St.  Louis,  more  than  fifty  years  ago.  In  1836, 
it  was  removed  to  its  present  site,  a  few  doors  north  of  the  cathedral 
of  the  Assumption.  For  half  a  century  it  has  been  the  pride  of  the 
Catholic  and  English-speaking  population  of  the  city.  Its  system  of 
culture  for  girl  children  is  altogether  admirable,  as  is  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that,  from  the  day  it  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  pupils  to  the 
present  time,  it  has  been  well  patronized  by  both  CathoUcs  and  non- 
Catholics.  As  far  as  the  writer  is  able  to  recall  their  names,  _  the 
superiors  charged  with  the  conduct  of  the  school,  have  been:  Sister 
Elizabeth  Sutton,  Sister  Serena  Kearney,  Sister  Xavia  Ross  and  Sister 
Sophia  Carton.  For  many  years  the  iast  named  has  been  at  the  head 
of  the  institution. 

"The  academy  of  the  Holy  Rosary :"  This  is  a  branch  establish- 
ment of  the  Dominican  sisters  of  St.  Catharme's,  near  Springfield. 
Its  establishment,  on  Eighth  and  Kentucky  streets,  Louisville,  dates 
from  the  year  1867.     The  school  is  receiving  a  generous  patronage 


CATTTALTCITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  555 

from  parents  residing  in  the  parish  of  St.  Louis  Bertrand,  in  which  it 
is  situated,  and  a  Uberal  one  from  those  living  in  the  contiguous 
parishes.  Nine  sisters  have  their  home  in  the  house,  several  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  the  conduct  of  the  parish-school  for  girls  attached  to  the 
congregation  of  St.  Louis  Bertrand. 

"The  Ursuline  academy :"  This  school  is  attached  to  the  convent 
of  the  Ursuline  sisters,  on  Chestnut  and  Shelby  streets.  Its  patronage, 
which  is  large,  comes  principally  from  the  parish  of  St.  Martin  of 
Tours.  The  community  of  Ursulines  number  thirty  professed  sisters, 
twenty-five  novices  and  twelve  postulants.  The  pupils  attending  the 
school,  of  which  about  one-third  are  boarders,  number  one  hundred. 

Another  academy  and  day-school,  conducted  by  this  same  sister- 
hood, was  founded  a  number  of  years  ago  in  St.  Alphonsus'  congrega- 
tion, Daviess  county.  It  is  known  to  the  good  people  of  the  parish 
that  the  single-minded  pastor  has  spared  neither  personal  energy  nor 
private  means  in  establishing  this  successful  school.  The  building  put 
up  for  it  is  altogether  a  handsome  structure.  The  difficulty  of  provid- 
ing English-speaking  teachers  in  an  order  whose  members  are  so 
largely  German  has  doubtless  been  a  drawback,  but  time  and  ear- 
nest study  on  the  part  of  the  sisters  have  overcome  that  impediment  to 
their  usefulness. 

"The  academy  of  Our  Lady  of  Angels,"  Shelby ville,  Kentucky, 
is  conducted  by  the  sisters  of  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Francis.  The 
professed  sisters  attached  to  the  order  and  the  house  at  the  beginning 
of  the  present  year  numbered  sixteen.  The  superior  is  Mother  Mary 
Agnes  Mooney. 

"St.  Walburg's  academy  and  boarding-school,"  Covington,  con- 
ducted by  Benedictine  nuns,  adjoins  the  convent  of  the  order  on 
Twelfth  street. 

"The  academy  of  La  Salette,"  Covington,  is  conducted  by  the 
sisters  of  charity  of  Nazareth,  as  is  also  the  "academy  and  boarding- 
school  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  "  in  the  adjoining  city  of  New- 
port. There  are  also  in  the  diocese  of  Covington  select  and  boarding- 
schools  conducted  by  the  sisters  of  Notre  Dame,  of  the  Visitation,  and 
of  St.  Francis,  in  Covington,  Newport,  Paris,  Maysville,  Ashland  and 
White  Sulphur.* 

*The  remaining  churches  and  congregations  of  the  State,  of  which  I  have 
been  able  to  obtain  only  fragmentary  information,  or  none  at  all  beyond  that 
furnished  by  the  reports  printed  in  the  Catholic  directory,  I  have  thought  it  best 
to  catalogue  at  page  576,  appendix. 


APPBNDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


WRITINGS    OF    THE    EARLY    MFSSIONARIES. 

Little  attention  has  hitherto  been  drawn  to  the  Hterary  talents 
exhibited  by  certain  of  the  early  missionary  priests  of  Kentucky. 
Indited,  those  who  have  sought  to  perpetuate  their  fame  through  the 
medium  of  written  biography,  would  seem  to  have  ignored  every- 
thing concerning  them  that  was  not  directly  connected  with  the  great 
object  of  their  ministry,  the  exaltation  of  God's  Church  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  the  indoctrination  of  those  to  whom  they  had  been  sent  with 
its  sublime  teachings.  They  may  have  thought,  indeed,  that  men, 
overburdened  as  they  were  with  labors  manifold,  however  capable 
they  may  have  been  of  giving  expression  to  their  thoughts  in  felicitous 
language  for  the  benefit  of  the  reading  public,  could  scarcely  have 
found  time  for  any  sort  of  mere  literary  work.  And  yet  it  is  undeni- 
able that  there  were  those  among  them  who  had  made  excursions  into 
the  region  of  fancy,  and  brought  thence  with  them  flowers  of  thought 
that  were  well  worthy  of  preservation. 

The  foremost  among  those  here  referred  to  was  undoubtedly  the 
proto-priesl  of  the  United  States,  Rev.  Stephen  Theodore  Badin.  Of 
his  writings  in  the  English  vernacular — here  and  there  a  pamphlet- 
argument  in  defense  of  one  or  another  doctrine  of  the  Church — little 
is  "to  be  said  of  their  literary  merit.  Not  such  would  appear  to  be  the 
judgment  of  the  learned  in  respect  to  his  Latin  compositions,  all 
poetical.  One  of  these,  possibly  the  best,  fills  the  half-dozen  pages 
that  follow  these  introductory  paragraphs.  Its  introduction  here  is 
solely  with  the  view  of  bringing  it  before  the  clergy  of  the  country, 
and  in  order  that  it  may  be  placed  in  a  better  shape  than  heretofore 
for  preservation  and  reference. 

Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx  may  have  been  able,  in  his  mother  tongue, 
to  speak  to  others  gracefully  and  elegantly  in  the  language  of  song; 
but  the  English  verses  written  by  him  and  transcribed  by  his  biographer, 
cannot  lay  claim  to  any  great  merit  as  poetry. 

The  numerous  prose  compositions  and  translations  of  Father  John 
B.  David  are  indicative  of  mental  strength  on  the  part  of  their  author 
that  is  certainly  uncommon  in  any  one  who  writes  in  an  other  than 
his  own  vernacular.     His  hymns  for  the  use  of  choirs  are  fairly  good. 


560  APPENDIX — WRITINGS   OF    IHE    EARLY    MISSIONARIES. 

but  their  chief  merit  is  to  be  referred  to  the  musical  dress  in  which  they 
were  presented  to  the  pubHc.  He  was  a  much  better  composer  of 
music  than  of  verses.* 

Rev.  George  A.  M.  Elder  was  esteemed  a  clever  writer  in  his 
day,  as  well  of  poetry  as  prose ;  but  the  best  of  his  literary  efforts,  his 
Letters  to  Brother  Jonathan — half  satire  and  half  controversy — would 
have  to  be  pruned  considerably  to  make  them  acceptable  to  the  general 
reader  of  our  own  times. 

Father  James  Elliott — may  his  soul  be  in  peace  this  day — wrote 
quite  a  number  of  short  hymns  and  set  them  to  music.  These  are  all 
pretty  and  affecting  when  heard  from  the  organ  loft  of  a  country- 
church,  or  when  words  and  air  come  to  the  listening  ear  in  the  stillness 
of  evening  from  the  community  chapel  of  a  sisterhood  of  nuns.  In 
writing  them,  the  good  priest  never  thought  of  adding  anything  to  the 
sum  of  standard  English  poetry. 

Father  Robert  A.  Abell  wrote  little,  and  the  writer  is  compelled  to 
acknowledge  that  what  he  did  write,  especially  in  the  line  of  English 
versification,  has  added  nothing  to  his  just  claim  to  consideration  from 
admirers  of  genius  the  world  over.  The  true  melliflua  majestas,  so 
prominent  a  characteristic  of  his  style  of  oratory,  is  wholly  wanting 
in  such  specimens  of  his  versification  as  have  fallen  under  the  author's 
notice,  t 

Of  all  the  older  clergy  of  the  diocese  of  Louisville  who  have 
attempted  English  metrical  composition,  the  writer  has  preference  for 
his  ancient  friend,  still  living,  Rev.  Athanasius  A.  Aud.  The  art  of 
versification  came  to  him  in  his  youth,  and  though  it  was  little  prac- 
ticed by  him  in  his  prime,  when  something  of  much  greater  import- 
ance w?o  engaging  his  active  energies,  it  would  seem  to  have  taken 
renewed  possession  of  certain  chambers  of  his  mind  in  his  old  age. 
Very  lately  he  has  given  to  the  public  a  little  book  of  poems — all 
fairly  meritorious,  and  some  of  them  admirable — from  which,  as  the 
reader  will  see  a  little  further  on,  extracts  have  been  given  that  any 
Catholic  may  read  with  pleasure. 

With  so  much  said  in  reference  to  the  writings  of  the  early  mission- 
aries of  Kentucky,  we  give  the  first  place  in  the  extracts  that  follow 
as  is  its  due,  to  Father  Badin's  Latin  poem  in  honor  of  the  Most  Holy 
Trinity.     This  poem  has  been  characterized  by  learned  Latinists,  among 

*  The  first  Catholic  publication  of  any  kind  printed  in  Kentucky  was  entitled 
^^Instructions  on  the  Sacrament  of  Confirmation :  published  by  the  authority  of  the 
Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Flaget,  for  the  use  of  his  diocese."  The  imprint  is:  "Thomas 
Smith,  Lexington,  Ky.,  1812."  The  same  year,  Father  David  published  the 
first  edition  of  his  True  Piety,  a  prayer-book  that  is  still  regarded  with  much 
favor  by  many  intelligent  and  pious  Catholics.  A  second  edition  of  the  same 
book  was  gotten  out  twelve  years  later.  The  imprint  of  this  last  is:  "  Printed 
at  the  Kentucky  Gazette  Office,  Lexington,  1824." 

1 1  am  told  that  the  best  of  his  verses  were  never  transferred  by  him  to 
paper,  and  that  it  was  seldom  he  could  be  induced  to  repeat  them  when  in  the 
company  of  his  friends. 


CATHOLICITY  IN  KENTUCKY,  56 1 

Others  by  the  late  Most.  Rev.  Dr.  Spalding,  as  worthy  of  the  pen  of  a 
Horace;  and  Father  Matthew  Russell,  S.  J.,  of  the  Irish  Monthly,  calls 
itapoemof  "fluent  hexameters." 


Sanctissim^  Trinitatis  Laudes  et  Invocatio  :  Carmen.  Auctore 
Steph.  Theod.  Badin,  Protosacerd.  Baltim.,  Lodoici-villse ;  Ky.,  U. 
S.  Amer,     Typis  Bened.  Jos.  Webb,  A.  D.  1843. 


Exultent  coeli  ccelorum  totus  et  orbis ! 

Angelici  coetus,  Virtutum  exercitus,  ingens 

Turma  Potestatum,  Cherubim,  Seraphimque,  Thronique 

internum  laudent !     Alarum  tegmine  vultus 

Demissos  nubant,  proni  ante  altare  verendum 

Divinae  majestatis,  sacra  dona  ferentes. 

Thura  piis  manibus  pavidi  fumantia  gestent, 

Ne  veneranda  suis  splendoribus  opprimat  illos 

Gloria,  caecutiantt,ue  oculi  nimio  igne  repleti. 

Trinum  unumque  Deum,  qui  nutu  cuncta  creavit, 

Unanimes  variis  citharis  ac  voce  perenni 

Concelebrent !     Non  immerito  laetentur  honore, 

Angelicisque  choris  similes  psalteria  pulsent 

Electi !     Resonet  coelesti  carmine  templum ! 

Coetus  Apostolicus,  Confessorumque  cohortes, 

Martyrum  et  exultans  agmen,  sanctique  Prophetae, 

Doctores  legis  divinae,  et  munda  corona 

Virginum  adorando  sponso  sua  lilia  spargant 

Mixta  rosis,  Agno  et  viventi  in  specula  cantent. 

Vosque  Sacerdotes  Domini,  promptissimi  adeste; 

Sacrificate  Patri,  Natoque  et  Spiritui  Almo. 

Tota  hymnos  sociis  Ecclesia  cantibus  edat. 

Linguae  omnes  Domini  benedicant  nomen!     Ab  ortu 

Solis  ad  occasum  Domini  laudabile  nomen. 

Sanctum  et  terribile,  et  grata  reverentia  habendum. 

II. 

**Tu  Sanctus,  Sanctus,  Sanctus,  Deus!     Ipse  supremus 
Stas  Dominus  coeli,  et  terrae,  et  maris  ;  arbiter  unus 
Et  vitae  et  mortis,  iDelli  pacisque  vicissim. 
Majestate  tua  sunt  coeli  et  terra  repleti. 
Tu  solus  magnus,  fortis,  bonus ;  immortalis. 

36 


562  APPENDIX — WRITINGS    OF    THE   EARLY    MISSIONARIES. 

Nos  faciens  immortales ;  benedictus,  amandus; 
Tota  anima,  tota  mente  ac  virtute  colendus : 
Vivorum  Judex  defunctorumque  futurus 
Terribilis   vindex ;  mitis,  raiserator  et  aequus. 
Non  fiet  Justus  prout  impius.     O  Pater,  baud  vis, 
Qualiter  injustum  baud  potes  unquam  perdere  justum. 
Tu  merito  aeternas  poenas  infligis  iniquis, 
Sterna  et  merito  Tu  donas  praemia  amicis. 
Sanctior  es  Sanctis,  mebor  melioribus,  altis 
Altior,  geternum  felix,  ac  fortibus  usque 
Fortior ;  astripotens,  perfectus,  maximus ;  unus 
Quippe  Deus.     Minime  sequaHs  Tibi  adesse  valebit 
Angelas  ipse;  prius  nigra  Tartara  stratus  adiret, 
Qui  Tibi  inaccesso  se  vellet  inaniter  aequum. 
Terrarum  conservator,  coeUque,  marisque, 
Uno  cuncta  movens  digito  quae  numine  comples, 
Visibiles  invisbilesque  Tuo  imperio  res 
Dirigis,  ac  orbis  nutu  moderaris  habenas. 
Supremae  majestatis  Te  numen  adoro! 
Omnia  sunt  abs  Te,  Tua  sunt,Tibique  omnia  subsunt. 
Fiat,  adoretur,  superexaltetur  in  omnes 
States,  terra  ut  coelo,  Tua  amabilis,  alma, 
Omnipotens,  sapiens,  recta  ac  ter  Sancta  voluntas." 

Excelsus  Dominus  super  omnes  undique  gentes; 
Est  excelsaejus  super  omnes  gloria  coelos. 
Immensus  loca  cuncta  replet  virtute  potenti. 
Nee  tamen  occupat  ipse  locum ;  loca  nulla  relinquit, 
Ventorumque  leves  citior  superambulat  alas. 
Olli  nil  invisibile  est.     Prout  nebula  terras 
Contegit,  et  penetrat  maria,  et  lux  fulgida  coelos. 
Coelo  excelsior  est,  imisque  profundior,  orbe 
Longior,  extremo  spatio  aut  mare  largior  omni. 
Non  aures  ullas  habet,  omnia  sed  tamen  audit ; 
Humanos  nee  habens  oculos  videt  omnia,  ubique 
Quamquam  invisibilis   praesens.      Movet  omnia  semper 
Immotus,  nee  lassatur  licet  omnia  agendo ; 
Liber  in  aeternum  et  simul  immutabilis  ;  usque 
Permanet  aequanimis  cum  justa  accenditur  ira 
Adversum  reprobos,  justisque  arridet  amanter. 

III. 

Maximus  in  minimis  Deus;  herbula  tegmine  qucrcus 
Condita,  flos  gracilis  per  gramina  pinguia  sparsus, 
Hunc  aeque  extollunt  ac  multa  cacumina,  montes. 
Parvula  stella  prout  longe  caudata  cometes ; 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 

Unica  guttula  aquae  prout  maxima  flumina  aquarum; 
Abruptae  rupes  simul  et  tenuissima  arena 
Divinam  vim  non  minus  ac  mare,  terra  et  Olympus 
Pandunt,  et  sensato  homini  sine  voce  profantur : 
"  Nos  fecit  Deus  Omnipotens,  non  fecimus  ipsi." 
Imbres  et  rores,  et  fontes ;  frigus  et  aestus ; 
Lux,  alternantes  tenebrae,  nubesque  fugaces; 
Murmure  jucundo  zephyrus,  vel  fulgure  prompto 
Terrificans  animos  tonitru,  aut  mirabilis  Echo 
Actu  rivali  celebrant  Dominum  Omnipotentem. 
Insecta,  et  coete,  et  vermis,  ceu  monstra  stupenda ; 
Pisces,  et  pecora,  et  volucres,  elementaque  tota 
Collaudant;  nocti  enarrat  nox,  luxque  diei: 
"  Nos  fecit  Deus  Omnipotens,  non  fecimus  ipsi." 
Aurora  et  Stellas  variae,  Sol  Lunaque ;  Sidus 
Hershelii  majus,  dignatum  nomine  regum  ; 
Attonitos  oculos,  aures,  animosque  fragore 
Ac  fulgur  luce  afificiens  subita,  imber  et  Iris 
Usquam  laetificans  homines;  benedicite  Domino: 
"  Nos  fecit  Deus  Omnipotens,  non  fecimus  ipsi." 
Hortis  et  pratis  Zephyrus  flans  murmure  grato  ; 
Ventus  turn  saevus  tum  lenior,  ignis  et  aestus ; 
Vivida  aqua  pleni  fontes;  glaciesque  nivesque; 
Terra  ferax  cunctis  panem  dans  quotidianum  ; 
Vernales  flores  ac  autumnalia  poma  ; 
Vos  colles,  cantate  Deo,  vallesque  profunda  : 
"  Nos  fecit  Deus  Omnipotens,  non  fecimus  ipsi." 


IV. 

Trinus  Personis  stat,  natura  unus  et  idem. 

Imparitas  nulla  est,  smplex  distinctio  solum  est : 

Tres  sane  discernuntur  substantia  in  una. 

Et  Pater,  et  Verbum,  et  Divinus  Spiritus  unum 

Sunt;  tres  Personae,  Deus  unus.     Credite  gentes ! 

Qui  verax,  infallibilis,  Pater  ipse  locutus. 

Se  contemplando,  Hunc  Verbum  generasse  docemur, 

.Sternum  Verbum.      Certe  Hoc  substantia  vera  est, 

Et  Divina  etiam  persona,  fi delis  imago 

^terni  Patris,  et  mundo  prior,  ex  Patre  oborta. 

Et  Pater  et  Verbum  se  contemplantur  amantque : 

Hinc  fit  .Sternum  Flamen  procedere  amore 

^quali  et  Patris  et  Verbi,  conglorificandum  ; 

Divinum  Flamen,  personae  utriusque  ligamen. 

Ante  creaturas  Quod  processisse  fatemur, 

Et  pari  adorandum  reverentia  in  omnibus  aevis 


563 


564 


APPENDIX — WRITINGS   OF   THE   EARLY    MISSIONARIES. 

Grande  homini  mysterium  homo  est;  mysterium  oportet 
Grandius  esse  Dei  naturam.     Altissimus  unus 
Se  bene  et  omnia  cognoscit;  scit  et  abdita  cordis. 
Nemo  Dei  quae  sunt  novit,  nisi  Spiritus  alti 
Ipse  Dei.     Natum  cognoscit  nemo  nisi  ipse 
Omniscius  Pater,  ac  cognoscit  Filius  unus 
Sternum  Patrem,  et  is  cui  gratis  noscere  donat 
Filius,  aut  utriusque  nimis  Venerabile  Flameri. 
Quid  natura  Dei  est  homo  nescit,  et  Angelus  ipse 
^terni  ignorat  quidnam  est  generatio  Verbi 
yEterna  et  quidnam  est  processio  Flaminis  Almi. 
Nescio  ego,  pulvis,  cinis,  ignorantia,  limus 
Terrse,  peccatum.     Ratio  jubet  ipsa  doceri, 
Semper  adorare,  ac  imbellem  subdere  mentem, 
Et  cor,  et  sensus  totos.     Ad  numinis  unam 
Vocem  ceu  nutum  sua  praestent  obsequia  omnes ! 
Cum  sua  jussa  dabit,  die,  quisnam  obstare  yalebit 
Impune?  quis  pacem  habuit,  cum  restitit  oUi  ? 

"  Principium  sine  principio,  vitae  auctor,  et  orbis 
Conditor;  agnoscant  gentes  atque  omnia  regna 
Te  solum  esse  Deum,  cujus  suprema  potestas. 
Te  metuant  fines  terrae  omnes;  vota  precesque 
Non  cessent  offerre  Tibi  et  praeconia  laudura. 
Te  Sancti,  te  sublimes  Archangeli  adorent, 
Et  meritas  grates  tota  tibi  mente  rependant." 

VI. 

Summa  Patri  semper  sit  laus,  benedictio,  virtus,  _ 
Imperium !  Est  a  Se,  manet,  aeternumque  manebit 
Sanctus,  magnificus,  pius,  admirabiUs.     Ipse 
Se  contemplatur,  Sibi  sufficit,  usque  beatus 
Absque  creaturis;  nee  possent  esse,  movere, 
Vivere,  ni  per  eum  solum  existentiam  haberent, 
Et  motum,  et  vitam,  queis  cum  vult  finis  habendus. 
OUi  quis  compar  ?     Quis  cuinam  comparet  ilium 
Terris  aut  coelis  prjeter  quem  haud  est  Deus  uUus? 
Quisnam  est  Omnipotens,  ^eternus  et  infinitus  _ 
Extra  ilium  ?     Quisnam  perfecte  cuncta  creavit 
Verbo  uno  ?     Dixit  "  Fiat,"  suntque  omnia  facta. 
Terra  creatorem,  Dominum  et  maria  omnia  summum 
Proclamant.      Quidquid  volitat  super  aera,  quidquid 
Germinat  in  terris,  quidquid  vasto  aequore  natat, 
Cuncta  Creata,  Patri  cantate,  et  psallite;  cantu 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 

Vos  proprio  laudate  hujus  venerabile  nomen ! 
Magnificate  Deum  mecum !   mirabilia  unus 
Perfecit.     Repetant  omnes  sua  cantica  gentes  ! 
Continuas  repetant  et  tympana  et  organa  laudes ! 
"Domne  Deus  virtutum,  alta  de  sede  gubernas 
Cuncta  Creata,  foves,  vestis,  alimentaque  prsestas, 
Principium  et  finis;  mens  es  Deus,  et  mens  es  Rex. 

"Festa  salus  et  laus  Tibi  Sit,  pater  optime,  et  hymni 
Solemnes,  compar  et  gloria  in  omnibus  aevis  ! 
Est  super  excelsos  Tua  magnificentia  coelos. 


VII. 

"^qualesetiam  lavdes,     Tibi,  Christe  Redemptor, 

Gloria  et  obsequium  !     Tibi  serviat  ultima  Thule, 

Rex  regum,  Dominus  dominorum,  et  Victor  Averni ! 

Te  gentes  quaerant  de  Lumine  Lumen  !  adorent 

Te  populi  verum  de  vero  Numine  Numen ! 

Cum  Patre  eras  in  principio,  Tu  cum  Patre  Verbum ; 

Divinum  Verbum ;  Subsistens  ex  Patre  Verbum  ; 

Omnipotens  Verbum :  nam  magnus  Tu  Deus  ipse  es, 

Ac  sine  Te  nihil  est.     Per  te  sunt  omnia  facta 

Quae  sunt  facta.     Hominum  vita  es  lumenque  benignum. 

In  tenebris  luces,  nee  concepere  tenebrae ; 

Perpetuus  sol  justitise  es,  sapientiae  abyssus. 

"Ad  Te  fecisti  nos,  nee  requiescere  nostrum 

Cor  pollet,  donee  requiescere  gestiat  in  Te, 

Qui  propter  nos  mortales  nostramque  salutem 

Faetus  homo  es,  moriensque  eruci  nos  fixus  amasti. 

Nostros  Tu  vere  languores  ipse  tulisti, 

Nos  dilexisti  et  mundasti  sanguine  toto ; 

Jesu  Salvator,  verus  Deus  atque  homo  verus; 

Tu  Patris  ^terni  stas  Filius  unicus  ante 

Sseeula  progenitus,  quern  supremi  Angeli  adorant 

Mandato  Patris,  ex  intacta  Virgine  natum, 

Et  pro  me  passum  tormenta  atrocia.     Fusus 

Ne  cruor  in  vanum  fuerit  tuus,  adde  juvamen 

Gratiaa,  amemque  probe  servire  Tibi  usque  fidelis. 

Si  pro  me  facto  eerte  me  debeo  totum 

Atque  meos  omnes  actus,  quidnam  addere  possim 

Tam  mirabiliter  patientis  in  arbore  dira, 

Sanguine  profuso,  et  generosa  morte  refectus  ? 

Post  tres  victa  dies,  Mors  indignata  triumpho 

Est  absorpta  Tuo.     Ex  tumulo  redivivus  ad  astra 

Scandisti,  et  mundi  et  coelorum  regna  potenti. 

Nunc  residens  Patris  ad  dextram,  virtute  gubernas. 


565 


•^66  APPENDIX — WRITINGS    OF    THE    EARLY    MISSIONARIES. 

"  Festa  salus  et  laus  Tibi  sit,  Jesu  optime,  et  hymni 
Solemnes ;  compar  et  gloria  in  omnibus  sevis ! 
Est  super  excelsos  Tua  magnificentia  coelos. 

VIII. 

"Spiritus  alme  Deus,  per  saecula  cuncta  colende, 

Cum  Patre  et  Unigena  es  pariter  conglorificatus. 

Divina  virtute  Tua,  mirabile  dictu, 

Et  Virgo  et  mater  concepit  Salvatorem ! 

"  Christiadesque  valent  hostilem  vincere  mundum, 

Sternum  Flamen,  Tu  consolator  amicus, 

Effundas  in  nos  tua  septenaria  dona  ! 

Erige  labentes,  errantes  corrige,  caecos 

lUustra,  infirmos  sana,  justosque  corona! 

Tu  Summum  bonum  es,  et  sancti  Tu  fons  es  amoris. 

Da  quidquid  verum  ac  rectum  est  cognoscere !     Nobis 

Da  quodcunque  bonum  est  facere,  et  vitare  nefanda  ! 

"  Festa  salus  et  laus  Tibi,  Spiritus  optime,  et  hymni 
Solemnes;  compar  et  gloria  in  omnibus  aevis! 
Est  super  excelsos  Tua  magnificentia  coelos. 

IX. 

"  Per  Te  fuderunt  oracula  certa  Prophetse ; 

Te  duce,  Apostolica  ac  Sancta  Una  Ecclesia  Christi 

Nunquam  cessabit  veri  remanere  columna 

Et  fundamentum,  ac  omni  Virtute  vigere. 

Contra  illam  Satanas  pugnavit,  ac  haeresis  atra, 

Ac  gladius,  sed  nequaquam  superare  valebit. 

Falsa  docere  nequit  bene  docta  Ecclesia  per  Te, 

Lux  indeficiens,  et  origo  splendida  veri ! 

Munere  apostolico  fungentes,  chrismate  inunctos, 

Fraelatos  ponis  regere,  invigilare,  docere, 

Corrigere,  ac  semper  Tua  dogmata  sancta  tueri. 

Prout  est  divinum  promissum,  Te  duce  agentes 

Hi  mirabiliter  sacro  ac  indeficienti 

Ordine  connexi,  baud  cessabunt  dicere  verum." 

Hos  quisquis  spernit,  censetur  spernere  Christum; 

Haud  est  discipulus;  reputandus  ut  ethnicus  iste  est. 

Quisquis  eos  audit,  Christum  ille  audire  videtur, 

Qui  Patris  .^terni  dignatus  voce,  salutis 

Prsecones  ipse  elegit,  missique  per  orbem, 

Ut  successores  habeant  per  saecula  cuncta 

Legitimos,  qui  dispensent  mysteria  sacra 

Ad  mundi  finem  supremum,  et  ubique  locorum. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 

X 

^terno  Patri  honos  iteretur  cuncta  creanti, 
Filio  et  ^terno,  mundum  salvare  volenti, 
Spiritui  ^terno  et  nos  glorificare  parato. 

"Sancta  Trias,  nos  purifica  per  gratiam  abunde! 
Si  delictorum  nos  poenitet  aut  pudet  unquam. 
Vera  contritis  Christi  miseratio  parcat ! 
Qui  mitis,  qui  propitius,  qui  tardus  ad  iram 
Audis,  ignaros  veri  in  patientia  habeto  ! 
Justitiam  ultricem  dementia  temperet !  ultro 
Succurrat  tenera  adversis  compassio  rebus  ! 
Attrahat  et  bonitas  corda  atque  amor  infinitus ! 
Quae  totum  solis  radiis  illuminat  orbem, 
Divina  humanas  lustret  sapientia  mentes! 
Heu  nimium  imbelles  nos  omnipotentia  firmet 
Prasstanti  auxilio  !     Virtus  Altissimi  ubique 
Praesens  nos  ducat,  regat,  amplectetur  amanter, 
Protegat,  ac  semper  defendat  nos  male  cautos 
Adversum  insidias  astuti,  ut  devoret,  hostis." 

XI. 

En  se  venti  agitant;  portendunt  nubila  clades; 
Spumosum  mare  turgescit ;  caligine  fusca 
Aer  contegitur;  tempestas  imminet;  ignis 
Emicat ;  immugit  tonitru,  geminataque  vibrat 
Fulgura ;  cum  fragore  crebro  gravis  irruit  imber. 
Quin  rugit  Draco  Tartareus,  rabido  ore  ruinas 
Lethales  spirans ;  trepidant  corda  ipsa  virorum. 
"  O  Pastor  bone,  Salvator  dulcissime,  Princeps 
Pacis,  amor  noster,  da  nos  orare  fideles ; 
Da  fieri  vigiles !     Ne  nos  tentatio  vincat, 
Nos  Tibi  adhaerere,  ac  in  Te  spem  figere  suave  est, 
Qui  miserator  ades  tribulatis,  usque  paratus 
Sanguine  parta  Tuo  blande  concedere  dona. 
Tu  via  es,  et  vita  es  ;  Tu  veri  infallibile  ipsum 
Principium ;  mundi  lux,  vis  lucere  tenebris, 
Nascentesque  omnes  vis  illustrare  benignus, 
Auxilium  prasstans  imbellibus  opportunum. 

"  O  Jesu,  doceas  me  Te  super  omnia  amare, 
Qui  super  omnia  amabilis  es,  bonus,  atque  fidelis, 
Magnus  et  excelsus,  nimis  et  laudabilis  !     Audi 
Providus  ac  fortis  Deus  !     immutabilis  sequis 
Consiliis,  me  constantem  fac;  redde  tenacem 


567 


568  APPENDIX WRITINGS    OF   THE   EARLY    MISSIONARIES. 

Propositi  boni,  et  baud  unquam  in  peccata  relaber 
Pristina !     Da  potius  mortem  sufferre  precocem 
Una  quam  culpa  reverendam  infringere  legem ! 
Da  potius  pati  et  ofcidi !     Da  gaudia  cceli, 
Quae  Tu  martyribus  merito  donanda  parasti ! 
Vires  pugnandi  ac  vincendi  fortiter  aptas 
Largire,  extremis  ne  poenis  culpa  prematur, 
Neve  Tuo,  infelix,  exsors,  denuder  amore. 
Quo  solo  mens  asternum  gaudere  valebit ! " 


XII. 

'  *  Sancte,  beate  Pater,  me  sanctum  ac  redde  beatum, 
Dilectique  tui  perfusum  sanguine  Christi 
Confirmare  fide  vera  digneris,  amanda 
Et  mandata  Tua,  et  Divino  Spiritu  agenta 
Sacratos  ritus  fac  observare  lubenter, 
Rectam  per  vitam  ut  meliorem  acquirere  possim 
Coelis  perpetuam.     Hie  labor  unus,  finis  et  unus. 
Merces  magna  nimis  mihi  eris !     Tibi  gloria  laudis !  " 

Gloria  Summa  Patri,  summa  et  sit  gloria  Nato, 
Spiritui  Sancto  detur  quoque  gloria  compar ; 
Prout  nunc  est,  semper  fuit,  aeternumque  manebit. 


By  permission  of  the  translator,  a  clerical  friend,  a  metrical  ren- 
dering in  English  of  certain  passages  of  the  above  poem  is  here 
appended : 

Praises  and  Invocation  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity.     A  Poem- 
Hymn.     By  the  Very  Rev.  Stephen  Theodore  Badin. 

I.  invocation. 

Exult  ye  heaven  of  heavens  and  orb  of  earth ; 
Angelic  hosts,  army  of  Virtues,  praise ! 
Ye  choirs  immense  of  Powers,  Cherubim, 
And  Seraphim  and  Thrones,  the  Eternal  praise! 
Your  downcast  eyes  let  cover  outspread  wings, 
Prone  as  ye  bear  the  sacred  gifts  before 
The  awful  altar  of  the  Majesty! — 
Trembling,  their  pious  hands  the  thuribles 
All  smoking  swing,  lest  glory-beaming  rays, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  569 

Resplendent,  awe  them  back  and  eyes  grow  blind, 
Burned  out  with  quenching  light. 

All  praise  with  harp 
And  varied  psaltery's  perennial  voice 
The  God,  triune  and  one,  who  by  a  nod 
Created  all !  Nor  let  the  elect  rejoice 
With  lesser  honor,  but  alike  the  choirs 
Of  angels,  thrum  their  octavas;  resound 
The  temple  with  celestial  hymn !     The  band 
Of  Christ's  Apostles,  confessors'  cohorts, 
Exultant  martyrs'  army,  prophets,  seers. 
The  doctors  of  the  law  divine,  and  crowns 
Of  purest  virgins,  strew  before  the  spouse 
Adorable,  their  mingling  lily  and  rose  ; 
All  to  the  Lamb  for  ever  living  chant ! 

Ye,  also,  priests  of  God,  prompt  lend  your  aid ;  • 

Bring  sacrifice  to  one,  thrice  Holy  Lord  : 
The  Church  entire  chant  ever  worthy  hymns. 
Let  every  tongue  the  Lord's  name  bless ;  His  name 
Is  worthy  praise  from  morn  e'en  unto  night, — 
Terrific,  holy,  in  thankful  reverence  held. 


II.    DIVINE   ATTRIBUTES. 

Thou  Holy,  Holy,  Holy  God !     Thou  stand'st 
The  Lord  Supreme  of  heaven  and  earth  and  seas ; 
The  only  arbiter  of  life  and  death. 
Of  war,  by  turns,  and  sequent  peace. 
Thy  Majesty  fills  earth  and  sky;  Thou  sole 
,The  great,  the  strong,  the  good!    Immortal,  Thou, 
Us  deathless  making,  to  be  blessed  and  loved; 
With  all  the  soul  and  mind  and  strength  be  served. 
Judge  of  the  living;  future,  terrible 
Avenger  of  the  dead;  meek,  merciful 
And  just. — The  just  shall  not  be  as  the  unjust- 
O  Father,  thou  nor  wishest,  nor  even  canst, 
Condemn  the  just  as  wilt  the  impious. 
With  justice  dost  inflict  eternal  pains : 
With  justice  dost  dispense  eternal  bliss. 
Still  holier  than  the  holy ;  better  than 
The  best;  above  the  highest;  happy  e'er. 
And  stronger  than  the  strongest :  star-potent 
Thou  greatest,  perfect,  one,  true  God !  Equal 
To  Thee  nor  shall  an  angel  be  :  straightforth 
To  blackest  hell  his  way  who  dares  but  wish 
Himself  thy  equal.     Of  the  earth  and  sea 
And  sky  preserver,  moving  all  Thou  fiU'st 


S70 


APPENDIX — WRITINGS    OF   THE    EARLY    MISSIONARIES, 

With  but  a  finger,  by  Thy  word  Thou  rul'st 
The  seen  and  unseen — holding  thus  the  reins 
Of  the  proceeding  world  —Thee  I  adore, 
Supreme  Majesty !    All  things  from  Thee 
Are  thine,  and  subject. 

So  be  it !  Adored, 
Superexalted  be,  in  every  age, 
Here  as  in  heaven,  thy  loveable,  thy  pure, 
Omnipotent,  wise,  right,  thrice  holy  Will. 

III.      VOICE  OF  CREATURES. 

God  greatest  is  in  smallest :  tiny  tuft, 

Forth  shooting  neath  the  broad  oak's  shade ;  or  flowers, 

On  graceful  stems  midst  richest  grasses  blown, 

Extol  him  even  as  the  dizziest  heights  : 

Least  star  as  brilliant  comet;  little  drop 

Of  water,  like  the  greatest  river's  stream; 

A  broken  stone,  or  slightest  grain  of  sand, 

The  power  divine  proclaim  not  less  than  sea, 

And  land,  and  sky,  which  voiceless  speak  to  man: 

**  Us  made  the  Omnipotent,  not  we  ourselves.  " 

Ye  waters,  dews,  and  fountains  ;  cold  and  heat ; 

Light,  alternating  darkness,  fleeing  clouds; 

Sweet  morning  zephyrs,  or  loud  thunderbolts. 

With  swiftest  flashes,  terrifying  minds; 

Wondrous  echo ;  rivalling  contend 

In  praise  of  God  Omnipotent.     Insect 

And  whale;  the  worm  and  monsters  of  the  deep; 

The  fishes,  beasts  and  birds  ;  all  elements 

Collaud;  night  tell  to  night  and  day  to  day,  : 

"  Us  made  the  omnipotent,  not  we  ourselves." 

IV.    MOST    HOLY    TRINITY. 

But  three  distinct,  discerned  in  substance  one. 
And  One  are  Father,  Word  and  Ghost  Divine. 
One  God,  Three  Persons :  bow,  believe  it  all. 
The  unerring  Father  speaking,  thus  begot. 
Self-contemplating,  the  Eternal  Word. 
His  Son,  a  Substance  true,  divine,  a  God; 
A  Person,  faithful  likeness  of  the  sire; 
Eternal,  prior  to  the  world,  from  Him 
Begot.     The  Father  and  the  Word  do  love 
As  each  doth  contemplate  the  other.     Thus 
Eternal  cometh  forth  the  Holy  Flame, 
From  equal  love  of  Father  and  the  Son, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  57  1 

Conglorified,  the  Ghost  Divine  proceeds 
Before  created  things— fore' er  adored, 
The  Bond  of  Persons  all  adorable. 

V.    FAITH    IN    MYSTERIES. 

Grand  mystery  is  man  to  man:  'tis  meet 

A  grander  mystery  God's  nature  be. 

Alone  the  Highest,  all  things  as  self  He  knows, 

And  kens  the  depths  of  hearts. 

None  knows  the  things 
That  are  of  God  but  Holy  Ghost  of  God. 
The  Son  none  knows  except  Omniscient  Sire ; 
And  knows  the  Son  alone  His  Father  true, 
Eternal,  and  the  one  it  pleases  Him 
To  tell — or  awful  Spirit  of  Them  Both. 
What  be  God's  nature  man  can  fathom  less; 
Nor  angel  knows  what  generation  of 
The  Son— Procession  of  the  Eternal  Flame ; 
Nor  do  I  know,  dust,  ashes,  ignorance, 
Slime,  earth  and  sin.     Thus  reason's  self  commands 
But  to  adore — submit  the  obedient  mind, 
And  heart  and  senses  all,  when  He  commands. 

He  *****  * 


XI.      CHRIST   OUR    HELP    IN   THE   EVIL    DAY. 

Hark!  Petrels  scream.     Dark  heavens  portend  the  storm. 

Gales  whip  the  deep  to  foam  with  angry  iron  lash. 

Mid  darkness  visible  Black  Tempest  lowers 

From  out  the  heights : — his  eyes  flash  forked  flame  ; 

His  thunderous  roar,  reverberating,  rolls, 

As  crash  his  fiery  bolts,  inbreaking  all  the  gates 

Of  heaven's  cataracts.  — Down  pour  the  floods, 

—So  roars  Hell-Dragon's  rabid  mouth— his  breath 

A  fiery  mist — till  quake  e'en  manful  hearts. 

"Good  Pastor,  Saviour  sweetest.  Prince  of  peace, 

Our  very  Love!  give  us  to  watch,  as  Thou 

Dost  bid,  and  pray  lest  dire  temptation's  snare 

Entrap.     To  cling  to  Thee  is  sweet,  and  fix 

Our  hope  on  Thee,  Commiserating  Help 

To  needfuls,  loving,  ready  e'er  to  pour 

Thy  gifts,  dear-purchased  by  Thy  Blood  divine. 

Thou  Way  and  Life,  unerring  Principle  of  truth! 

World's  Light,  Thou  wilt  in  darkness  shine : 

Illume  each  several  son  begot  of  God, 

Preventing  weaklings  by  Thy  present  aid." 


572  APPENDIX — WRITINGS    OF   THE    EARLY    MISSIONARIES. 

Rhymes  and  Verses.  By  an  Old  Man  (Rev.  A.  A.  Aud).  Written 
mostly  in  his  eightieth  year,  for  his  own  profit,  and  published  for 
the  enjoyment  and  edification  of  dear  relations  and  friends. 
Calvary,  Kentucky,  1884.     St.  Mary's  Sentinel,  print. 

time's   CHANGES. 

Child,  whose  sparkling  eye  is  tearless, 

Fixed  in  rapture  on  a  toy, 
Ask  me  not  why  I  am  cheerless, 

Lest  I  damp  thy  smile  of  joy. 

I  would  tell  how  all  that's  splendid 

In  the  things  that  charm  the  eye, 
And  the  tints,  so  softly  blended 

On  thy  cheek  must  fade  and  die. 

Youth,  whose  brilliant  eye  is  truthful. 

Speaking  love  and  trust  to  friends — 
Thinkest  thou  that  ever  youthful, 

Thou  hast  joy  that  never  ends? 

Think  of  those  whom  joys  attended, 

Snatched  away  in  youthful  bloom. 
From  their  weeping  friends,  descended, 

Young  and  lovely,  to  the  tomb. 

Oh!  cling  not  to  earthly  pleasures. 

Sweetest  joys  bring  deepest  pain; 
Death  shall  take  thy  friends,  thy  treasures; 

Who  shall  give  them  back  again  ? 

Age,  whose  failing  eye  is  tearful. 

Raised  in  anguish  to  the  sky. 
Dry  thy  sorrows,  Oh,  be  cheerful! 

Friends  behold  thee  from  on  high. 

Let  thy  treasures  go  before  thee, 

Heav'n  shall  give  them  back  again;  ' 

There,  with  all  the  love  they  bore  thee,  ' 

Friends  await  thee,  freed  from  pain. 


THE    EYE. 

I 


The  eye,  the  eye, — the  speaking  eye 
What  language  of  the  tongue  can  vie 
With  its  full  utt'rance  flashing  out 
Deep  passion,  hope,  or  fear,  or  doubt? 


€ATH©LICITY   IN    KENTUCKY.  ey^ 

How  ravishing  the  eye's  bright  glamce, 
When  joyous  visions  round  it  dance ; 
When  fancy's  fondest  dreams  arise, 
Or  thoughts  sublime  soar  through  the  skies ! 

What  words  can  paint  those  vivid  rays 

The  eye  darts  forth  in  one  quick  blaze,  i 

When  some  new  feeling  thrills  the  soul 

With  tones  that  will  not  brook  control  ? 

When  cries,  from  virtuous  hearts  distressed,     ' 
Awake  compassion  in  the  breast. 
The  eye  with  chastened  light  appears 
To  shine  more  lovely  in  its  tears. 

And  when'the  mind  is  bowed  with  grief 
To  which  e'en  hope  brings  no  relief. 
The  pang  untold  is  seen  and  felt, 
And  sorrow's  eye  bids  pity's  melt. 

The  eye  is  lovely  in  the  child : 
When  caught  by  glances  sweet  and  mild, 
Its  answering  smiles  appear  to  prove 
'Tis  conscious  of  its  mother's  love. 

The  eye  ingenuous  of  the  youth. 
When  lighted  by  the  love  of  truth. 
Ere  yet  th'unsullied  heart  is  taught 
To  counterfeit  or  hide  a  thought; 

When  nature's  glance,  devoid  of  art. 
Speaks  out  the  feelings  of  the  heart — 
How  lovely  is  that  beaming  eye 
In  all  its  sweet  simplicity ! 

We  tremble  for  a  thing  so  fair. 
Lest  guile  should  paint  its  fictions  there; 
Lest  vice  with  pestilential  sway 
Should  teach  the  smiler  to  betray. 

We  pray  that  it  be  blessed  with  light 
To  shun  false  glare  and  choose  the  right; 
To  learn  how  lovely  He  must  be 
Who  made  the  lovely  things  we  see. 

Oh !  may  that  eye  be  taught  to  view 
The  great  AUbeautiful  and  True, 
In  heaven  and  earth,  in  light  and  shade, 
In  all  the  creatures  He  hath  made. 


574 


APPENDIX — WRITINGS   OF    THE   EARLY    MISSIONARIES. 

May  all  it  sees  but  make  it  sigh 
For  its  bright  home  beyond  the  sky, 
Until  it  come,  through  boundless  grace, 
To  see  its  Author  face  to  face. 


on 


We  extract  the  following  from  the  longest  poem  in  the  collection 

SOCIETY. 
He********** 

The  man  of  vanity,  a  bag  of  gas, 

Prefers  associates  empty  as  himself, 

And  while  he  lives  and  bloats  on  others'  breath, 

Sells  puffs  to  purchase  a  return  of  puffs; 

And  while  he  courts  esteem,  by  vapid  praise 

From  those  he  aims  to  cheat,  gets  counterfeit. 

Vain  man !    So  prone  to  mingle  with  the  world 

For  fond  display  of  what  he  means  for  wit, 

While  comrades,  for  amusement,  urge  him  on 

By  flattery  and  simulated  praise. 

By  draughts  that  warm  the  blood  and  loose  the  tongue. 

Poor  man!  he  has  no  relish  for  his  home; 

No  appetite  for  labor  or  repose ; 

No  rest,  save  when  he  roves  in  search  of  news; 

No  peace  of  heart,  except  in  feuds  and  strife; 

No  joy  more  sweet  than  giving  others  grief; 

Great  pride,  in  vilifying  modest  worth  ; 

Great  greatness,  grossly  great  at  little  tricks; 

Great  cunning,  which  deceives  himself  alone. 

Their  language  what?  and  what  their  themes  and  thoughts? 

As  frivolous  as  fleeting  phantasies 

That  vex  us  half  awake  and  half  asleep. 

Unworthy  of  the  thoughts  of  worthy  men. 

********** 

Of  all  the  sad  encumbrances  of  life, 

The  load  which  wearies  most  is  indolence : 

The  slothful  drone  finds  all  things  wearisome, 

And  tires  of  all  he  does  or  fails  to  do. 

Distaste  for  duty  and  for  useful  toil 

Soon  makes  him  tired  of  all  that  ought  to  please; 

Of  home,  where  all  are  busy  but  himself ; 

Tired  of  himself  because  he  shuns  fatigue, 

The  needful  prelude  to  delightful  rest; 

Tired  of  his  lifetime  spent  so  uselessly. 

Yet,  though  he  cannot  work  for  God  or  man, 

For  health  on  earth  and  endless  rest  in  heaven, 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  575 

He  oft  will  toil  where  pains  are  worse  than  lost; 

Will  trudge  through  mud  beneath  inclement  skies, 

In  search  of  comrades  idle  as  himself, 

To  help  him  bear  his  load  of  nothingness; 

To  honor  Satan  and  amuse  his  friends: 

For  he  that  will  not  walk  in  virtue's  path 

Runs  heedlessly  into  the  devil's  arms. 

Who  speeds  him  on  the  downhill  road  of  vice. 

Thus  uselessly  the  idler  spends  his  life 

In  killing  time,  lest  time  crush  him  to  death ; 

As  if  his  lifetime  were  a  galling  load, 

Which  could  be  lightened  only  by  abuse. 

Yet  all  their  time  seems  all  too  short  for  those 

Who  profitably  use  the  precious  gift. 

And  if  betimes  alone  we  wander  forth, 
For  rest  of  mind  and  healthful  exercise, 
'Tis  sweet  to  steal  to  some  sequestered  walk. 
And  there  among  God's  sinless  creatures  rove; 
Admire  the  workings  of  his  plastic  hand, 
And  warm  the  heart  with  gratitude  and  love. 
In  all  we  see,  in  all  we  feel  and  hear, 
A  soft,  sweet  voice  is  whispering,  "  God  is  here ;" 
And  while  in  solitude  He  wins  the  heart, 
What  has  the  world  to  wean  the  heart  from  Him? 
God's  creatures,  glad  companions  of  our  way, 
Are  telling  of  a  Father's  tender  love. 

Who  when  His  children,  through  their  fault,  were  doomed 
To  toil  'mid  thorns  and  thistles  for  their  bread, 
Gave  health  to  toil,  and  flowers  amid  the  thorns. 
Where  e'er  we  go,  whichever  side  we  gaze, 
Our  Father's  great  all-bounteous  works  we  find : 
Bright  globes  revolving  through  the  firmament, 
The  tiniest  creatures,  creeping  on  the  earth- 
All,  great  and  small,  with  equal  voice  proclaim 
Their  Maker's  glory,  wisdom,  power  and  love. 
The  wilderness  itself  becomes  a  home,  ! 

A  sweet  asylum  from  a  silly  world  : 
The  flowers  wherewith  He  decks  fair  nature's  face, 
Deflect  the  charms  of  His  benignant  smile. 
The  cool,  sweet  waters  rippling  through  the  flowers 
Disclose  the  love  with  which  He  slakes  our  thirst. 
In  every  whispering  breeze  that  passes  by, 
We  hear  the  soft,  sweet  music  of  His  voice. 
And  feel  His  breath  which  cools  the  summer  heat. 
In  every  tree  and  shrub,  and  blade  of  grass. 
We  see  the  beauties  of  His  handiwork 
Grow  lovelier  still  because  they  are  His  gifts. 


576  APPENDIX — CHURCHES   NOT    HERETOFORE   NOTICED. 


II. 

i 

CHURCHES    NOT    HERETOFORE    NOTICED. 

Of  only  a  few  of  these  has  the  writer  such  knowledge  as  to  be  able 
to  give  here  more  than  the  titles  by  which  they  are  known  and  the 
names  of  the  pastors  by  whom  they  are  served.  The  older  among 
them  will  first  be  notice. 

DANVILLE,  BOYLE   COUNTY. 

The  first  Catholic  church  constructed  of  brick  in  all  Kentucky  was 
undoubtedly  built  at  Danville,  in  the  year  1807.  The  county  of  Boyle, 
it  is  to  be  remembered,  was  then,  and  for  many  years  afterwards,  a  part 
of  Mercer,  into  which,  even  before  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, a  number  of  Catholic  emigrants  had  come  and  settled  themselves 
on  farms.  The  only  Catholic  resident  of  Danville  as  early  as  the  year 
1800,  whose  name  is  familiar  to  the  writer,  was  Daniel  Mcllvoy,  a  gen- 
erous-hearted Irishman  and  a  warm  personal  friend  of  both  Father 
Badin  and  Father  Nerinckx.  The  ground  upon  which  the  church 
referred  to  was  built,  was  a  donation  from  him,  but  unfortunately,  he 
neglected  to  execute  a  deed  for  the  property,  and  having  afterwards 
failed  in  business,  both  ground  and  church  were  attached  and  subse- 
quently sold  to  cover  his  private  debts.*  The  church  was  turned  into 
a  dwelling-house  and  is  still  standing. 

The  small  congregation  at  Danville  was  served  for  many  years  by 
the  Dominican  fathers  of  St.  Rose.  The  present  church  of  Sts.  Peter 
and  Paul  was   built  as  late  as  1865  by  the  late  Rev.  Ivo  Schacht. 

*  Charles  Mcllvoy,  a  son  of  Daniel  Mcllvoy  mentioned  in  the  text,  was  for 
nearly  twenty  years  a  book-keeper  in  the  business  establishment  with  which  I 
was  connected  in  Louisville,  and  for  that  term,  and  for  seven  years  additional, 
during  which  he  was  entirely  blind,  he  was  a  member  of  my  family.  I  doubt 
if  there  ever  was  a  man  whose  heart  was  filled  with  more  gentle  thoughts,  or 
whose  life  was  more  expressive  of  the  qualities  of  goodness  and  kindness.  He 
was  almost  as  much  the  guardian  and  adviser  of  my  children  as  I  was  myself, 
and  their  affection  for  him  was  just  as  demonstrative  as  it  could  have  been  in 
my  own  case.  While  he  lived  in  darkness  they  were  to  him  both  hands  and 
eyes,  leading  him  to  and  from  church  and  returning  to  him  in  all  kindly  offices 
the  care  and  pains  he  had  taken  to  impart  to  them  lessons  of  wise  procedure 
from  their  very  infancy.  With  these  and  their  mother  surrounding  his  bed  of 
death,  and  fortified  by  the  reception  of  the  last  sacraments  for  his  journey 
hence,  he  died  in  the  77th  year  of  his  age,  peacefully,  on  the  4th  day  of 
August,  1S71. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  577 

It  has  been  served  since  by  Revs.  H.  Brady,  E.  Breen,  M.  W.  Whelan 
and  A.  J.  Brady. 

ADAIR   AND   TAYLOR   COUNTIES. 

The  CathoHc  settlement  on  Casey  creek,  in  Adair  county,  dates  from 
the  year  1802.  In  that  year,  Richard  Weatherington,  of  the  congrega- 
tion of  St.  Ann,  on  Cartwright's  creek,  accompanied  by  his  family  and 
those  of  Henry  Clements,  Nicholas  Wheatley,  Wilfred  Miles  and  John 
Speaks,  removed  to  Adair  county  and  settled  on  contiguous  farms. 
These  were  afterwards  joined  by  a  family  of  the  name  of  James, 
another  named  Montgomery,  and  several  others  whose  names  are 
unknown  to  the  writer.  The  house  of  Mr.  Weatherington  was  most 
likely  the. church-station  for  the  district  until  Father  Nerinckx  encour- 
aged the  people  to  build  a  church.  This  was  done,  as  is  supposed, 
about  the  year  1810.  Up  to  the  year  1856,  the  pastors  of  this  church, 
to  which  was  given  the  title  of  St.  Bernard,  were:  Rev.  Charles 
Nerinckx,  Rev.  D.  Deparcq,  Rev.  James  Quinn  and  Rev.  John  B. 
Hutchins.  The  present  church  of  St.  Bernard  was  erected  by  the  pas- 
tor last  named  in  the  year  1857,  and,  until  after  the  erection  of  a 
church  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Taylor,  it  was  ordinarily  served 
by  the  pastors  of  St.  Augustine's,  Lebanon. 

The  writer's  account  of  the  Catholic  settlement  on  Casey  creek, 
would  be  incomplete  without  some  reference  to  the  attempt  that  was 
made  in  1807,  by  the  Trappist  fathers,  under  the  immediate  direction 
of  prior  Marie  Joseph  Douche,  to  establish  here  a  house  of  their  order. 
The  ecclesiastical  superior  of  the  order  in  Kentucky  at  the  time,  was 
Father  Urban  Guillet,  who  would  seem,  from  the  account  given  of 
him  by  Father  Nerinckx,  to  have  been  a  constitutional  grumbler.  He 
was  dissatisfied  because  he  could  not,  all  at  once,  discover  results  that 
were  only  possible  in  a  new  country  after  years  of  labor.  He  was 
always  thinking  that  he  had  blundered  in  selecting  sites  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  his  order  in  the  United  States,  and  the  result  was,  he  moved 
from  place  to  place,  from  Pennsylvania  to  Kentucky,  from  Kentucky 
to  Florissant,  Missouri,  from  there  to  Looking-Glass  Priarie.  in  Illinois, 
and  finally  the  establishment  was  broken  up  in  18 13,  the  greater  num- 
ber of  its  members,  with  their  superior,  returning  to  Europe. 

The  church  of  St.  Francis  of  Sales,  in  Taylor  county,  five  miles 
north  of  Campbellsville,  was  built,  mostly  at  his  personal  expense,  by 
Mr.  Elias  Newton,  and  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  D.  A.  Deparcq. 
The  date  of  its  erection  is  supposed  to  have  been  1846.* 

St.  Gregory's,  Nelson  county :  This  church  is  situated  about  eight 
miles  north  of  Bardstown,  and  for  many  years  it  has  been  attended  by 
the  chaplains  of  the  mother-house  of  the  Nazareth  community.  It 
was  built  as  late  as  the  year  185 1,  for  the  convenience  of  a  number  of 

*The  church  of  Our  Lady  of  Perpetual  Help,  in  Campbellsville,  the  county 
seat  of  Taylor,  is  of  recent  construction.  It  has  had  for  its  pastors.  Revs. 
J.  P.  Kelleher  and  Thomas  W.  White. 

37 


578  APPENDIX CHURCHES    NOT    HERETOFORE    NOTICED. 

families  residing  in  the  neighborhood,  among  whom  may  be  named : 
Elisha  Gates,  Aquila  Hagan  and  Harry  Livers. 

St.  Andrew's,  Jefferson  county:  This  church  is  on  Big  Run  creek, 
about  ten  miles  south  of  Louisville,  on  the  alms-house  road.  It  was 
put  up  thirty  years  ago  for  the  accommodation  of  the  neighborhood, 
many  of  the  residents  being  Germans.  It  is  attended  at  present  by 
Rev.  Martin  O'Connor,  from  Stithton. 

St.  Benedict's,  Beach  Grove,  McLean  county,  attended  by  Rev. 
James  J.  Pike. 

St.  John  the  Evangelist,  Columbus,  Hickman  county,  Rev,  R. 
Davis. 

St.  Mary's,  Harrodsburg,  Rev.  A.  J.  Brady. 

St.  Bridget's,  Hickman,  Rev.  R.  Davis. 

St.  Joachim's,  Larue  county,  Rev.  A.  Reinhardt. 

Immaculate  Conception,  Lagrange,  Rev.  P.  J.  Walsh. 

St.  Lawrence,  Lawrenceburg,  Rev.  A.  J.  Brady. 

St.  Aloysius',  Pewee  Vallev,  Rev.  P.  J.  Walsh. 

St.  Margaret  of  Cartona,  Pitts'  Point,  Bullitt  county.  Rev.  J.  J. 
Abell. 

The  Annunciation,  Shelbyville,  Rev.  Hugh  Daly. 

St.  Dominic's,  Springfield,  Washington  county,  attended  by  the 
Dominican  fathers  of  St.  Rose.  The  large  congregation  attached  to 
this  parish  is  even  now  engaged  in  putting  up  a  large  and  handsome 
church  edifice. 

The  churches  and  pastorates  of  the  diocese  of  Covington  of  which 
no  mention  has  been  made  in  the  preceding  pages,  are  thus  referred  to 
in  the  Catholic  Directory  of  1884: 

St.  Joseph's,  Covington,  Rev.  ^gidius  Christoph,  O.  S.  B. ,  prior 
and  rector;  Rev.  P.  Gabriel  Gurster,  O.  S.  B.;  Rev.  Polycarp  Scherer, 
O.  S.  B. 

St.  Aloysius,  Covington,  Rev.  John  Stephany,  rector;  Rev.  B. 
Greifenkamp,  assistant. 

St.  Ann's,  West  Covington,  Rev.  Lambert  Wille,  rector. 

St.  Augustine's,  Covington,  Rev.  Paul  T.  Abeln,  rector. 

St.  Patrick's,  Covington,  Rev.  James  Smith,  rector. 

St.  Mary  of  the  Assumption,  Alexandria,  Rev.  P.  Priilagge,  rector. 

St.  Augustine's,  Augusta,  Rev.  Caspar  Ostlangenberg,  rector. 

Bellevue,  new  brick  church.  Rev.  F.  Heising,  rector. 

Brookville,  Bracken  county,  title  of  church  not  given,  Rev.  John 
Redmond,  rector. 

St.  John  the  Evangelist,  Carrolton,  Rev.  Stephen  Schmid,  rector. 

St.  Joseph's,  Cold  Spring,  Rev.  F.  X.  Hunt,  rector. 

St.  Francis  of  Assisium,  Dayton,  Rev.  WiUiam  Cassander,  rector. 

St.  Francis  Xavier,  Falmouth,  Rev.  Augustus  Gadker,  rector. 

Flemingsburg,  title  of  church  not  given,  Rev.  C.  O'Brien,  rector. 

Florence,  Boone  county,  title  of  church  not  given.  Rev.  Ed. 
Burke,  rector. 

St.  Joseph's,  Campbell  county,  Rev.  Joseph  Blenke,  rector. 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY.  579 

St.  Boniface's,  Ludlow,  Rev.  B.  Hildebrandt,  rector. 

Mayslick^  title  of  church  not  given,  Rev.  John  Hickey,  rector. 

St.  Patrick's,  Mt.  Sterling,  Rev.  P.  M.  Jones,  rector. 

St.  John  the  Baptist,  Campbell  county,  Rev.  Jos.  Goebbels,  rector. 

St.  Benedict's,  Kenton  county,  Rev.  Joseph  Meiwes,  rector. 

St.  Stephen's,  Newport,  Rev.  Bernard  Baumeister,  rector. 

The  church  of  the  Annunciation,  Paris,  Rev.  James  P.  Barry, 
rector. 

Richmond,  title  of  church  not  given,  Rev.  John  J.  McGinley, 
rector. 

Sandfordtown,  Kenton  county,  title  of  church  not  given.  Rev, 
Joseph  Haustermann,  rector. 

St.  Peter's,  Twelve  Mile,  Campbell  county,  Rev.  W.  Hinssin, 
rector. 

Verona,  Boone  county,  title  of  church  not  given.  Rev.  N.  N.  Gos- 
solin,  rector. 

St.  Joseph's,  Winchester,  Rev.  P„  M.  Jones,  rector. 


58o 


RELIGIOUS   STATISTICS   OF    KENTUCKY. 


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INDEX. 


Abarth,  Rev.   Dionysius, 517 

Abell,  Rev.  Robert  A., 27 

In  boyhood  and  youths  .  .  .  106 
Anecdotes  of  his  school  days,  107 

His  first  mission, 146 

An  experience  in  Nashville,  .  149 
At  the  consecration  of  the  ca- 
thedral of  St.  Joseph,  .  .  .  269 
Pastor  in  Louisville,  ....  292 
A  colloquy  and  its  results,  .  .  293 
Postillion  and  man  of  all-work,  295 
He  astonishes  Bishop  Rosa  ti,  .  297 
His  journey  to  Europe,  .    .    .  298 

Lesson  in  etiquette, 299 

A  discussion  of  altitude,  .  .  .  300 
Sources  of  inspiration,  .  .  .  301 
Builds    second    church  of   St. 

Louis, 302 

Is  removed  to  Lebanon,  .    .    .  307 
Is  removed  to  New  Haven,   .  500 
Retires  from  the  active  minis- 
try  502 

His  last  years  and  days,  .    .  505-6 
Abell,  Samuel,  Robert,  Philip,  .    .  103 
Abell,  Margaret  Mills  and  her  chil- 
dren,   105 

Abell,  Rev.  J.  J.,  .  .    .    .  10,  414,  510 
Abell,  Jesse,  Barton,   Abner,   Ab- 
salom,   105,  1 10 

Ablen,  Rev.  Paul  T., 578 

Academy,  Mt.  St.  Benedict's,  .    .519 

Presentation, 554 

Holy  Rosary 554 

Ursuline, 555 

Our  Lady  of  Angels, 555 

St.  Walburg's, 555 

La  Salette, 555 

Immaculate  Conception,    .    .  555 

Ackerman,    Philip, 545 

Adams,  Rev.  Joseph, 509 

Adams,  Eli,  James, 80 

Adams,  Alexius,  Richard,  63,  114,  130 
Alemany,  Most  Rev.  J.  S.,  .  .  209,  212 

Alexander,  Robert, 178 

Algair,  Michael, 91 


All,  Ben.  J 425 

Alton,   Matthew, 330 

Alvey,  John  F.,  Robert,      ....  365 

Alvey,  Charles, 369 

Alvey,  Henry 415,  420 

Alvey,  Mrs.  Henrietta, 420 

Alvey,  Thomas,  John, 56 

Amiss,  Mrs.  Ann, 365 

Angier,  Rev.  Robert, 

27,  89,  92,  200,  209 

Anthony,  Hon.  Wm.  B., 281 

Arnold,    Rev.  Venantius,  ....  517 

Alkinson,    George, 430 

Aud,  Rev.  Athanasius  A.,  .... 

.....  10,  38,  273,  349,  427 
Also  in  page  of  Appendix,    .   572 

Aud,  Zachariah 114,    130,  426 

Aud,  Ambrose, 63 

Austin,  James, 72 

Bachman,  Rev.  E.  M.,   .   .    10,  43,  510 
Badin,  Rev.  Stephen   Theodore,  .  142 
Birth    and    parentage,  ....  160 
He  arrives  in  Kentucky,  162 

His  early  missionary  life,  164-67 
Without  an  assistant,  .  .    .    .175 

Anecdotes  of, 179,  183 

Builds  first  church  in  Louis- 
ville   290 

Returns  to  France  in  1819,  441 
His  letters  from  abroad,  442-54 
Returns  to  America  in  1828,  454 
Returns  to  Kentucky  in  1837,  458 

His  eccentricities, 459 

His   appearance   in   1841   de- 
scribed,    462 

Anecdotes  of, 467 

Again  leaves  the  diocese,  .   .  470 

Incidents  of  last  days,.  .    .    .  471 

Badin,   Rev.    Vincent,    207,    349,   442 

Bald,  Wm., 28 

Ball,  Mrs.  Mary  Blandford,  ...     10 

Baltus,  Rev.  J., 434 

Bambury,  Sister  Margaret,  .    .    .    .365 
Bambury,  Rev.  P.,  ,    ,    ,    ,    ,154,  509 


582 


INDEX. 


Buckman,  Clement,  Ignatius,  102,  366 
Bannon,    Patrick,    Richard,  .    .    .  514 

Bannon,  William, 517 

Bardstown,  Bishopric  of,  .  19,  40,  373 
Bardstown,  Catholic  settlement,  .     57 

Barnes,  Augustin, 356 

Barrett,  Rev.  J.  A.,  .    .  155,  439,  509 

Barrieres,  Rev.  M., 26 

Barry,  John, 517 

Barry,  Hon.  Wm.  T., 178 

Barstow,  Mrs.   Ellen 534 

Baumeister,  Rev.  Bernard,  .  .  .  579 
Bax,  Rev.  Lawrence,  .    .  10,  480,  509 

Bax,   Dominic, 524 

Baxter,  Rev.  John, 515 

Bean,  Bennett, 80 

Beaven,  Samuel,  Ben., 142 

Beaven,  Richard, 54 

Beaven,  Henry, 145 

Beaven,  Thomson, 63 

Beaven,  Mark, 412 

Beaven,  Edward, 45 

Beaven,  Col.   Thomas, 45 

Beaven,  Sister  Mary, 246 

Beaven,  Elzie, 303 

Beckett, Thomas, 54 

Beck,    Rev.    Ludgerus,  .....  522 

Beckwith,  Rev,  F., 434 

Bekkers,  Rev.  John  H.,  .    .  332-7,  479 

Bellechasse,  John  D., 424 

Bellechasse,  Mrs.  A.  D.,  .  .  •  .  .    .  424 

Bell,  Walter, 80 

Benedict,  Rt.  Rev.  Abbot,     .    .    .  199 

Benninger,  John  A., 545 

Benz,  Theobald, 515 

Berg,    Martin, 544 

Berry,    Edward,  .  , 54 

Berry,  E.  C,  Thomas, 428 

Berthoud,  James,  Nicholas,  .  .  .  290 
Bessonies,  Very  Rev.  A.,  .  .  .  .  9 
Bethania,  convent  of,  .    .    .    .    .    .117 

Bethlehem,  convent  of, 152 

Beyhurst,  Rev.  M., 509 

Bibb,  Judge  Geo.  M., 307 

Bishops  and  archbishops  appoint- 
ed from  Kentucky, 55^ 

Blacklock,  Joseph,  Wm.,  Nathan- 
iel,    80 

Blacklock,  Patrick, 63 

Blakely,  Rev.  Aloysius, 521 

Blancagnil,  Theod 303 

Blandford,   Randal, 428 

Blandford,  Acquilla 72 

Blandford,  Chas.  T.,  Ignatius,  .  .  80 
Blank,  Rev.  Charles,  ....  349,  515 

Blenke,  Rev.  Joseph, 578 

Block,    Louis, 521 


Blum,  Rev.   Gabriel, 522 

Blunder,   a  theological, 167 

Bolton,    John,  .........     54 

Boone,    Daniel, 16 

Boone,    Washington, 28 

Boone,  Philip, 366 

Boone,    John, 54 

Boone,  Henry, 7^ 

Boothe,  James, 412 

Bosche,  Capt.  Chris., 10 

Bossung,  Joseph, 515 

Bouchet^  Very  Rev.  M., 

10,  252,  368,  479 

Bourke,,  Rev.  William,  154,  439,    509 
Bowe,  Rev.  J.,  .........  539 

Bowles,  William,  John,   Ignatius,     28 

Bowles,  John, 366,  425 

Bowles,  Mother  Bertha, 425 

Bowlin,  Thomas, 30 

Bowlin,  Rev.   CD......  207,  261 

Bowman,  Roswell, 54 

Boyle,  Rev.  John,  .    .    .  368,  430,  510 

Brady,  Dr.  F., 366 

Brady,  Rev.  H.  J., lO 

Brady,  Rev.  A.  J 578 

Brandt,  Rev.  M.   L 10,  482 

Brandts,  Very  Rev.   E.  H.,  .    .    . 

.••'...  33^>  535.  533.  54° 
Breckinridge  county  settlement,  .  141 
Breckinridge,  Hon.  J.  D.,  ....  307 
Breckinridge,  Mary  Eliza,  ....  54$ 

Breen,  Martin, 514 

Breen,  Rev.   E., 482 

Brewer,  William, 28 

Brewer,  Thomas 114 

Bright,  John  H., 366 

Brossart,  Rev.  Ferdinand,  ■  .  10,  482 
Brothers  of  Christian  Instruction,  546 
Brothers  David,   Florimont,  Zozi- 

nus, 547 

Brown,  Rev.  H.  V., 264 

Brown,  Aaron, 288 

Brown,  Caleb, 420 

Brown,    Jeremiah,  ......  28,  30 

Brown,  George,    Joshua,  ...  54,  83 
Browne,  Hon.  Richard  J.,  ....     lO 

Browne,  Dr.  John,  Mrs.  Eliza  A.,  331 

Brumleve,    Ben., 522 

Bruner,    Peter, 420 

Brute,  Rt.   Rev.  Simon  Gabriel,  • 

174.  210 

Bruyere,  Rev.  John, 515 

Bryan,  William, 412 

Buckel,  Joseph, 520,  544 

Buckner,   Judge, 281 

Buckman,   Joseph,    Henry,    Wil- 
liam, .    ,    ,    , 80 


Catholicity  in  Kentucky. 


583 


Buckman,  Rev.  William,  .  .  .  .551 
Budde,  Andres,  Augustine,  .  .  .431 
Bullitt,   Alexander,  Washington, 

Cuthbert, 281 

Burch,  Walter, 28 

Burch,  Oliver, 420 

Burke,  John, 498 

Burns,   Edward, 535 

Butler,  Very  Rev.  Thomas  R.,  .  .  530 
Buttermann,   Rev.    Eugene  .    ...  517 

Byran,  Patrick, 524 

Byrne,  Rev.  Robert,  .  27,  35,  232,  349 

Byrne,  Rev.  William, 

27,  232,283,  349 

Sketch  of  his  life, 285 

Byrne,  Thomas  K.,  Lawrence, 288,  303 

Byrne,  Andrew, 288 

Byrne,  John, 514 

Byrne,  Martin, 528 

Callaghan,  Very  Rev.    F 10 

Callaghan,    Philip, 367 

Callaghan,  Cornelius, 535 

Cambron,  Raphael, 365 

Cambron,  Baptist,  Henry,  Charles 

C, 69 

Campion,   Kieran, 288,  303 

Campion,  Hon.  Patrick,  Joseph,  .  514 

Carmens,  Rev.   P., 424,  482 

Carrell,   Rt.   Rev.   George   A.,  .    .  530 

Carrell,  John, 208,  303,  535 

Carrico,    Joseph,    Cornelius,     Na- 
thaniel,     80 

Carrico,  Sister  Theresa, 246 

Carrico,  Sister  Margaret,  ....  262 
Carroll,  Mother  Columba,  ....  256 

Carroll,    Sister   Sophia, 257 

Carroll,   Patrick, 524 

Carroll,  James, 289 

Carroll,  Thomas,    ....  10,  289,  303 

Carroll,  Rt.  Rev.  John, 

...  32,  161,    187,  201,  213,  215 
Carter,  Rev.  Charles,  ....  348 

Cartwright's  Creek  Settlement,  .  67 
Cary,  Rev.  Bartholomew,  ....  554 

Cashot,  Felix, 62 

Cassander,  Rev.  William,  .    .    .    .510 

Cassiday,    John, 142 

Cassidy,  Rev.  Patrick,     .    .    .154,  509 
Cassilly,  B.  E.,  ......    .  481,  528 

Cathedral    of  St.  Joseph,  ....  269 

Cathedral  of  the  Assumption,  .    .514 

Subscribers  to  building  fund,  514 

Catholic  Advocate,   newspaper,  .    .319 

Catholic  Guardian,  newspaper,  .    .  486 

Cemetery   at    Nazareth, 259 

Centner,  Rev.  Alexius, 517 


Cerode,   M., 290 

Chabrat,  Rev.   G.   I.,    27,  93,  139, 

191,204,210,242,270,331,348,  382 
Chambige,  Very  Rev.  Francis,  .    . 

....       252,  349,  413,  421,  508 
Champonier,  Rev.  M.,  .    .    .    332,  349 

Chapeze,  Ben., 155 

Chazal,  Rev.  Martin,  ....  479,  509 

Chazelle,  Rev.  Peter, 424 

Christoph,   Rev.  yEgidius,,     .    .    .  578 
Church  of  St.    Ann,  Washington 

county, 71 

of  St.  Augustine,  Lebanon,  .  500 
of  St.  Bernard,  Casey  Creek,  577 
of  St.  Catherine,  New  Haven,  502 

of  St.  Christopher, 98 

of  St.  Joseph,  Bowling  Green,  498 
of  St.  Gregory,  Nelson  county,  577 
of  St.  Louis,  Henderson,  .  .  430 
of  St.  Michael,  Fairfield,  1 16,  140 
of  Our  Lady,  Portland,  .  .  .  517 
Names  of  first  parishioners,  .  518 
Of  St.  Pius,  Scott  county,  .  ,  91 
Of  St.  Patrick,  Danville,  .  .  576 
Churches  of  Daviess  county,  .  .  .427 
of  Grayson  county,  .  .  .421,430 
of  Hardin  county,  .  214,  218,  412 
of  City  of  Louisville,  .... 

290,  302,  514,  529 

of   Meade    county, 420 

McCracken  county, 430 

Not  otherwise  named,  .  .  .  537 
Diocese  of  Covington,  .    .    . 

330,  334>   525-  579 

Churchill,  Col.   Alex.,   Hon.   Sam 

B., 281 

Cissell,  Rev.  Charles,  .    .  153,349,  415 

Cissell,    Elias,  Wilfred, 365 

Cissell,    Matthew,  Zachariah,   Syl- 
vester, Jeremiah, 24 

Cissell,  Ignatius,  Robert,  Bernard, 

John, 28,  30,     54 

Civill,  Rev.   H.  J., 440 

Clancy,  Thomas, 288 

Clark,    John — His    singular     pen- 
ance— • 143 

Clark,  Rev.  William  E.,  124,  348,  357 
Clark,  Rev.  Edward,  54,  307,  349,  415 

Clark,  Joseph, 30 

Clark,  Richard,  Clement,  Joseph,  114 

Clark,  Basil, 201,  428 

Clark,    Mrs.    Mary, 44 

Clark,  Sister  Ann,  Sister  Isabella,  240 
Clark,    Hon.    Beverly    L.,  ....  496 

Clark,   Clementina, 125 

Clark,    James, 398 

Clarkson,   Revs.  James,  Sidney,  ,     78 


584 


INDEX. 


Clarkson,    Knotley,    Henry,    Ed- 
ward, Lloyd, 78 

Clay,  Hon.    Cassius   M.,  .    .    .  98,  281 
Cleary,  Judge  Walter,  ......  330 

Clements,  Hanson,  Patrick,  Louis, 

George, 366 

Clements,  John, 54 

Clements,    Austin, 114 

Clements,  Thomas, 80 

Clermont,   Rev.    L.   G.,  .    .        .    .  539 

Cochrane,  Rev.  B., 526 

Cody,    Michael, 481,  514 

Coenan,  Rev.  A.  M.,  ....  429,  482 
Coghlan,  Rev,  M.,   252,  427,  439,  509 

Cole,  William, 412 

Cole,    Joseph, 482- 

Coleman,    Miss    Ann, 5'4 

Coleman,  Capt.  John, 5'4 

Coll,  Rev.  P.  C, 526 

Collins,  Very  Rev.  E.  T.,  .  .  .  .  47^ 
Colmesnil,  John  D.,  .  .  .  .  305,  514 
Combs,  Robert,  James,  .....  89 
Concanen,   Rt.   Rev.    Luke,  .    .    .  202 

Congiato,  Rev.  N., 433 

Connolly,  Rev.  Henry  A.,     .  515,  551 

Converse,  Rev.    J.   M., 435 

Coomes,  Francis, 114,  131 

Coomes,  Aloysius, 57 

Coomes,  William, 24,     57 

Coomes,  Joshua,  Henry,  Ignatius,  142 
Coomes,  Richard,  .  .  10,  114,  130,  425 
Coomes,  Richard  R.,  ....  425,  428 

Coomes,  Charles,  . 63 

Coomes,  Rev.  Charles  I.,  .    .    .    . 

•    ■    •    ■  9,  57.  154,  348,  413.  427 
Coomes,  Rev.  Walter  S.,  .    .  141, 

271,  308,  348,  413.  427.  504,  508 
Coomes,  Rev.  Linus,  349,  413, 427,  508 

Coonan,  William, 528 

Cook,   Rev.  James, 510 

Cook,  Rev.  John   J., 540 

Cooper,   Pierce, 514 

Coosemans,   Rev.  F., 435 

Corne,    Bro.    Philip, 386 

Corcoran,    Martin, 523 

Costigan,    John,    . 524 

Coveney.Rev.  J., 435 

Covington,  Euclid,    . 498 

Cox's  Creek  Settlement, 1 14 

Coyle,  Cornelius, 330 

Crane,  Rev.  D.  F.,  428,  439.  482,  510 
Crane,  Rev.  F.,  .    .  420,  439,  482,  510 

Craycroft,  Thomas, 80 

Cravens,  Reason, 428 

Creary,  Rev.  John, 509 

Croghan,  Rev.    Dominic,  ....  428 
Crowley,  Rev.  J.  J., 510 


Cubero,  Rev.  Francis,  .  .  .  209,  267 
Cuddy,  J.  McGilly,  .....  285,  303 
Culleton,  Rev.  J.  T.  W.,    .    .  404,  551 

Crowe,    Martin, 288,  303 

Crowe,  Dr.  John  E.,  .  .  .  .  .9,  305 
Crowley,  Rev.  J.   C, 527 

Daly,   Rev.    Hugh,  ...  19,  369,  510 

Daly,   John, 431 

Daly,  Rev.  J.  V.,  .........  525 

Danahy,  S.  J., 336 

Danelli,  Paul, .514 

Dant,  James,  . 30,  241 

Dant,  J.  B.,  Joseph, 28 

David,  Rev.  and  Rt.  Rev.  John  B., 

...  27,  160,  204,  210,   213,  245 
Sketch  of  his  life,  .    .    .  226,  230 
Personal  appearance  and  char- 
acteristics,   348 

Last  illness  and  death,    .    .    .  251 

Daviess,  Col.  Joe., 178 

Daviess,  County  Mission,  ....  425 

Davis,   Hon.  Garrett, 314 

Davis,  Ben., ;    .  365 

Davis,  Rev.  Richard, 550 

Dearing,  Walter, 90 

DeBlieck,  Rev.  J., 435 

DeCoen,  Rev.  F.  X., 434 

Declery,  Dr.  John  P.,  .  ...  288,  303 
DeFraine,   Rev.    P.,  .    .  275,  449,  482 

DeGallon,  M., 290 

DeLeeuw,  Rev.  T., 435 

DeLuynes,  Rev.  Charles  H.,  275,  396 

De  Meester,  Rev.  P.  J., 435 

DeMueider,  Rev.  Francis,  ....  482 

Denny,   Dennis, 514 

Dent,   Henry, 514 

Deppen,  Henry,  John  L.,  Joseph,  514 
DeRohan,  Rev.  William,  .  26,  70,  158 
Devlin,   Daniel,  Jeremiah,     .    .    .  514 

DeVries,   Rev.  Joseph, 

10,  38,  480,497,  510 

Degauquier,   Rev.    A.,  .  153,  349,  415 

Delaune,  Rev.  J., 399 

Deppen,  Rev.  Louis 440 

Deparcq,  Rev.  David  A.,  .... 

27,  232,  243,  349 

Derigaud,  Rev.  M.,  .  .  .27,  139,  232 
Deydier,    Rev.    Anthony,  ....  210 

D'Hoop,   Rev.   F., 434 

Dierker,   John,  Bernard,  .    .  520,  521 

Dillon,  Rev.  M., 369,  510 

Di  Maria,  Rev.  F.  X., 438 

Diocese  of  Covington, 520 

Disney,  Rev.  T.  J.,  .  .  .  10,  414,  510 
Dissensions  in  Scott  county,  .  .  93 
Dixon,    Hon.   Archibald,  ....  429 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


585 


Dixon,  Hon.  G,  W., 281 

Doherty,  Daniel  E., 481 

Dolan,  James, no 

Dominicans  in  Kentucky,  ....  200 

Donaldson,   James, 498 

Donohoo,  Patrick, 64 

Donne,  Dr.  William, 281 

Dooly,   James, 514 

Dougherty,  William,   George,  .    .     64 
Dougherty,  Bernard,  James,  ...    90 

Dougherty,    Patrick, 438 

Dowling,  Rev.    Paulinus,  ....  554 
Downs,    preacher    and  controver- 
sialist,  501 

Downs,  John, 44 

Doyle,  John, 514 

Doyle,   Mrs.   John, 10 

Drew,    Rev.    J.    A 349 

Driscoll,  Rev.  Michael, 394 

Drury,  James,  John, 366 

Drury,   Charles, 63 

Drury,    Elias, 415 

Drury,   Ignatius,   Hilary,  .    .114,  425 

Drury,   Sister    Martha, 431 

Drury,  Rev.  Edwin, 10,  510 

Duerinck,  Rev.  J.  B., 434 

Duffner,   Jacob, .  412 

Dugan,  James,  - 498 

Duimovich,   Rev.    Vincent,  .    .    .  524 

Du  Mortier,  Rev.  L., 434 

Dunn,    Rev.  William    J.,  .    .    .    . 

10,  368,  430.   507.  510 

Durbin,  Samuel,  ....        ...  415 

Durbin,  Christopher, 92 

Durbin,  Rev.  Elisha  J., 

•    •  9,  27,  153,  232,  364,  369,  371 
DuPont,  M., 290 

Edelin,  John,  Zachariah,    ....     80 

Edelin,  Joseph,       ......  31,     77 

Edelin,  Mrs.  Hamilton,      ....     10 

Edelin,  Richard  P., lo 

Edelin,  Mother  Magdalen,     ...     77 

Edelin,  Charles  F., 77 

Edelin,  Zachariah, 288,  303 

Edelin,  Samuel,  Robert,     ....    77 

Edelin,  Rev.  James, 77 

Eggermont,  Rev.  C,      ...  427,  439 

Ehrensberger,  Rev.  A., 433 

Eiling,  B., .  524 

Elder  Family,  Maryland  and  Ken- 
tucky,       117 

Elder,  William,  of  Maryland,  and 

descendants,       118 

Elder,  Thomas,  of  Kentucky,  114,  122 
Elder,  James,  Ann   Richards,  and 

their  descendants, 125 


Elder,   Basil   Spalding, 123 

Elder,  Francis  W.,  Basil  T.,  .  .  10 
Elder,  Arnold,  Samuel,  John,  .  .  142 
Elder,  William  and  descendants,  128 

Elder,  Sister    Emily, 126 

Elder,  Most  Rev.  W.  H.,  .  .  9,  124 
Elder,  Rev.  George,  A.  M.,  .    .    . 

27,  95.  99.  126,  232,  276,  277,  349 

Elder  Rev.  Joseph 128,  510 

Elena,  Rev.  L •   .  399 

Elet,  Rev.  J.  B., 434 

Elkman,   Rev.  J.  B., 539 

Elliott,  Stephen, •    31 

Elliott,  Rev.  James, 140,  349 

Emig,   Rev.  J.   B., 434 

Engert,   Christopher,  ......  534 

Enos,  John, 288 

Eutropius,  Rt.  Rev.  Abbott,     .    ,  197 

Fagan,   Michael, 112 

Fahrenbach,  Rev.  A., 424 

Farley,  Rev.  Francis, 554 

Farrelly,  Robert, 398 

Fastre,  Rev.  A.., 435 

Faunt,  Rev.  T., 40 

Fauran,  Rev.  F., 40 

Feehan,  Rev.  R.  P 41 

Feehan,  Rev.  Cyril  O., 528 

Feilhoelter,  Henry, 521 

Feldmann,    Rev.    Joseph 534 

Fennelly,  Rev.  William,  154,  419,  530 

Fennessy,  Rev.  D., 399 

Fenwick,      Thomas,      Cornelius, 

Henry, 80 

Fenwick,  Richard 1 10 

Fenwick,  Rev.  and    Rt.  Rev.  Ed- 

....  ward,   27,   200,    206,   208 
Ferneding,   Rev.  Joseph,  .    .    .    .515 

Fermont,    Rev.    P., 54,  482 

Fetter,  Matthew, 515 

Field,  Wilfred, .  "80 

Finn,  Lawrence, 367,  497 

Finn,  John, 394.  497 

First  missionary  priests, 156 

Fischer,  Rev.  Agnellus, 517 

Fitzgerland,  Capt.  Thomas,  .    .    .514 

Fitzpatrick,  Hugh, 80 

Flaget,  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph, 

91,  96,   160,  204 

Appointed    bishop  of  Bards- 
town,   213 

His  previous  life, 215 

His  arrival  in   Kentucky,  .    .  224 

Reminiscences  of, 338 

Circular   to  his   countrymen, 

(1820,)  . 339 

Amusing  letters  from,  .    ,    ,    ,  343 


5^6 


INDEX. 


Flaget,  Rt,  Rev.  B,  J. .visits  Tenn- 
essee with  Father  Abell,     .    .  346 
His  visitations  of  his  diocese,  .  373 
At  the  Indian  Treaty  of  St. 

Mary's, 374 

His  care  of  his  clergy,  .  .  .  -375 
Consecrates     Most     Rev.    J. 

Whitfield, 375 

Visits  Charles  Carroll  of  Car- 

rolton, 379 

Journey  to  Europe  in  1835,  •  3^3 
Interview  with  the  Pope,  .  .  383 
Preaches  in  behalf  of  foreign 

missions, -  .    .    .    .  384 

Last  days  and  death,  ....  402 

His  epitaph 404 

Flannigan,    Rev.  Joseph,  ....  528 

Fleck,    Franz, 522 

Flynn,  Rev.    Martin, 510 

Ford,    Rev.    Lawrence, 368 

Forrest,    Col.    Richard,    Thomas, 

Dr.  Green,  Zepheniah,  .  no,  in 

Fosse,  Peter, 43° 

Fouche,  Rev.  Simon, 388 

Fournier,  Rev.  Michael  J.  C,  . 

27,  70,   III,  167 

Fowler,  Bennet, 412 

Frankfort,  Catholicity  in,  ...    .  534 

French,   James, 412 

French, Ignatius, 28 

French,  Ann, 60 

Fried,    J., 524 

Fuchs,    Peter, 534 

Gadker,  Rev.  Augustus 578 

Gallihan,   Clement, 80 

Galvin,  John, .  498 

Ganihl,  Rev.  Anthony,  .    .    .    .   • 

....  27,  34,  232,  270,  348,  452 
Gansepohl,   Rev.   William,    .    .    .  517 

Garcin,  Joseph, 514 

Gardiner,  Clement,  Henrietta,  .    .  114 

Their  descendants, 116 

Gardiner,  Joseph,        114 

Gardiner,  Mother  Frances,  .  .  .  255 
Gardiner,  Sisters  Harriet  and  .    . 

Clare, 250,  255 

Garesche,  Rev.  F., 433 

Garland,  Dr.  Richard, 430 

Garland,  Gov.  A.  H., 440 

Garrard,  William,         398 

Gartland,  Rev.    F.   X., 301 

Gates,   Stephen, 62 

Gates,  Vincent, 240 

Gau,  William, 80 

Geher,  Anton, 544 

Geoghegan,  Patrick,  Samuel,  .    .  330 


Gettings,  McKenzie, 80 

Gettings,   Benjamin, 303 

Gettings,  Alban,  William,    .    .    .  366 

Gezovvski,  Rev.  F., 534 

Gilbert,  Brother  Charles,    ....  242 

Gilles,  Rev.  Vital, 388,  392 

Gill,    Samuel,    .    .         398 

Gilmour,  Rt.  Rev.  Richard,  .  .  529 
Gipperich,  Rev.  Maurice,  ....  522 

Giron,  Stephen, 330 

Glasgow,  Thomas, 63 

Glauber,    Sebastian, 431 

Gockeln,   Rev.    F.  W., 398 

Goebbels,  Rev.  Joseph, 579 

Goodrum,  Wilfred, 56 

Gore,  Rev.  R., 527 

Gossolin,  Rev.  N.  N 579 

Gottbehoede,  Rev.  Lucas,  .  .  .  517 
Gough,  James,  Ignatius,  John  B.,     89 

Cough,  John  B.,  Jr., 90 

Gough,  Cornelius, 420 

Graf,    Simon, 520 

Grace,  Pierce, 398 

Grace,  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  L.,  .  .  .  212 
Grayson  County  Mission,  ....  421 

Green,  Rev.  J.  H., 527 

Green,  Benjamin,  Leonard,  ...    56 

Green,  James 63 

Greenwell,  Bennet,  Henry  S.,  .  .  89 
Greenwell,  Samuel,  Louis,  .  .  .  366 
Greenwell,  Henry,  Wilfred,  .    .    .  420 

Grief,  Adrien,  John,        430 

Grief,  Nicholas,  Joseph,    ....  431 

Griefenkamp,  Rev.  B  , 578 

Griffin,    Ben., 514 

Grundy,  Sister  Teresa 240 

Grundy,  Hon.  Felix, 104 

Guerster,  Rev.  Gabriel, 578 

Guillot,    Rev.   Urban 27,  194 

Guilfoyle,  Rev.  Patrick, 510 

Guinan,  Patrick, 498 

Gundermann,  Rev.  P.  P.,  .    .    .    .517 

Gwathney,  J. 290 

Gwynn,   Thomas, 5^ 

Gwynn,  Sister  Mary, 246 

Haese,  Rev.  R., 534 

Haeseley,  Rev.  P.  J.,  .  .  .  .  428,  510 
Hagan,  Rev.  Alfred,  ....  58,  349 
Hagan,  Randal,  Ignatius,  .... 

Monica, 28 

Hagan,  Alexius, Robert,  Basil,  .  58,  61 

Hagan,    Raphael, 1 14,     130 

Hagan,    Leonard, S^6 

Hagan,   Henry, 50>  54 

Hagan,   Clark, 428 

Hagan,   Hilary, 428 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


587 


Hagan,  Frank, 10 

Hagar,  Sister  Susan, 365 

Hagar,  James, •   .  1 10 

Haines,    James, 5^4 

Halpin,  Rev.  J., 435 

Hammer,   Rev.    Bonaventura,  .    .517 

Hamilton,    Alexander, 71 

Hamilton,  Hoskins, 78,  1 1 1 

Hamilton,  Leonard,  Clement,  .    . 

Samuel,  Walter,  George,  109,  ill 

Hamilton,  Walter, 80 

Hamilton,  Rev..  George  A.,  .  .  .  ill 
Hanley,  Major  John  H.,  ....  330 
Harrigan,  Rev.  Leo,  .',....  554 
Harrissart,  Rev.  Evremond,  .  390,  391 

Harrison,    Ben.    I., 303 

Hardin,  Judge  John, 444 

Hardin,   Hon.    John,   Jr.,  .    .    .    .281 

Hardin  county  mission, 412 

Hardin's    creek    settlement,  .    .         45 

Hardy,     Henry, 535 

Hardy,    Benedict, 366 

Hardisty,   George,    John,  ...  53,  54 

Hardisty,    Charles, 366 

Hargadon,     Micliael, 523 

Harkins,  Daniel, 63 

Harney,  Dr.  J.  Milton, 451 

Harnist,  Rev.  A.  J., 10,  510 

Hart,  Dr.  George, 24,  57 

Hart,  Sister  Agnes  and  associates, 

•    • 151 

Hart,  Captain  Nathaniel,  ....  329 
Haustermann,  Rev.  Joseph,  .  .  .  579 
Hayden,  Rev.    George,  .  54,  307,  349 

Hayden,  Basil, 28 

Hayden,  Louis,  Edward,  .    .    .  62,  63 
Hayden,  William,    Wilfred,  Ben- 
nett,  80 

Hayden,  James,    Basil,    William, 

John, no 

Hayden,    William,    John  Marcel- 
lus,  Raymond,  Simeon,  James 

M., 428 

Hayes,    John, 5 '4 

Hayes,   Rev.   J., 435 

Hayes,  Rev.  Thomas,  .....  551 
HazeUine,    Rev.    Joseph,  .    .  252,  349 

Haynes,  Thomas, 303,  514 

Healey,   Rev.    Edv/ard, 539 

Heckmann,   George, 522 

Heffernan,  William, 514 

Heim,    G.    F., 522 

Heising,  Rev.  F., 579 

Heising,  Rev.  John, 529 

Henderson  county  mission,  .  .  .  429 
Henderson,  Miss  Mary,  ...  .  429 
Henkle,    William,    .......  524 


Henni,  Most  Rev.  J.  M.,  ....  516 
Henning,  Mrs.  Ezekiel,  ....  425 
Hensperger,  Rev.    Bernard,  .    .    ,  525 

Herman,   E.  W., 545 

Hess,  Rev.  Raphael, 517 

Hess,   John,       5^5 

Hevern,  Sisters  Ann  and  Sarah,  .  235 

Hickey,  Rev,  John, 579 

Hickey,  Judge  Thomas,  Samuel,  .  330 

Higdon,  Mother  Agnes, 251 

Higdon,  Peter,  Thomas,  .  80,  118,425 
Higgins,  Rev.    Edward  A.,  .    .    .  440 

Higgins,    Maurice, 498 

Higgins,  Rev.  Dominic,     ....  551 

Hildebrandt,  Rev.  P., 579 

Hill,  Harry, 28,  68 

Hill,  Thomas,  and  descendants,  68,  73 

Hill,  Clement, 73 

Hill,  Rev.  Walter  H.,  10,  72,  399,  434 

Hinssin,  Rev.  W., 579 

Hinton,    Veitchel     and     descend- 
ants,     141 

Hobbs,  Mrs.  Polly, 368 

Hogan,  Timothy,  William,  .  .  .  498 
Hogarty,  Rev.   W.   P.,  .    .    .  439,  55° 

Hogarty,  Rev.  Joseph, 550 

Holscher,  Rev.  H., 534 

Holsker,  H., 522 

Holtel,  Rev.  Nicholas, 517 

Holton,  John  A., 91 

Holton,  Capt.  John, 53S 

Holy  Cross  church,  ...  33,  45,  187 
Holy  Mary's  church,  .    .    .    .  1 12,  187 

Honore,  John  A., 290 

Hooker,  Rev.  Cuthbert,  ....  554 
Hooman,    Rev.  William,    ....  527 

Hopenthal,   Peter, 430 

Horn,    Frederick, 524 

Hoste,  Rev.  Louis, 198 

Horstman,  Rev.  Philip, 

27,  139,  232,  291,  349 

Horstman,    Rev.   F., 434 

Hospital,  Sts.  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  545 
House  of  Study,  (Dominicans,)  .  553 
House  of  Study,  (Franciscans,)  .  .  553 
House  of  Study,  (Passionists,)  .  .  554 
Hov/ard,  Edward,  Thomas,  .    .  61,  68 

Howard,  James,  John, 55 

Howard,  Clement, 92 

Howard,  Richard,  Charles,  James,     80 

Howard,   Basil,    Gregory 428 

Howe,    James, 28 

Huber,    Joseph 515 

Huff,  James, 412 

Huits,    Martin,    Peter,    .....  366 

Hughes,  Edward, 289,  303 

Hughes,   James, 54 


5S8 


INDEX, 


Hunt,  Rev.  F.  X 578 

Hurley,  Rev.  D.   F., 527 

Hutchins,  Rev.  John  B.,  .... 

30,   207,  349,  360,  399 

Hutchins,  John, 28 

Hyde,  William, 524 

Hyland,  Thomas, 498 

Hyman,    Rev.  Theodore,  .    .    .    .515 

Indereiden,  J., 514 

Infirmary  of  St.  Joseph,     ....  543 
Irish  Settlement  on  Cox's  Creek,     64 

Jacofe,  Hon.  Charles  D.,    ....     10 

Jair,  Rev.  Otto, 515 

James,  Ann,  Teresa, 89 

Jamison,  Rev.  Francis  B.,  ....  359 
Janes,  John,  Austin,  Julia,     ...     80 

Jansen,    Henry, 522 

Jansens,  Rev.  H.  N.,  ....  432,  510 

Jarboe,    Walter, 56 

Jarboe,    John,    Henry,    Stephen, 

Benjamin,  Arnold, 80 

Jarboe,  Richard, 114 

Jarboe,  William,  Charles,  ....  425 

Jarboe,  Very  Rev.  J.  T., 80 

Jenkins,  Mrs.  Albert, to 

Jenkins,  Dr.  Thomas  E.,    ....     10 

Jenkins,  Thomas  C .    89 

Jenkins,  Rev.  T.  J.,  10,  368,  482,  510 
Johnson,   Leonard,   and   descend- 
ants,          29 

Johnson,  Clement,  John 29 

Johnson,  Sylvester, 10,    29 

Johnson,  John,  Simeon 80 

Johnson,  Hon,  Frank, 307 

Johnson,  Thomas,  Matthew,  .    .    .412 
Johnson,  Hon.  Richard  M.,  .    .    .178 

Jones,  Rev.  P.  M., 579 

Jones,  Fielding, 90 

Joyce,    Rev.   John, 349 

Joyce,  Rev.  Thomas,  ....  510,522 

Joyes,  Patrick, 10,  288 

Joyes,  Judge  John, 288 

Jubilee — first   preached    in    Ken- 
tucky,       186 

Jubilee   of   1826, 95 

Kampf,  Anthony, 515 

Keagan,  John, 303 

Kearney,  William, 288,  290 

Kearney,  John, 303 

Kehoe,  Rev.  Thomas, 539 

Kelleher,  Rev.  J.  P., 551 

Kellenaers,   Rev.   T., 482 

Keller,  Jacob, 514 

Keller,  Rev.   Bonaventura,  ...     •  524 


Kelly,  Bernard, 428 

Kelly,    Peter, 498 

Kelly,  William  L., 486 

Kelly,  Rev.  J.    A., 399 

Kelly,    Rev.    Daniel, 413 

Kentucky, 11,     24 

Aboriginal  inhabitants  of,  .  .  12 
Explored  by  the  whites,  ...  15 
Indian  atrocities  in,  ....  20 
General  emigration,  to,   ...     22 

Pioneer  life  in, 22 

Catholic  emigration  to,  .    .    .     24 
"Kentucky  Catholic,"  letters  of,  485 

Kennett,    Charles, 80 

Kenrick,    Most    Rev.    Francis    P. 

•    •    •   95.  330,  375.  378,  380,  535 

Kervick,  Rev.  F.  P., 527 

King,  Rev.  Kyran, 428 

Kirwan,  Patrick   N.,  ....  481,  514 

Kissel,  C, 524 

Kitzero,  George, 514 

Klapheke,  George, 522 

Klug,  A., 524 

Knott,  Eleanor, 58 

Knott,  Gov.  J.  Proctor, 398 

Knott,  Joseph, 80 

Knott,  James, 114,  130 

Knott,  Leonard, 130,  425 

Know-nothing    conspiracy,     .    .    .  483 

Kortmann,  Frederick, 522 

Koch,  Rev.    Anselm, 517 

Kolb,  Martin 545 

Kotterer,  Rev.  Pius, 525 

Krager,  Rev.  P.,  539 

Krutzbeintner,  Rev.  Louis,    .    .    .  554 

Kuhr,  Rev.  Ferdinand, 530 

Kurz,  Rev.  A., 525 

Kunst,  Franz 534 

Kuhlmann,    Rev.    J 435 

Lalumiere,  Rev.    Simon,   •   .  .  .    .  349 
Lamy,  Most  Rev.  J.  B.,     ....  531 

Lambert,  Rev.  L.   M., 539 

Lancaster,    John,    and    descend- 
ants,      48 

Lancaster,  Judge  William,     .    .    .  281 
Lancaster,  Very  Rev.  James  M.,  . 

.......  304,  349,   532,  535 

Lancaster,  Miles, 428 

Lancaster,  Raphael, 61 

Lang,  Very  Rev.  Charles,  •    •    .    .  554 

Lanham,  Zachariah, 80 

Larkin,  Rev.  John, 395 

Lavisse,  Rev.  A., 435 

Lavialle,  Rev.  and  Rt.  Rev.  Peter 

Joseph,  .    .    .  353,  399.492,509 
Lawler,    Rev.   Francis,  .    .    .  399,  509 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


589 


Lawler,  Rev.  Michael  D.,  .    .  510,  523 

Leahy,  Thomas, 10,  524 

Lebreton,    Rev.   P.    M., 395 

Lee,  Philip, 28 

Lee,  Robert, 90 

Lee,    Samuel, iii 

Lee,  Mrs.  Susan, 515 

Leek,   James, 89 

Legouais,    Rev.  Thomas,  .    .  388,  392 

Leibert,  P., 524 

Leitner,  Rev.  Jacobus, 522 

Lemmons,  Mrs.  Christina,  ....  540 

Leonard^  Rev.  H.  J. 526 

Lexington,  mission  of,    .    .    .  328,  331 
Lilly,  Thomas,  and  descendants,  .  114 

Lilly,  John, 114 

Lilly,  John,  Joseph  B., 514 

Linton,  Dr.  Moses  L., 75 

Lincoln,  W.  C, 482 

Lincoln,  Dennis, 5'4 

Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor,  ....  547 

Livers,    Samuel, 5^ 

Livers,  R'jbert,  Henry, 63 

Livers,  Arnold,  of  Maryland,    .    .  120 

Livers,  Frank, 430 

Logsdon,   Elisha,  Edward,     ...     92 

Louisville,  mission  of, 288 

French  emigration  to,     ...  290 

Diocese  of, 400 

Lucas,  Henry, 28 

Luckett,  Hezekiah,  ...  28,  114,  131 

Luckett,  Ben., 366,  535 

Luckett,  Henry, 100 

Lutz,  Ferdinand, 521 

Lynch,  Sister  M.  Mary  Teresa,     .  268 
Lynch,  Rev.  Edward,    .    .    .    .41,  551 

LyoKs,   John,    .......  303,  305 

Lyon,  Capt.  Sidney  S 303 

Macquaire,    Charles, 518 

Mackin,  Rev.  W.  P.  .    .  440,  482,  510 

Madden,  Walter, 56 

Madison  County  Settlement,  .    .    .    92 

Maes,  Rev.  J., 435 

Maes,  Rev.C.  P.,    ....  9,  184,  203 
Maguire,  Rev.  John,  ....  399,  509 

Magdalens,   order  of, 411 

Mahony,  William, 28 

Major,  Rev.  Thomas,  ......  540 

Manning,    John, 90 

Manning,  John, 420 

Marchand,    F.   X., 481,  514 

Martial,  Rev.  M., 279 

Martin,  Rev.  James,  M.,     ....  368 
Matthew,  Rev.  William  (Washing- 
ton),   449 

Mattingly,  John  G.,  Benjamin  F.,     10 


Mattingly,    Ignatius,    Joseph,  .    .  145 

Mattingly,    Zachariah, 142 

Mattingly,  Richard   and  descend- 
ants,     141 

Mattingly,  Philip, 28 

Mattingly,  Leonard,  William,  Lu- 
cas,  46 

Their  descendants, 47 

Mattingly,  Basil,  Polly,  ...  51,  189 
Mattingly,  Ignatius,  Dr.  C.  P.,  47,     63 

Mattingly,   Joseph, 80 

McAtee,    Henry, 28 

McAtee,  John  R.,  William,  F.  X.,     63 

McAtee,  Mrs.  Bernard, 10 

McAtee,  Elisha, 366 

McAteer,    John,    .,.....'.  481 

McAdams,   Jacob, 80 

McArdle,  John,  James, 63 

M'Cane,    Bernard, 139 

McCarthy,  Rev.  William,  .    .515,  529 

McCauliffe,  Michael, 498 

McCarthy,  Dennis, 162 

McCloskey,  Rt.  Rev.  William,  G., 

.  .  140,  414,  499,  526,  527,  545 
McCloskey,  Very  Rev.  George,  .  550 
McConnell,  Rev.  A.  J.,  .  .  .  510,  528 
McCown,  Burr  H.,  Harrison,  .  .  281 
McCoy,  William,  Alexander,  330,  331 
McCracken  county  mission,  .    .    .  430 

McCollum,  Solomon, 528 

McDaniel,  Joseph, 80 

McDermott,  William,  James,  .  .  514 
McDonougli,  William,  Simon,  .    .    64 

McDonough,  Patrick, 90 

McDonald,  Rev.  Theodosius,    .    .  528 

McElroy,  Dr.  108 

McFeeley,  Rev.  M.  A., 526 

McGary,   William, 143 

McGhee,  Bernard,  ....  288,  303 
McGill,  James,  and  descendants,  .  63 
McGill,  Thomas,  David,  ....  63 
McGill,  Rev.  and  Rt.  Rev.  John, 

307,  312 

Sketch  of  his  life,  .  .  .  320,  327 
His  first  visit  to  Europe,  .  .321 
Edits  "Catholic  Advocate",  322 
His  controversial  lectures,  .  323 
Consecrated  bishop  of  Rich- 
mond,           324 

Second  visit    to  Europe   and 

correspondence  from,      .    .  325 
Death    and    interment,  .    .    .  327 

McGill,   Very  Rev.  J., 534 

McGill,  Joseph,  Thomas,    ....  142 

McGill,    William  F., 10 

McGill,  Anselm, 514 

McGinley,  Rev.  John  J,,  .    .    .    .  579 


59° 


INDEX. 


McGrath,  Rev.   M.  F.,    .    .'.    .    .526 

McGrath,  James, 514 

Mcllvain,  J.  B., 514 

Mcllvoy,  Daniel,  Charles,  ....  576 

McKay,    Frank 288,  303,  514 

McKenna,  Very  Rev.  C.  H.,  .  .  526 
McMahon,  Rev.  Edward,  .... 

27,  99.331.  349 

McMahon,  Rev.  Abraham,  .  loo,  349 
McManus,  Mary,  Charles,  ....     59 

McManus,  John, 90 

McManus,  Rev.   H.  J., 526 

McNamara,  Rev.  Robert 554 

McNamara,  John,  Patrick,  .  .  .  498 
McNerney,  Rev.  James,  .  .510,  539 
McNicholas,    Rev.    Patrick,  .    .    . 

154,  368,  420,  509 

McShane,  Rev.  D., 551 

McSherry,  Rev.  J.  F., 551 

McSorley,    James,    .    .    .    .    .514,  523 

McSweeney,  Rev.  F., 509 

Meade  county  mission, 420 

Mearns,  Rev.  G., 435 

Meagher,  Very  Rev.  D.  J.,  .    .    .  526 

Meagher,  Stephen, 143 

Medley,  Ignatius,  John,  ....  54 
Melody,   Rev.  M.,    ...  10,  424,  550 

Melton,  Stanislaus, 28 

Merschmann,    Rev.   J., 540 

Merriman,  John, 63 

Merten's,  Rev.  H 482 

Meiwes,  Rev.  John, 579 

Metcalfe,  Dr.  J.  C,  .  .  .481,486,514 
Miles,  Hon.  William  R.,    ....  281 

Miles,  Edward, 412 

Miles,  Miss  Bridget 515 

Miles,  Rev.  and  Rt.   R.  P.,  .    .    . 

207,  209,  212,  263 

Miles,  Rev.  Thomas, 435 

Miles,  Philip,  Harry, 28 

Miles,  Edward, 68 

Miles,  Nicholas, 114 

Miles,  Barton,  John  S.,  .  ,  .  56,  So 
Mills,  Joseph,  John,  ....  28,  56 
Mills,   Bernard,  Ignatius,  .    .    .    .111 

Mills,  Louis,  Joseph, 366 

Mills,    James, 420 

Millet,    Francis, 429 

Moellman,  Anton, 522 

Monohan,  J.  M., 514 

Montgomery,  Rev.  Samuel  H.,    . 

27,  91,  330 

Montgomery,  Rev.  Charles  P.,  .  80 
Montgomery,  William,  Basil,    .    .     72 

Montgomery,  Charles, 80 

Montgomery,  Austin, 1 14 

Montgomery,  Rev.  Stephen  H.,   .  530 


Montgomery,  Hon.  Zach., Thomas, 

425,  426 

Moore,  Alexander 63 

Morgan,  Dennis 91 

Moran,    John, 498 

Morgan,  Sister  Ellen 236 

Mount  Carmel,  convent  of,  .  152,  242 
Mount  Merino,  seminary  of,  .  .  155 
Mudd,  Thomas,  Raphael,  .  ,  28,  80 
Mudd,  Luke,  Joseph,  Ignatius,  .  56 
Mudd,  Richard,  William,  ....  366 
Mulholland,  Rev.  David,  .    .  139,  349 

Muller,  Rev.  Louis  M., 525 

Muller,  Nicholas 431 

Mulligan,  Dennis, 10 

Munoz,  Rev.— O.  S.  D.,     ....  209 

Murb,    P., 522 

Murphy,   Michael 514 

Murphy,  Jeremiah, 330 

Murphy,  Rev.  William  Stack,  385,  393 

Murphy,  Rev.  Jerome, 554 

Murray,  John, 482,  524 

Nally,  Bernard, 28 

Neely,  David,  James, 80 

Nerinckx,  Rev.  Charles,  .  .  .  71,  144 
Birth  and  early  history,  .  .  .  185 
Singular  adventure  of,  .  .  .  144 
How  he  built  churches,  .  .  .  144 
Character  and  personal  appear- 
ance,     187 

Exhibitions       of        physical 

strength, 188 

His  spirit  of  prayer, 190 

Why  he  left  Kentucky,  .    .    .  192 
He  dies  in  Missouri  in  1824,  .  192 
Removal  of  remains  to  Ken- 
tucky,   193 

Newman,  Judge  John  E.,  ....  398 

Nippert,  Mrs.  Mary, 10 

Norris,  Henry,  Rodolf,     .    .    .28,     30 

Norris,  Samuel, 366 

Norris,   William, 415 

Nurn,  Ben.,  Austin,  Philip,    ,    .    .  431 

Nurre,  Rev.  L., 517 

Nussbaum,   Rev.    F., 435 

Oberhulsmann,  Rev.  William,  368,  509 
O'Beirne,  John,  ...  28S,  303 

Oberlinkels,  Rev.  M.,  ....  10,  482 

O'Brien,  Rev.  M.  D., 211 

O'Brien,  Sister  Cecily,    .    .    .  247,  365 

O'Brien,    Ellen, 102 

O'Brien,  Augustin,  John,  ....  514 

O'Brien,  Patrick, 524 

O'Bryan,  Edward, 288 

O'Callaghan,  Rev.  E.,  .  368,  429,  509 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


591 


O'Carroll,  Very  Rev.  William  D.,  526 

O'Connor,  Rev.  John, 550 

O'Connor,  Rev.  Martin,  .  .  .  .551 
O'Connor,  Sister  Scholastica,  .  .  249 
O'Connor,    Christopher,   William, 

James, 523 

O'Connor,  Christopher, 528 

O'Connor,  Rev.  Alban, 554 

O'Connell,  Sister  Ellen,  .  .  .  .  247 
O'Connell,  Rev.  C..J.,  .  .  .  274,  440 
O'Connor,    Rev.    Martin,  ....  421 

O'Connor,  Rev.  James, 510 

O'Donovan,  Rev.  D.  J., 510 

O'Dwyer,  Rev.  J.  A., 526 

Offutt,  Z.  B.,  Augustine,     ....    80 

O'Flynn,   Rev.    M., 92,  328 

O'Grady,  Rev.  Fr., 551 

O'Hara,  Kean,     ....  90,  454,     535 

O'Hara,  Col.  Theodore, 454 

Ohle,  Rev.   Louis, 551 

Olden-time  wedding  described,    .    83 

Olivier,  Rev.  Donatien, 174 

O'Nann,  Dennis,  James,     ....    96 

O'Neil,  Jonas,  Thomas, ^  80 

O'Neil,    Rev.    Thomas, 435 

O' Reagan,  Daniel,  Bartholomew,  498 

O'Reilly,  Daniel, 498 

Ormsby,  Judge  Stephen,  .  .  .  .178 
Orphan  Asylum,  St.  Thomas,  .  .  546 
Orphan  Asylum,  St.  Vincent's,  .  .  541 
Orphan  Asylum,  St.  Joseph's,  .  .  543 
Orphan  Asylum,  St.  John's,  Cov- 
ington,     541 

Orphan  Asylum,  St.  Joseph's,  Cov- 
ington,      541 

Osborne,  Thomas,  William,  Wal- 
ter, Joseph,  Basil, 80 

Osborne,  James  W.,  .  .  .  .514,  549 
Ostlangenberg,  Rev.  Casper,  .  .  .  578 
O'Sullivan,  Rev.  D.,  ....  510,  529 
O'Sullivan,  Daniel 498 

Pacitti,  Rev.  Timothy, 554 

Payne,  Charles, 28 

Payne, John, .    .  II4 

Payne,    Patrick, 80 

Payne,  Joseph,  Joh-n,  ....  366,  425 
Porcher,  Mother  Marie  des  Anges,  405 

Peak,   Francis, 28 

Perche,  Rev.  and    Rt.  Rev.  N.  J., 

413.  508,  517 

Perot,    Eugene, 290,  518 

Perry,  Rev.  P., .  540 

Petit,  Rev.  Nicholas, 386 

Peythieu,  Rev.  Hugo, 519 

Pfalzer,  Jacob, 544 

Picot,  Rev.  L., 349 


Pierceall,    Clement,    Richard,  .    .ill 

Pierceall,    Joseph, 80 

Pike,  Joseph,         420 

Pirtle,  Judge   Henry, 307 

Pirtle,  James  S., 10 

Pike,  Rev.  James  J., 551 

Pise,  Rev.  C.  C,  .    .    .    .     •   .    .    .  301 

Plaggenborg,  Rev.    H., 

.....  10,   526,  482,   510,  529 

Pollmier,  Louis, 540 

Pope,  Hamilton, lO 

Pope,  Warden, 290 

Poth,  Anton, 430 

Pottinger's  Creek  Settlement,  27,    45 

Pottinger,  Sam-.:el, 501 

Powell,   Hon.    Lazai-us  W.,  .  281,  430 

Powell,    Peter, 80 

Powell,  Mrs.  Ruth 90 

Powell,  Rev.  W.  E., 155 

Power,  Very  Rev.  John,  ....  301 
Power,  Rev.  Michael,  9,  154,  432,  510 
Practori,  Rev.  Cornelius,    ....  522 

Price,    Thomas, 63 

Prullagge,  Rev.  P., 578 

Public  Penance,  a., 143 

Pulsford,    Theodore, 520 

Purcell,  Most  Rev.  John  B.,  457,  471 
Purcell,  Very  Rev.  Edward,  .    .    .  471 

Quarles,  Mrs.   Eliza., 535 

Queen,  James,       28 

Queen,    Joseph, 63 

Quinn,  Rev.  John, 309,  509 

Quinn,  Frank, 310 

Quinn,  Rev.  James,  .    .    .  40,  349,  368 

Rademacher,  Clement, 522 

Rademacher,  H.   H., 545 

Raes,  Rev.  Ferdinand, 534 

Raffo,  Rev.  Peter  C, 551 

Raley,   Basil,  John 102 

Raleigh,  Francis,  Henry in 

Raney,  James,  ...  ....    72 

Raney,  Thomas, 56 

Rapier,    Capt.     James,     Charles, 

William, 57 

Redmond,  Rev.  John,  .  .  .  510,  578 
Reed,  Rev.  J.   F.,  .    .    .  275,  368,  509 

Reeves,  Rev.  John, 539 

Reiling,    Bernard, 544 

Reinhart,  Rev.  F.  A., 550 

Reidhar,    Francis, 514 

Reynolds,  John,    ........    60 

Reynolds,  Rev.  andRt.  Rev.  Igna- 
tius A.,  .    .  27,  94,  252,  307,  349 
A  sketch  of  his  life,  .    .    .  312-20 
Reze,  Rt.   Rev.    Frederick,  .    .    .  455 


592 


INDEX. 


Rhodes,  Sister  Mary, 234 

Rhodes,   Abram, 80 

Rhodes,  Elias 142 

Rhodes,  Sister  Nancy,  .  .  .  235,  239 
Richardson,    Abner,    ......    90 

Richy,  John  B., 515 

Richard,  Rev.  Gabriel, 174 

Rihn,  John,  Andrew, 419 

Riley,  Peter, 515 

Riney,  Jonathan,  Zachariah,  Jesse, 

James,  John,  Basil,  Clement,     80 

Riney,  Clement, 366 

Riney,  John,  P.,  Sylvester,    .    .    .  415 

Rivet,   Rev.    M., 174 

Robbers,  Rev.  William, 534 

Robertson,  Judge  George,  .  .  .  .117 
Robinson,  Sister  Constantia,  .    .    .498 

Roby,   Barton, 415 

Roby,  Hezekiah, 80 

Rock,  Rev.  P.  M.  J.,  414,  427,  510,  528 

Rodman,  John  H., 428 

Roesl,  Rev.  Joseph    M.,    ....  517 

Rogers,    John, 63,  269 

Rogers,  Michael,  .    .    .    .  lO,  291,  514 

Rogers,  Patrick, 288,  291 

Rogers,  Daniel, 114 

Rogers,  Rev.  Joseph,  ....  153,  349 
Rolling  Fork  settlement,    ....  102 

Roman,  Gov., 281 

Roman,  Lombard, 398 

Roney,  Roger ill 

Roof,  John, 430 

Rooney,  Rev.  J.  A 526 

Rooney,  Peter, 288 

Roser,  Stephen,  John,      .    .    .  ' .    .  430 

Rossbauer,  Rev.  Alexius 525 

Rossi,    Rev.    Gaudentius,  ....  554 

Ross,  George, 63 

Rosati,  Rt.  Rev.  Joseph,  ....  210 
Rowan,  Judge  John,  ....  307,  444 
Rowan,  Hon.  John,  Jr.,  ....  281 
Rudd,  Capt.  James,  ....  288,  303 
Russell,  Rev.    David,  .    .  10,  482,  510 

Ryan,    Rev.    N., 154 

Ryan,  Rev.  James, 399,  510 

Ryan,  Rev.  J.    P., 439.  51° 

Ryan,  Richard, 80 

Ryan,  John, 514 

Ryan, , David, 535 

Salmon,  Rev.  Anthony,  .  26,  138,  168 

Salmon,  R.   D., 497 

Sanders,  Anthony, 57,  452 

Sanders,  Christopher, 452 

Sansbury,  Nicholas, 80 

Sansbury,    Sisters    Angela,     Ben- 

venuta, 262 


Savage,  Cornelius, 482 

Schacht,  Rev.  Ivo, 427,  431 

Schaefer,  Jacob, 430 

Schaeffer,  Rev.  Peter, 

27,   146,  232,  348 

Schneider,  John, 430 

Schmelz,  Rev.  Seigebert,    ....  522 

Schmid,  Rev.  Stephen, 578 

Schmitz,  Rev.  J.  A., 527 

Schneider,  Felix, 515 

Schnetz,  George, 303,  515 

Schulten,  John, 544 

Schweiss,  A., 524 

Scott  County  Settlement,    ....    88 
Scott    County,   Catholic    residents 

in  1827, 91 

Scott  County,  story  of  a  conver- 
sion,  90 

Sele,  Rev.  Dr.  Emil, 550 

Seng,  Martin, 544 

Shannon,  Pierce,  Patrick,  John,  .  288 

Shelly,   John, 528 

Sherer,  Rev.  Polycarp 578 

Sheridan,  Rev.  John, 551 

Sheridan,  Rev.  J., 526 

Shoemaker,   Dr.  T.  J., 369 

Shuckmann,  Nicholas,  Herman,  .  520 

Simms,  John 80 

Simms,  Samuel, ,     56 

Simms,  William, 428 

Simpson,  Grace  Newton 131 

Simpson,  Walter,  James,    .    .    .    .114 

Singleton,  Hon.  Otho  R 281 

Sisters  of  St.  Francis, 555 

Sisters  of  Mercy, 549 

Slattery,  John  J., 523 

Slevin,  Richard, 481 

Slevin,  Thomas,  Edward,  ,    .    .    .514 

Smith,  Samuel, 56 

Smith,     Benedict,     Bennett,      E. 

Baker, .63 

Smith,  Samuel,  Benjamin,  Giles, 

Richard,  W'illiam, 78 

Smith,  Daniel 79,  288,  303 

Smith,  Edward 366 

Smith,  Levi, 78 

Smith,  G.  W 482 

Smith,  Benedict, 114 

Smith,  Rev.  James,  .    .    .    .    .578,510 
Spalding,  Benedict,  and  descend- 
ants,  109 

Spalding,  Richard,  and  descend- 
ants,    ...........  109 

Spalding,  Rev.  Samuel  B.,     .    .    .  482 
Spalding,  John,  Joseph,  .....     28 

Spalding,  Hon.  Richard  M.,     .    .110 
Spalding,  William,  ,    ,    ,    .    .110,  366 


CATHOLICITY    IN    KENTUCKY. 


593 


Spalding,  Most  Rev.  Martin  John, 

109,  211,  275,  312,  349 

Birth,  parentage,  boyhood  and 

youth,      475 

Early  ministerial  career,     .    .  476 
Consecrated      coadjutor-bish- 

OP. 477 

Builds   the   cathedral    of  the 

Assumption, 478 

Seeks      ministerial      aid      in 

Europe, 479 

Establishes  the  society  of  St. 

Vincent  in  Louisville,  .    .    .  481 
Connection  with    the  Ameri- 
can college  at  Louvain,  .    .  483 
Action  during  the  civil  war,  .  486 
Transferred  to  the  See  of  Bal- 
timore,      487 

Died  February  7,  1872,    .    .    .  488 
Personal  and  social  character- 
istics,        488 

Spalding,  Ignatius  A.,  .  no,  304,  366 
Spalding,  Robert  A.,  Ignatius  A.,  no 
Spalding,  Mother  Catharine,  246,  532 

Spalding,  James, 114 

Spalding,  Sister  Ann, 242 

Spalding,  Very  Rev.  B.  J  ,  .    .    . 

.  •  .  •  .  155.  275.  349,  359,  544 
Spalding,  Rt.  Rev.  John  L.,  482,  527 
Spalding,  Hon.  Ignatius  A.,  .  .  .  369 
Spalding,  Mrs.  Richard  M.,  ...     10 

Spalding,  Samuel, 10,  429 

Speaks,   Urban, 28 

Speaks,  James, 114 

Speaks,  Basil, 80 

Specht,  Joseph, 524 

Speed,  Hon.  James,     ......  281 

Speed,  Joshua  A.,  John  J.,  .  .  .  281 
Speed,  James  S.,  ......  290,  515 

Spink,  Ignatius,  Raphael 80 

Stahlschmidt,  Rev.   M., 307 

Stallo,  Rev.  Guido, 534 

Station,  St.  Ignatius, 146 

Station,  St.  Francis  Xavier,    .    .    .  147 

Steele,  Samuel  B., 515 

Stevens,  John,       63 

Stevens,  James, 28 

Stephany,  Rev.  John, 578 

St.  Joseph's  foreign  missionary  so- 
ciety  527 

St.  Rose,   establishment,     ....  202 

St.    Stephen's, 84,  167 

St.  Vincent's  Academy 365 

Streber,  Rev.  Leander, 521 

Struck,  Frank, 521 

Stuart,  Sister  Christine 234 

Sullivan,  Richard,  Michael, David,  498 


Sutton,  Rev.  Xavier, 554 

Stuntebeck,  Rev.   F., 435 

Tappert, Revs.  William  and  H.  M.,  534 
Tarascon,    John  A.,   Louis,  .    .    .  289 

Tardy,  Rev.  J.  B., 527 

Tarleton,  James,  Jeremiah,  George 

W., 89,91 

Tarleton,  Sister  Columba,  ....  251 

Taylor,  Rev.  J.  H 510 

Taylor,  Anderson, 91 

Tenley,  Sister  Frances, 262 

Teutenberg,  Rev.  F., 534 

Teupe,    Ben., 522 

Thayer,    Rev.    John,  ....  169,  173 

Thawles,    Isaac 28 

Thebaud,  Rev.   A.  J. 10,  394 

Thomas,  Ben., 369 

Thome,  Peter, 521 

Thompson,  Thomas,        91 

Thompson,  Valentine,  .  .  n4,  130 
Thompson,  Richard,  Bennet,  John,  56 
Thompson,  Gabriel,  J.  B.,  George,  80 
Thompson,  Dr.  "Peggy,"  ....  84 
Thornton,  Mrs.  R.  J.,  ....  515 
Thruston,  Hon  Charles  M.,  .  .  .  307 
Tierney,  Rev.  Thomas  F.,  ....  510 

Timon,  Rt.  Rev.  John, 210 

Tobin,    Lawrence, 535 

Todd,   Gen.    Robert, 178 

Todd,  Sister  Lucy, .  336 

Todd,  Gen.  Robert, 178 

Todd,  Sister  Lucy 336 

Todd,  Mrs.   Mocha,  Sister  Gabri- 

ella,      535 

Toebbe,  Rt.  Rev.  A.  M.,     ....  532 

Toebbe,  Sister  Modesta, 534 

Truyens,  Rev.  C, 435 

Trappists  in  Kentucky,  .    .    .  194,  198 

Trost,  Nicholas, 430 

Tschieder,  Rev.  P., 435 

Tucker,  Zachariah,  Thomas,  .  .  54 
Tuite,  Rev.  William  Raymond,    . 

200,  208 

Tuolry,  Rev.  Edward 554 

Turner,  Josiah,  Rev.  J.  P.,     .    .    .    80 

Twyman,  Judge  James, 

^        •    •    • 89,  93,  180,453 

Twyman,  Stephen  Theodore,    .    .    90 

Uncle  Harry,  of  color, 177 

Union  County  Mission, 363 

Usher,  Richard, 515 

Vanderhagen,  Rev.  William,  482,  524 
Van  Deutekom,  Rev.  F.  X.,  .  480,  520 
Vandemergel,  Rev.  J.  B.,  .    .  422,  482 


594 


INDEX. 


VantroostenDerghe,  Rev.  G.  A.,  .  482 
Vantroostenberghe,  K.tv.  Edward,  482 
Van  Emstede,  Rev.  Francis  W.,  .  479 
Van  Hulst,  Rev.  Adrian,  ....  434 
Van  Luytelaar,  Rev.  John,     .    .    .  479 

Vatble,  A., 515 

Verhtegen,  Rev.  Peter  J.,  .    .    .    .  433 

Vigneront,  Rev.  F.  C, 527 

Villier,    Paul, 515 

Viala,  Rev.  A., 399,  439 

Voght,  Henry, 520 

Volk,  Rev.  P., 428,  482 

Voll,  Rev.  John, 509 

Vorndrann,  Nicholas, 544 

Wade,  David, ...  428 

Wahl,  John, 522 

Walker,  Judge  J.  C., lo 

Waller,  John,  .....  69,  20I 

Walterspiel,  Rev.  Leopold,  .  482,  524 

Walton,  Gen.  Matthew, 67 

Ward,  Rev.  Stephen,  ....  349 
Ward,  Revs.  F.  and  Nicholas,  .    .554 

Warden,  Robert,  . 64 

Warren,  James,  Charles,       .    .  63,  114 

Warren,  George  W., 419 

Warren,  William, 498 

Warth,  Ignatius, ,  534 

Wathen,  Harry, 63 

Wathen,  Charle.-, 114 

Wathen,    John,    Henry    H.,    Ed- 
ward,    Ill 

Wathen,  Drs.  Richard  and  Ben.,  .  154 
Wathen,  Rev.  John  C,  .    .    .  153,  348 

Wathen,  Louis, 369 

Wathen,  Thomas, .    .  366 

Wathen,  Wilfred,  .  .  .114,  130,  426 
Wathen,  Sister  Juliana,  .....  240 

Watson,  Rev.  G., 435 

Watson,  W.  N., 524 

Webb,  Nehemiah,    .    .  22,  57,  59,     69 

His  descendants, 59 

Webersinke,  Rev.  Ubaldus,  .  .  .517 
Weissenberger,  M.,      .    .    .    .    .    .524 

Wells,  Sister  Elizabeth, 246 

Welsh,  John, 498 

Welsh,  Rev.  P.  J., 551 

Westermann,  Rev.  H., 482 

West,  William, 535 

Westcott,  William, 63 

Westermann,  Rev.  H., 429 

Weyd,  Louis,    ....,,•..  515 


Whelan,  Rev.  David, 471 

VVhelan,  Rev.  Michael,  .    .    .  515,  550 
Whelan,  Rt.  Rev.  James,    ....  212 

Whelan,  Rev.  William, 349 

White,  Rev.  Thomas  W.,  ....  551 

Wheatley,  Ben  net, 56 

Wheatley,  Bernard, 63 

Wheatley,  Leonard, 141 

Wheatley,  Edward,  James,    ...    80 
Whelan,  Rev.  M.,    ........  156 

Whelan,   Rev.  Michael, 515 

Whelan,  Rt.  Rev.  James,  .    .    .    .212 

Whelan,  Rev.  David, 471 

White,  William, ,    ,    80 

Wickham,  Peter, 63 

Wickliffe,  Gov.  Robert, 281 

Widman,  Rev.  David, 517 

Wight,  Noble, 420 

Wilkens,  Rev.   Ignatius 517 

Wilkinson,  Mrs.  E.  C, 248 

Willett,  Rev.  William  T.,  .  27,  93,  330 

Willett,  Samuel,  John, 368 

Wille,  Rev.  Lambert, 578 

Wiseman,  Rev.  W.  J., 482 

Wilson,  Rev.  Thomas, 

.    .    .    .         .  27,  93,  200,  208,  270 
Wilson,  Dr.  Thomas  E.,     ....  281 
Wimsett,   Joseph,    Raphael,    Ste- 
phen,  Ill 

Wintersmith,  Hon.  Charles,  .    .    .  281 

Winterholde,  George, 522 

Wirt,  Mrs.  Eliza,      330 

Wise,  Adam,  and  descendants,     .  412 

Wise,  Sister  Margaret, 412 

Woman's  life  in  the  settlements,  .    81 

Her  employments, 81 

Her   amusements, 82 

Her  privileged  industries,  .  .  82 
Woodward,  Richard,  James,  .  .  366 
Wood,  Most  Rev.  James  F.,  .  .  .  471 
Worland,  Bernard,  Thomas,  ...  89 
Worland,  Henry,  Washington,  77,     78 

Worland,  Thomas, 330 

Wuyts,  Rev.  Francis,    ....  40,  479 

Young,  Rev.  Dominic,     .  27,  206,  336 
Young,  Rev.  Lambert, 536 

Zanone,  Anthony 515 

Zanone,  Jacob,      515 

Zoeller,  Rev.  Alphonsus,    ....  524 


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